Government Covid-19 adviser Keiji Fukuda to leave University of Hong Kong’s public health school in late 2021 after contract not renewed: sources
- A former top figure at the World Health Organization, the 65-year-old has frequently discussed the city’s pandemic situation in global media appearances
- HKU spokesman says retirement age for all staff is 60 and decisions on appointments are based on academic achievements and university’s needs
A leading Covid-19 pandemic control expert who has passed the official retirement age at a top Hong Kong university will step down as head of its public health school by the end of next year after his contract was not renewed, sources have confirmed.
A source said the decision was made last week, four years after the 65-year-old professor, Keiji Fukuda, joined the school of public health at the University of Hong Kong on a contract-based arrangement in 2016. He was promoted to school director in 2017.
An HKU spokesman declined to comment on whether vice-chancellor Professor Zhang Xiang had vetoed a new contract for Fukuda, despite the faculty reportedly agreeing to renew it.
“Professors who are reappointed after the retirement age, especially after the age of 65, are rare cases who display exceptionally high levels of academic achievements,” the spokesman said in a statement on Wednesday.
He said the retirement age for all HKU staff was 60, adding that decisions on appointments were based on academic achievements and the university’s needs.