Chris is a physician-scientist engages in integrative clinical services and research of infectious disease (e.g. COVID), respiratory disease (e.g. COPD), metabolic disease (e.g. diabetes), chronic kidney disease, and other internal medicine conditions. Chris is currently the Assistant Professor of the School of Chinese Medicine, Associate Director of the Vincent V.C. Woo Chinese Medicine Clinical Research Institute and Programme Director of the Master of Chinese Medicine.

    He is the designer and coordinator of multiple clinical trials, cohorts and biobank (e.g. SCHEMATIC, READY, SYSTEM, RECORD, BIOPSY, PRACTICE), which showed that 1) rehmannia-6-based add-on Chinese medicine treatment and 2) astragalus reduces kidney function decline in diabetes, 3) add-on Chinese medicine was associated with significant mortality reduction in hospitalized COVID, 4) add-on Chinese medicine was associated with reduced mortality in hospitalized acute exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 5) the prescription pattern and putative mechanisms of these effects, and 6) phenotypes used in Chinese medicine diagnosis independently predicts disease progression in diabetes. Besides Chinese medicine, Chris also showed that selective endothelin A receptor antagonist atrasentan was associated with less pain events and reduced use of analgesics in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease by using the SONAR trial.

    Chris has published over 30 original articles in international peer-reviewed medical journals, including the Kidney Int, Clin J Am Soc Nephrol, Phytomedicine and Am J Chin Med as the first / corresponding author. He has been the Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator of 16 research projects with over HK$25 million funding support. He is also a sub-investigator of a multi-national Chinese medicine industrial clinical trial.

    Chris received clinical Chinese medicine training from the HKBU (BCM&BSc, MCM), Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (clinical training) and Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (MD); clinical epidemiology, personalized medicine, internal medicine and basic science training from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (MSc Public Health), University Medical Center Groningen (overseas training), Queen Mary Hospital and HKU (PhD). He received 23 awards (8 research related), including 2 international awards. Chris has served for Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, Hospital Authority, World Health Organization and KPMG Advisory on clinical medicine, health administration, medical research and healthcare policy previously.

    Apart from practice and research, Chris also serves as a board member of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies subcommittees (Special Committee of Clinical Curative Effect Evaluation, Special Committee on Classics); GP-TCM Research Association (Co-chair of Clinical practice guideline group); and the council/board member and advisor of over 15 government and NGO panels currently.

Area of interest: metabolic disease, infectious disease, respiratory disease, chronic kidney disease

Methods: clinical trial, registry-based real-world study, meta-analysis, focus group interview, network pharmacology, experimental study, traditional theory

Application: effectiveness assessment, drug repurposing, healthcare implementation

Clinical sessions: HKBU clinics - Sheung Wan (Wed pm), Kowloon Tong (Thur pm)

**Accepting PhD students and Post-doctoral Fellows

Selected publications:

1.    Chan KW, Smeijer JD, Schechter M, et al. Post-hoc analysis of the SONAR trial indicates that the endothelin receptor antagonist atrasentan is associated with less pain in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Kidney Int. 2023;104(6):1219-1226 [3/124 in Urology & Nephrology (JCI), top nephrology journal of original publications]

2.    Chan KW, Kwong ASK, Tan KCB, et al. Add-on Rehmannia-6-Based Chinese Medicine in Type 2 Diabetes and CKD: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2023;18(9):1163-1174 [6/124 in Urology & Nephrology (JCI), ISCMR Scientific Article Award 2023]

3.    Xu N, Zhong K, Yu H, …, Zhou X*, Chan KW*, Li J*. Add-on Chinese medicine for Hospitalized chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (CHOP). Phytomed. 2023;109:154586 [1/42 in Integrative & Complementary Medicine, 11/362 in Pharmacology & Pharmacy (JCI)]

4.    Chan KW, Yu KY, Yiu WH, et al. Potential therapeutic targets of rehmannia formulations on diabetic nephropathy: A comparative network pharmacology analysis. Front Pharmacol. 2022;13:794139

5.    Chan KW, Chow TY, Yu KY, et al. Effectiveness of integrative Chinese-western medicine for chronic kidney disease and diabetes. Am J Chin Med. 2022;50(2):371-388 [2/42 in Integrative & Complementary Medicine, 24/322 in Medicine, General & Internal (JCI)]

6.    Chan KW, Lee PW, Leung CP, et al. PRAgmatic Clinical Trial design of Integrative mediCinE (PRACTICE): a focus group series and systematic review on diabetes and kidney disease. Front Med. 2021;8:668913

7.    Chan KW, Chow TY, Yu KY, et al. SYmptom-based STratification of diabEtes Mellitus by renal function (SYSTEM): a retrospective cohort study and modelling assessment. Front Med. 2021;8:682090

8.    Chan KW, Hung IF, Tsang OT, et al. Mass screening is associated with low rates of acute kidney injury among COVID-19 patients in Hong Kong. Am J Nephrol. 2021;52:161-172 [15/124 in Urology & Nephrology (JCI), Editors’ choice]

9.    Shu Z, Chang K, Zhou Y, …, Zhang B*, Tong X*, Liu B*, Zhou X*, Chan KW*, Li X*. Add-on semi-individualized Chinese medicine for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (ACCORD): A retrospective cohort study of hospital registries. Am J Chin Med. 2021;49(3):543-575 [2/42 in Integrative & Complementary Medicine, 24/322 in Medicine, General & Internal (JCI)]

10.    Chan KW, Wong VCW, Tang SC. COVID-19: An Update on the Epidemiological, Clinical, Preventive and Therapeutic Evidence and Guidelines of Integrative Chinese-western Medicine for the Management of 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease. Am J Chin Med. 2020;48(3)1-26 [Cited 528]