Profile of Prof. So Kwok-Fai

As one of the pioneers in the field of neural regeneration, Prof So Kwok-Fai has received the National Award in Natural Science from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

He is one of the founding members of the China Spinal Cord Injury Network. This Network links up physicians from several hospitals in mainland China and Hong Kong to conduct clinical trials on the latest and most promising protocols to treat spinal cord injury.

At a High Table Dinner in 2012, Prof. So delivered a speech to a UIC audience on Nanomedicine and Brain Repair.

A Citation for Honorary Fellow Professor So Kwok-Fai

Prof. So Kwok-Fai is currently the Jessie Ho Professor of Neuroscience at The University of Hong Kong. He splits his time between The University of Hong Kong where he is the Chair of Anatomy in the Department of Ophthalmology, and Jinan University in Guangzhou where he is Director of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Institute of Central Nervous System Regeneration. Prof. So was elected as a member of the Chinese National Academy of Science in 1999. He spent much of his time promoting neuroscience research in China. He serves on the Advisory Committee of the Chinese Ministry of Education 2011 Programme and the Consultative Committee of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology 973 Programme. He is the Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the China Spinal Cord Injury Network, and the Chief Editor of the journal Neural Regeneration Research.

Prof. So received his Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Northeastern University in the US in 1973, and his PhD Degree in Brain and Cognitive Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1977. He is one of the pioneers in the field of neural regeneration. This is an important field that is relevant to stroke, spinal cord injury, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease etc. Prof. So’s laboratory has identified a number of factors that protect nerve cells from dying and factors that promote nerve cells’ regeneration. He has published over 300 papers in this field, and has received the National Award in Natural Science from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Because of his distinguished research achievements he was invited to deliver many lectures overseas and chair many international scientific conferences; he was also awarded honorary posts in many universities, all too numerous to list here.

More importantly, he works tirelessly trying to bring laboratory findings into the clinic to help patients, especially those suffering from spinal cord injury. He is one of the founding members of the China Spinal Cord Injury Network. This Network links up physicians from several hospitals in mainland China and Hong Kong to conduct clinical trials on the latest and most promising protocols to treat spinal cord injury. For his efforts in promoting research in this area, he received the 2010 Rick Hansen Difference Maker Award. This distinguished award is given to those who made outstanding contributions in the field of spinal cord injury.

Mr. Chairman, in view of Prof. So Kwok-Fai’s distinguished achievements in neuroscience research, his important contributions to promoting research in China, and his tireless efforts to find cures for spinal cord injury patients, it is my privilege and honour to present him to you for the award of an Honorary Fellowship.