Professor Kelvin Chan
Position
Joint Chair in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Qualifications
BSc (Pharmacy) MSc PhD DSc FCP FSB FRPharmS FRSM
Contact Details
University of Sydney
Phone: +61 2 9114 1485
Fax: +61 2 9351 4391
Email:
Room N502B
Pharmacy Building A15
The University of Sydney
NSW 2006 Australia
Current Role
Professor Kelvin Chan is Joint Chair in Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Faculty of Pharmacy. This is a joint appointment between the University of Sydney and the University of Western Sydney. The position is funded by the NSW Office of Science and Medical Research, (OSMR).
Professor Chan's research sits predominantly under the Faculty's research theme of Healthy Ageing and Cardiovascular and Diabetes.
Academic Background
Professor Chan has taught Medical Pharmacology to medical and pharmacy students in both orthodox and Chinese medicine in two medical schools and two pharmacy schools, and accumulated over 20 years expertise and experience in the R & D of and pharmaceutical medicines and Chinese medicines.
His early research directions and interests (from 1970 to mid 1980s) focused towards two biomedical and pharmaceutical researches:
(a) pharmacokinetic monitoring/modeling of drugs and metabolites in biological fluids, and
(b) investigations into factors affecting fate of drugs in patients and healthy volunteers towards more rational and scientific basis for therapy.
As Reader in Pharmacology (1981-1992) at Chinese University of Hong Kong he applied his expertise in Clinical Pharmacology to investigate interactions between Chinese medicinal materials (CMM) and pharmaceutical drugs in patients from ICU and under anaesthesia.
His research team, including a cardiologist and anaesthetists, was among the first in publishing mechanistic studies of interactions between CMM and warfarin in the early 1990s. During his subsequent senior appointments as Chair Professor and Director of various disciplines at Liverpool JM University (1992), Abu Dhabi Ministry of Health, UAE (1997), Hong Kong Baptist University (2000), and University of Wolverhampton (2005) he has built an international reputation in R & D of Chinese medicine and natural products; focusing on good practices in QC of CMM, laboratory practice in bioactivity screening and clinical studies in linking biomarkers, patients’ reported outcomes and quality of life measure on herbal products development.
Research Outcomes
Professor Chan's experience and interests in R & D of Chinese medicine and natural products covering aspects such as GAP, GSP GLP, GMP and GCP will be extremely useful and important within the framework of the integrative healthcare and complementary medicine.
His work on GAP/GLP focusing on quality assurance/control of CMM and related products before embarking clinical studies is a ‘Must’ advice and referral. Research into linking data from chemical fingerprinting/profiling and bioactivity as QC measures will help to give product development a new direction in QC/QA.
His work on linking biomarkers and patients’ reported outcomes (PRO) instrument using QOL that incorporates Chinese medicine diagnosis and principles will be valuable in obtaining GCP evidence-based (objective) data to assess the efficacy of Chinese medicine treatment.
Over 500 publications have been generated from these activities: 1/3 of the 198 peer-reviewed referred full papers, 1/2 of the 270 conference keynotes/presentations, 3 specialist books, 27 books chapters and 4 monographs are related to CMM and natural products. Professor Chan has supervised and co-supervised over 30 PhD/Masters students in orthodox and Chinese medicine disciplines.
Current PhD Supervision
- PhD (As Co-supervisor) being carried out by Melinda Chiu from Oct 2007 on “The biology and pharmaceutical properties of the Chinese medicinal plant Amorphouphallus konjac” at University of Wolverhampton.
- PHD (As External Co-supervisor) being carried out by Morenike Eunive from 2006 on “A study of the antimicrobial properties of extracts of Ficus Thonningii Blume.” at Coker of University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
- PHD (As Co-supervisor) being carried out by Antony Kam at Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney from March 2010 on “Anti-atherosclerotic activities of pomegranate through anti-inflammatory activities”
- PHD (As Chief Supervisor) being carried out by Kaho Wong at Faculty of Pharmacy, the University of Sydney from July 2010 on “ The synergic effect of Traditional Chinese medicine herbal pairs for atheroscleroris and diabetes”.
International Appointments and Recognition
2010 – Present:
As Australia Observer nominated by the TGA to advise drafting monographs for Chinese materia medica, as a continuing appointment following the resignation as an UK representative (2006 to 2009), on the Working Party for Traditional Chinese Medicines European Directorate for Quality Medicines & Health.
2009 - 2011:
As Principal Coordinator (UK), then Co-coordinator (Australia) of the Work Package 7 (on Functional genomics in R&D of Chinese herbal medicines), SOP Panel Co-Chair, Member of WP1 (Quality) & WP3 (Toxicology) under EU Framework 7 of FP7-HEALTH-2007-2.1.2-7 on “Good Practice in Traditional Chinese Medicine Research in the Post-genomic Era”
2009 – 2014:
Appointed Honorary Professor of Natural Product Pharmacy after resignation from the Founding Chair of Pharmacy & Pharmacology to develop the first 1st ever MPharm course and established the 1st ever Pharmacy & Natural Products Research Group at the University of Wolverhampton, UK.
2003 – Present:
As Member of the International Advisory Board and Scientific Committee for the Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards Project organized by the Department of Health of the Hong Kong SAR Government.
2000 – 2005:
Set up First ever R &D Division at the School of Chinese Medicine and 1st ever ISO-17025 service in a Hong Kong university at the Institute for Advancement of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University.
1997 – 2000:
Appointed as Visiting Professor at Middlesex University in to develop the first UK 5-year degree course in TCM in conjunction with the Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
1995 – 1997:
Appointed as Visiting Professor at British College of Acupuncture to teach Pharmacology and interactions aspects of Chinese medicine
1995 Awarded the Life Churchill Fellowship in UK on a fact finding mission: “Critical Assessment of Traditional Chinese Medicine” in the Far East- the first ever award given to a non-UK related discipline indicating attention and interest in the development of Chinese medicine in healthcare.
1983:
British Pharmaceutical Conference Sciences Awards (Pharmacokinetics), RPSGB, UK