People
Prof. Thomas WH LEUNG
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Head of Division of Neurology (Academic Affairs)
Lee Quo Wei Professor of Neurology
Assistant Dean (Postgraduate Education), Faculty of Medicine
Director, Kwok Tak Seng Centre for Stroke Research and Intervention
Director, SHKP Kwok Brain Health Research Centre
Principal Investigator, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Science
Programme Co-Director, MSc Programme in Stroke and Clinical Neurosciences (MCNS)
Executive Board Member, Minimally Invasive Surgical Skills Centre
Board Member, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics
Prince of Wales Hospital
Specialist in Neurology
Director and Honorary Consultant, Acute Stroke Unit
Academic and Professional Qualifications
MBChB (CUHK), MRCP (UK), MD (CUHK), RPNI, FRCP (Lond), FRCP (Edin), FESO, FEAN, FAHA, FHKCP, FHKAM (Medicine)Biography
Dr. Thomas Leung aims to translate science into health service. He is the first interventional neurologist in Hong Kong, and a neuro-sonologist certified by the American Society of Neuroimaging. On an international level, Dr. Leung is a co-chair of the Global Executive Committee of MT 2020, a global initiative of the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (SVIN) based in the US for improving access of emergency thrombectomy for ischemic stroke. He is also the national coordinator for Safe Implementation of Treatment in Stroke (SITS). Countrywide, Dr. Leung is a council member in the National Endovascular Treatment for Stroke Committee, and Stroke Prevention and Risk Factor Control Committee, China. Locally, Dr. Leung is the Immediate Past President of the Hong Kong Neurological Society. As the Chief of Stroke Service in the Prince of Wales Hospital, Dr. Leung performed the first intracranial Wingspan stenting in Asia, pioneered drug-eluting stents in cervical steno-occlusions and was the first in the region to apply retrievable stents and suction device in emergency thrombectomy for hyperacute ischemic strokes. Dr. Leung is a trainer for clinical neurology and endovascular treatment for ischemic strokes, and plays an active role in the Central Committee (Stroke), the Hospital Authority that implements intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular thrombectomy services for the whole territory of Hong Kong. As the stroke service leader, Dr. Leung and his stroke team in the Prince of Wales Hospital won the ‘Outstanding Team Award 2019’ selected by the Hospital Authority among all public hospital services in Hong Kong.
Dr. Leung focused on intracranial atherosclerosis, stroke imaging, treatment and outcome. He has published as the first or corresponding author in high-impact specialty journals including Annals of Neurology, Neurology, Stroke, JAMA Neurology, and Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry (JNNP). He is an assistant editor for Stroke (official journal of American Heart Association), an associate editor for International Journal of Stroke (official journal of World Stroke Organization), a guest associate editor for Frontiers of Neurology, and a reviewer for journals including The Lancet, Annals of Neurology, Neurology, Stroke, JNNP, Hypertension, American Journal of Neuroradiology, European Journal of Neurology, and International Journal of Stroke. Dr. Leung has obtained 8 competitive grants as principal investigator, and another 19 GRF/HMRF grants as co-investigator. Internationally, Dr. Leung was an expert witness at the hearing of the US Food and Drug Administration, and had lectured in conferences organized by World Federation of Neurology, World Stroke Organization, American Stroke Association, European Stroke Organization, International Stroke Genetics Consortium, and the Ministry of Health, China. Dr. Leung has solicited private donations over US$ 3.85 million for CUHK, facilitating the establishment of Kwok Tak Seng Center for Stroke Research and Intervention in 2013 and the CUHK Biobank and Bioresource for Cerebrovascular Diseases in 2015, the first of its kind in Hong Kong. Dr. Leung is currently the Director for these two facilities.
Dr. Leung currently serves as the Assistant Dean (Postgraduate Education) for the Faculty of Medicine, CUHK. He has been consistently above 80% centile in the teaching evaluation score since 2012. He was the recipient of ‘The Teacher of The Year Award’ in 2019 by the Faculty of Medicine, CUHK. He supervised 10 PhD students and 3 research assistant professors. He was the course director for Master of Science in Stroke and Clinical Neurosciences, CUHK, and the western medicine program, the School of Chinese Medicine.
Dr. Leung is a Fellow of Royal College of Physicians (FRCP (Lond) and FRCP (Edin)), American Heart association (FAHA), European Stroke Organization (FESO) and European Academy of Neurology (FEAN). He received an endowed professorship as Lee Quo Wei Associate Professor of Neurology in 2013; the orator for Professor G. Arjundas Oration, Madras Institute of Neurology, Madras Medical College, India in 2008; the Second Prize in Medical Technology by the Chinese Medical Association in 2011 for ‘Angioplasty and stenting for intracranial stenosis in Chinese’; the prestigious First Class Award of the 2011 Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Award (Science and Technology) by the Ministry of Health, China, for ‘Intracranial Large Artery Atherosclerotic Stroke: Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Pathogenesis, Imaging and Treatment’; the HIMSS-Elsevier Digital Health Award 2013 (Asia-Pacific Region) for his pioneering work in telemedicine; and the Second Prize in the State of Scientific and Technological Progress Award, China in 2014 for ‘Strategies in cerebral revascularization’. As the stroke team leader in the Prince of Wales Hospital, Dr. Leung and his team was the winner of the ‘Outstanding Team Award 2019’ selected by the Hospital Authority among all public hospital services in Hong Kong.
Dr. Leung is the Director of the CUHK SHKP Kwok Brain Health Research Centre, in parallel with her sister centre, Henry and Allison McCance Centre for Brain Health in Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. A recruitment of 5000 subjects for a population-based cohort in Hong Kong is underway, consisting of healthy citizens and subjects at risk of brain diseases aged 45-60 years. We shall gather baseline and follow-up parameters including genomics/metabolomics, stool microbiota, cardiovascular risk profile, linguistics, cognition and psychology batteries, and brain imaging. With a goal to setting up a brain health paradigm for the future, the Centre will bring together patients, healthy subjects and researchers and study how cultural, physical, psychological and environmental changes across the lifespan affect brain health.
Prof. Thomas WH LEUNG
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Head of Division of Neurology (Academic Affairs)
Lee Quo Wei Professor of Neurology
Assistant Dean (Postgraduate Education), Faculty of Medicine
Director, Kwok Tak Seng Centre for Stroke Research and Intervention
Director, SHKP Kwok Brain Health Research Centre
Principal Investigator, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Science
Programme Co-Director, MSc Programme in Stroke and Clinical Neurosciences (MCNS)
Executive Board Member, Minimally Invasive Surgical Skills Centre
Board Member, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics
Prince of Wales Hospital
Specialist in Neurology
Director and Honorary Consultant, Acute Stroke Unit
Research Interests
- Stroke imaging
- Cerebral re-vascularization therapy
- Intracranial atherosclerosis
Professional Service
- Chairperson of Central Committee in Stroke Services, Hospital Authority, 2024 - Present
- President, Hong Kong Neurological Society, 2020 - 2022
- Council member, National Endovascular Treatment for Stroke Committee and Stroke Prevention and Risk Factor Control Committee
- National coordinator for Safe Implementation of Treatment in Stroke (SITS)
- Expert Witness for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Assistant Editor for Stroke
- Associate editor for International Journal of Stroke
- Guest Associate Editor for Frontiers in Neurology
Awards
- Outstanding Team (PWH-CUHK Stroke Team), Hospital Authority (2019)
- Outstanding Team (PWH-CUHK Stroke Team), New Territories East Cluster, Hospital Authority (2018)
- "Teacher of the Year" Award, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (2019)
- 2nd Prize, the State Scientific and Technological Progress Award (SSTPA), China 'Strategy of Cerebral Revascularization', China (2014)
- HIMSS-Elsevier Digital Healthcare Award (Asia-pacific Region) "Telestroke with Security-Enhanced Mobile Imaging Distribution System (SEMIDS)" (2013)
Selected Publications
- Leung TW, Wang L, Zou X, Soo YOY, Pu Y, Ip VHL, Chan AYY, AU LWC, Fan FSY, Ma SH, Ip B, Ma K, Lau AYL, Leung H, Hui KF, Li R, Li SH, Fu M, Fong WC, Liu J, Mok VCT, Wong LKS, Miao Z, Ma N, Yu SCH, Leng X. Plaque Morphology of Acute Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease. Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. 2021;92:370–376. doi:10.1136/jnnp-2020-325027.
- Tang S, Xiong L, Fan Y, Mok VCT, Wong KS, Leung TW (corresponding author). Stroke outcome prediction by blood pressure variability, heart rate variability and baroreflex sensitivity. Stroke. 2020. Apr;51(4):1317-1320. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.119.027981.
- Lan L, Liu H, Ip V, Soo Y, Abrigo J, Fan F, Ma SH, Ma K, Ip B, Liu J, Fan Y, Zeng J, Mok V, Wong L, Liebeskind D, Leung T (corresponding author), Leng X. Regional high wall shear stress associated with regression of luminal stenosis in symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic disease. Stroke. 2020 Oct;51(10):3064-3073. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.120.030615.
- Liu X, Dai Q, Ye R, … Leung T …, Nogueira RG. Endovascular treatment versus standard medical treatment for vertebrobasilar artery occlusion (BEST): an open-label, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Neurology. 2020 Feb;19(2):115-122. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(19)30395-3.
- Leng X, Lan L, Ip HL, Abrigo J, Scalzo F, Liu H, Feng X, Chan KL, Fan FSY, Ma SH, Fang H, Xu Y, Li J, Zhang B, Xu Y, Soo YOY, Mok VCT, Yu SCH, Liebeskind DS, Wong KS, Leung TW (corresponding author). Hemodynamics and Stroke Risk in Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease. Annals of Neurology. 2019 May; 85(5): 752-764. doi: 10.1002/ana.25456.
- Feng X, Chan KL, Lan L, Abrigo J, Liu J, Fang H, Xu Y, Soo Y, Leng X, Leung TW (corresponding author). Stroke mechanisms in symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis disease. Stroke. 2019 Oct;50(10):2692-2699. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.119.025732.
- Wilson D, Ambler G, Lee KJ, … Leung T… Zhou Y, Xu. Cerebral microbleeds and stroke risk after ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack: a pooled analysis of individual patient data from cohort studies. Lancet Neurology. 2019 Jul;18(7):653-665. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(19)30197-8.
- Bornstein NM, Saver JL, Diener HC, … Leung TWH … Devlin T on behalf of the ImpACT-24B investigators. An injectable implant to stimulate the sphenopalatine ganglion for treatment of acute ischaemic stroke up to 24 h from onset (ImpACT-24B): an international, randomised, double-blind, sham-controlled, pivotal trial. Lancet. 2019 Jul 20;394(10194):219-229. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31192-4. Epub 2019 May 24.
- Soo Y, Abrigo J, Leung KT, Tsang SF, Ip V, Ma SH, Ma K, Fong WC, Li SH, Li R, Ng PW, Wong KK, Liu W, Lam B, Wong L, Mok V, Chu W, Leung T (corresponding author). Risk of intracerebral haemorrhage in Chinese atrial fibrillation patients on warfarin with cerebral microbleeds. IPAAC-Warfarin Study. Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. 2019;90:428-435. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2018-319104.
- Soo Y, Abrigo J, Leung KT, W Liu, Lam B, Tsang SF, Ip V, Ma K, Ip B, Ma SH, Fan F, Chu W, Wong L, Mok, V, Leung WT (corresponding author). Correlation of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant exposure and cerebral microbleeds in Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation. Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. 2018 Jul 89 (7) 680-688. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2017-317151.
- Xiong L, Tian G, Leung H, Soo YOY, Chen X, Ip VHL, Mok VCT, Chu WCW, Wong KS, Leung TWH (corresponding author). Autonomic dysfunction predicts clinical outcomes after acute ischemic stroke: A prospective observational study. Stroke. 2018 Jan;49(1):215-218. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.117.019312.
- Soo Y, Chan N, Leung KT, Chen XY, Mok V, Wong L, Leung T (corresponding author). Age-specific trends of atrial fibrillation-related ischaemic stroke and transient ischaemic attack, anticoagulant use and risk factor profile in Chinese population: a 15-year study. Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. May 2017;88:744-748. DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2017-315735.
- Leung TW (corresponding author), Wang L, Soo YO, Ip VH, Chan AY, Au LW, Fan FS, Lau AY, Leung H, Abrigo J, Wong A, Mok VC, Ng PW, Tsoi TH, Li SH, Man CB, Fong WC, Wong KS, Yu SC. Evolution of intracranial atherosclerotic disease under modern medical therapy. Annals of Neurology 2015 Mar;77:478-486. DOI:10.1002/ana.24340.
- Yu SC, Zou WX, Soo YO, Wang L, Hui JW, Chan AY, Lee KT, Ip VH, Fan FS, Chan AL, Wong LK, Leung TW (corresponding author). Evaluation of carotid angioplasty and stenting for radiation-induced carotid stenosis. Stroke. 2014;45:305-308. DOI:10.1161/STROKEAHA.113.003995.