学院消息

Increasing digitalisation and connectivity in the world have resulted in the creation of huge quantities of data. Used correctly, big data can transform and improve businesses and sectors such as public healthcare through innovation and new technology.

Professor Haipeng SHEN, Professor of Innovation and Information Management and Associate Dean (Executive Education) at HKU Business School, is the recent recipient of the Patrick S C Poon Professorship in Analytics and Innovation. The Professorship will support his academic and research activities in data-driven decision-making in the face of uncertainty, including fundamental methodological research about the challenges imposed by big data as well as interdisciplinary analytical research in business analytics and precision medicine. Professor Shen uses analytics to extract the most useful and actionable information to help organisations increase their competitive edge and efficiency through better decision-making.

He is also working with medical professionals to enhance treatments for patients at a lower cost and enable hospitals to run more efficiently. His research into strokes has led to better quality of care for stroke patients. He works with neurologists and cardiologists to use analytics to build innovative data-driven support systems that will improve clinical decision-making, leading to better management of chronic diseases.

The Patrick S C Poon Professorship in Analytics and Innovation builds on HKU’s leading role in researching and teaching these drivers of sustainable progress to create a better world. “Dr. Patrick Poon is one of the earliest graduates from HKU’s Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, he knows data science well. He is also a successful entrepreneur and a long-time supporter of HKU and the community,” Professor Shen said. “I feel extremely fortunate and greatly honoured to be associated with him through this endowed professorship”.

“Data creates connectivity. It connects me with extraordinary people like Dr. Poon,” Professor Shen added. “I intend to use this generous support to deepen and broaden my research and knowledge exchange activities in business analytics and healthcare management. I am also dedicated to further pursuing inter-faculty and inter-institution initiatives to continue to generate real impacts through data science”.

Professor Shen was the inaugural winner of the Faculty Special Contribution Teaching Award in 2018. He founded the Master of Science of Business Analytics programme and the Executive Master of Business Administration programme (in collaboration with Peking University Guanghua School of Management).