How Hong Kong’s third medical school can reach new healthcare heights

This summer, the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) opened in Bentonville, Arkansas, attracting attention both for its striking architecture and revolutionary ideas about medicine. The four-storey building with its angular facade is clad in earth-tone precast concrete and brass panels, reflecting the geology of the surrounding landscape and the Ozark Mountains. Unusually for such a grand project – it has a rooftop garden, reflection pond, wellness studio and gym – a local architectural studio was employed for its design, instead of parachuting in a “starchitect”, who was as likely as not to have produced a building quite alien to the area. Arkansas-based Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects has an office in Fayetteville and has been practising in the area for almost five decades. Too often, project owners desire a stunning architectural statement but fail to offer opportunities to local architectural firms with a deep-rooted understanding of the place and the people. This project is an exemplary story of what a local practice can achieve. But what makes AWSOM truly awesome – no pun intended – is not the hardware, but its revolutionary ideas and approach to medical education and treatment. For too long, Western medicine has focused on patients’ histories and physical symptoms, accordingly providing professional diagnoses and treatment options. The idea is based on the belief that our bodies are healthy to begin with, and we go to the hospital or clinic only when we experience pain or health problems surface. However, from Dr David A. Sinclair’s Lifespan: Why We Age – and Why We Don’t Have To, to Dr Peter Attia’s Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity, the medical profession has in recent years started to explore how preventive medicine can promote health, longevity and our cognitive and physical functions. That is, before our bodies show any signs of pain, distress or dysfunction. Attia referred to such a holistic medical philosophy as Medicine 3.0, which places a far greater emphasis on prevention than treatment and considers each patient as a unique individual. The idea is close to Chinese medical philosophy with its preventive and health maintenance measures. Such a medical education is what AWSOM offers, and it could be the first such Western medical school in the world. Time Magazine’s Alice Park summarised the school’s objective as: “to keep patients healthy by … preventive medicine and whole-health principles”, “caring for (and not just treating) the entire person and all of the factors – from their mental health to their living conditions and lifestyle choices – that contribute to well-being". AWSOM is also a stone’s throw away from the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Students would be required to study pieces in the museum and draw one another to develop a strong sense of focus, observation, empathy and communication skills. This is a holistic education connecting health, art, science, knowledge and learning. The architects may have designed a state-of-the-art medical school but the owner aims to redesign Western medical education. This is something we in Hong Kong should take notice of as we look to open a third medical school. The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong offer a great medical education, producing exceptional doctors and periodically releasing groundbreaking research, from myopia treatment and anti-ageing drugs to allergy prevention and disease evolution. But we also have a manpower shortage, especially in qualified public doctors, which is taking a toll on public medical services. For Hong Kong’s third medical school, we need to ask the fundamental question of how it can be different – not only in its location, facilities and equipment, but also in its medical philosophy, while addressing pressing issues in human resources and medical services. If we build a world-class facility with innovative ideas, we have the potential to take a world-leading leap. This would attract the best candidates, professors and researchers to our city while improving public medical services, killing many birds with one stone. What makes AWSOM truly special is the person who had the vision for a medical revolution and funded the project. Who is Alice L. Walton? The Walmart heiress is the world’s richest woman who, instead of sitting on her inherited fortune, decided to use her wealth to make profound changes. Hong Kong’s wealthiest should take note, as should the Hong Kong Academy for Wealth Legacy. A true legacy lies not in building another shopping centre, claiming an artisanal or cultural movement or erecting another eye-candy skyscraper in our city centre. Instead, it lies in using their wealth and resources to explore revolutionary ideas that others cannot afford to, to engage the best talent and researchers to make real changes and discoveries, and to bring a positive and lasting impact on the community and people. It can be a win in both the commercial and social aspects. Hong Kong’s third medical school can do more than resolve the city’s shortage of doctors; it can also help promote a better lifestyle and preventive health measures. Hong Kong is known for its long life expectancy, thanks to high food safety standards, clean water, an efficient waste management system and generally good public healthcare. But many of us lead highly stressful and busy lives, and are desperately in need of a better balance. We could use the opportunity of building a third medical school in the city to reach new healthcare heights, to continue to lead, innovate and further establish Hong Kong as the envy of the world.

How Hong Kong’s third medical school can reach new healthcare heights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The city can take inspiration from Walmart heiress Alice Walton’s revolutionary vision for a holistic medical school

The city can take inspiration from Walmart heiress Alice Walton’s revolutionary vision for a holistic medical school