Professor Anna Kwan Hiu Yee received her Doctorate Degree in Physiology from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and completed her postdoctoral research training in the Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California, Berkeley, USA. She joined the School of Chinese Medicine (SCM) at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) in 2010 and currently serves as the Director of the Chinese Medicine Teaching and Research Division of the SCM.
Driven by a profound interest in nutritional sciences and obesity-associated diseases, Professor Kwan is committed to advancing our understanding of the root causes and the underlying mechanisms linking these conditions. Her work focuses on translational research which develops novel therapeutic strategies for obesity, and related comorbidities. She also investigates the therapeutic potential of herbal extracts and compounds with potent anti-obesity effects, integrating the insights obtained from both Chinese medicine and modern biomedical science.
Building on this foundation, Professor Kwan’s translational research addresses the limited efficacy of current therapeutic strategies for obesity-associated diseases through a dual approach: first, by elucidating novel mechanisms underlying disease progression to inform the development of more effective interventions; and second, by targeting the excess accumulation of adipose tissue, the fundamental cause of these diseases. These approaches investigate Chinese medicine herbal extracts and compounds with promising anti-obesity properties, as well as explore advanced exosome-based delivery systems to enhance the efficacy. In addition, Professor Kwan develops innovative, natural, and non-toxic herbal health supplements for weight management, embodying the philosophy of “food and medicine homology”. These efforts significantly contribute to the industrialisation of Chinese medicine products. Throughout her career, Professor Kwan has actively collaborated with research teams across Chinese and Western medicine as well as diverse scientific disciplines in Hong Kong and abroad. Her leadership has fostered vibrant interdisciplinary exchange and driven the integration of Chinese medicine approaches into contemporary biomedical research.
Professor Kwan’s distinguished contributions to translational research are evidenced by her authorship of more than 120 peer-reviewed publications, including research articles, review papers, editorials, and book chapters in the fields of obesity, oncology, nutrition, and vascular biology. These have appeared in highly respected international journals such as Nature Communications, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), Circulation Research and Cell. Her outstanding achievements have earned her international recognition, including being named by Stanford University among the World's Top 2% Scientists. She also received the Second Prize of the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award in 2020 and the HKBU School Performance Award for Young Researcher in 2019. On the research funding front, Professor Kwan has demonstrated remarkable success in securing competitive funding from both internal and external sources. Notably, she has obtained support from the Chinese Medicine Development Fund to promote Chinese medicine education among local primary and secondary school students.
Looking ahead, Professor Kwan plans to leverage artificial intelligence-based technologies in collaboration with experts and scientists to further advance Chinese medicine formulations and develop novel exosome-based targeted delivery systems to improve the therapeutic outcomes of obesity and its comorbidities.
Through her innovative and integrative approach, which bridges traditional Chinese medicine and modern biomedical science, Professor Kwan advances the development and internationalisation of Chinese medicine, elevating its role and status within contemporary medical science.
Updated as at 31 December 2025
Mr. Vincent Woo and Mrs. Lily Woo
“Since its founding in 1999, HKBU's School of Chinese Medicine has been developing various platforms to conduct innovative research, engaging experts in the testing, authentication and standardisation of Chinese medicine, contributing to the improvement of public health and the well-being of mankind. I hope this associate professorship endowment at HKBU and the continuous support from our Foundation will help advance the development and internationalisation of Chinese medicine, to elevate its status in modern medicine.”
