Professor Leo Poon, co-director of The HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, has been conferred the title of Professor, Chair of Public Health Virology in July 2023 by the University of Hong Kong.
This title was conferred to Professor Poon not only to highlight his journey as a renowned virologist and public health scientist, but also as a devoted leader and inspiring colleague, making significant contributions in advancing the field of Public Health Virology.
Professor Poon received his doctoral training at the University of Oxford, and joined HKU in 2001 as a Research Assistant Professor. He is currently Chair Professor and Head of the Public Health Laboratory Sciences Division.
Employing the “One Health” concept, Professor Poon’s research focuses on emerging and re-emerging viruses that pose human health concerns, such as SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV and human/animal influenza viruses. He was among the first to decode the SARS coronavirus sequence in 2003, and identified the first reassortant of the pandemic H1N1/2009 virus in pigs in 2009. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he made significant contributions to our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 and applied these scientific findings to public health practices.
Professor Poon is recognized internationally among the top 1% most-cited scientists in the world since 2005. He also serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Virology Journal, and is an expert and advisor for international organizations such as the WHO, FAO, and WOAH.
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