Prof Seto Wai-Kay is an alumnus of SPCC, who later went on to study Medicine at the University of Hong Kong. He received his Doctor of Medicine from HKU in 2012. Prof Seto is currently a Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine and Principal Investigator of the State Key Laboratory of Liver Disease, the University of Hong Kong. He is also the Assistant Hospital Chief Executive (Research) of the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital.
Prof Seto has conducted numerous researches on chronic hepatitis B, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, liver fibrosis, etc. His main field of study is gastroenterology, which is a branch of medicine focusing on the digestive system and its disorders.
How does technology affect the medical sector in the present and future?
Prof Seto believes that at the current stage, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is still not yet prepared for clinical usage, as the technology is under development. However, he is positive that AI will bring breakthroughs to the healthcare system in the upcoming 10-20 years. He mentioned that AI is mainly applied in scientific research at the present stage. As a researcher, Prof Seto finds it important to catch up with the development of AI.
Prof Seto also suggested that the advancement in technology may be found useful in gastroenterology, as there are millions of microorganisms in a human’s intestine (the gut microbiome). Previously, without the aid of technology, researchers weren’t able to identify the type of probiotics in the intestine. But now, it is possible to look into those probiotics, studying how they affect one’s body functions. Dr Seto admits that there are difficulties during the research and testing progress. “If probiotics are extracted from a patients’ faeces to form a pill, will you have the guts to eat it?” laughed Prof Seto. Therefore, he believes it is a challenge to find ways in using probiotics to cure patients.
How to choose a suitable research subject?
Prof Seto states that there are many factors in choosing a suitable research topic. For example, the resources the university or the faculty provides are an important consideration. Personally, he likes to do research related to chronic hepatitis B, as it is a common disease among the Chinese. He also mentioned undertaking research on rare diseases is more difficult.
Prof Seto commented that he would prefer research that is interdisciplinary, for example, he once conducted a research related to recreational drug users. In this case, he cooperated with social workers and corresponding organizations. He found it challenging to deal with drug users and working together with social workers. After this experience, Prof Seto concluded it is vital to have a common goal when working with people of different backgrounds, and that this is a life skill.
What qualities does a good researcher have?
“Researchers need to learn how to face failures, as the number of failing attempts often exceeds the number of successful trials in a research,” said Prof Seto. He quoted James Dyson as an example, saying that he failed 5126 times before successfully inventing a Dyson vacuum. It is also crucial for someone to be persistent and not give up easily in order to become a researcher.
How does COVID-19 affect our bodies?
“COVID-19 is a disease that will affect the normal functioning of multiple systems, but it mainly affects our lungs, causing pneumonia” states Prof Seto. “However, when the infection is serious, the virus can still spread to other organs in our bodies, such as our livers and intestines.” In fact, patients infected with COVID-19 may lose the ability to smell or taste, proving that the virus will spread to our nervous systems.
What are the purpose and functions of professional medical societies?
Prof Seto is also a council member of numerous professional societies, such as the Hong Kong Society of Gastroenterology and the Hong Kong Association for the Study of Liver Disease. These professional societies are common around the world among doctors, to represent a particular group of doctors. Such societies can help arrange educational programmes and opportunities for doctors.
Hopes for the future
Prof Seto believes that the community will be more aware of their health in the future. Previously, people were less concerned about their health. Nowadays, the educational level of the public has risen, such that people have more knowledge in this field, and are more aware about the importance of personalized health care. Prof Seto hopes that all Hong Kong citizens can understand more about their health conditions in the future and make the right health decisions whenever needed.
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