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Congratulations to Distinguished Professor Mei-Hwei Chang and Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Cleghorn: recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award!

APPSPGHAN Council and Committee had the honor to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Distinguished Professor Mei-Hwei Chang and Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Cleghorn during the Opening Ceremony of the 15^th Congress of APPSPGHAN which was held on October 13, 2022 in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

This marks the second time such an honor has been awarded to an active member of APPSPGHAN for substantial contributions to the field of pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition, as well as outstanding contributions to APPSPGHAN.

Professor Mei-Hwei Chang

Current Position

• Distinguished Chair Professor, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University

Education and Postdoctoral Training

• M.D., Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University
• Pediatric Residency, National Taiwan University Hospital
• Pediatric Chief Resident, National Taiwan University Hospital
• Adult Gastroenterology Fellowship, National Taiwan University Hospital
• Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellow, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Academic and Professional Appointments

• Attending Physician, Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital (1978-Present)
• Lecturer, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University (1979-1985)
• Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei (1985-1990)
• Chief, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital (1985-2019)
• Professor, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University (1990-Present)
• Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University and Hospital (1996-2003)
• Visiting Professor, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health, U.S.A. (2004, January to March)
• Distinguished Professor, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University (2006- Present)
• Chairperson, Hepatitis Research Center, National Taiwan University Hospital (2009-2015)
• Distinguished Chair Professor, National Taiwan University (2013- Present)
• Academician, Academia Sinica (2014~Present)

Major Research Interest and Field of Specialty:

1. Devoted in the research of the natural history, carcinogenesis, and prevention of hepatitis B virus infection and liver cancer from infancy to adult period.
2. Provided evidences to prove hepatitis B vaccine as the first cancer preventive vaccine in human.
3. Dedicated in the screening, early detection and treatment of biliary atresia

Publication:

Up to June 2022, H-Index 66 (Scopus)

421 peer-reviewed original articles, 54 review articles in peer-reviewed journals or chapters in books, 14 editorials or letters to the editor, and book editorship 2

Major Awards and Honors

Harvard Combined Program in Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition - The Marvin L. Dixon Memorial Visiting Professorship	1997
ISI Citation Classic Award	2001
Sheila Sherlock Award of the International Association for the Study of the Liver	2002
Outstanding Asian Pediatrician Award	2006
The World Academy of Science Prize	2013
Academician, Academia Sinica, Taiwan	2014
Canadian Association for the Study of Liver/Canadian Liver Foundation Sass-Kortsak Award	2015
Asian Pacific Primary Liver Cancer Expert (APPLE) Professor Jei-Low Sung’s Award	2015
Fellow of American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases	2016
American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Distinguished Achievement Award	2017
Member of The World Academy of Science	2018

Patent

Infant stool color card - ROC Patent number I 236889 (Filed august 1, 2008; Granted December 16, 2023)

Major International Society or Committee Assignments, and Professional Activities

• President, Asian-Pan Pacific Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (1999-2001) and Council Member (1994~2022)
• Program Evaluation Committee Member, American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) (2004-2006)
• President, Federation of the International Societies of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (2008-2012)
• Secretary General (2009-2011) and Council Member (2004-2011), Asian Society of Pediatric Research
• Council Member, Asian Pacific Pediatric Association (2008-2011)
• Member of the Hepatology and Pancreaticobiliary (HPB) Working Group (WG), the Internal Medicine Topic Advisory Group (IM-TAG) for the 11th revision of the International Classification of Disease (ICD-11)
• Council Member, International Society of Cancer Prevention (2010- 2016)
• Chair, Hepatitis Expert Group, Federation of the International Societies of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (2012~2020)

Editorial Board

1. Editor-in-Chief, Liver International (2003-2008)
2. Editor-in-Chief, Acta Paediatrica Taiwanica (1993~1999)
3. Editorial Board, Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition

(Representing Asian Pan Pacific Region (1999-Present)

4. Editorial Board, Journal of Hepatology (1999-2003)
5. Editorial Board, Hepatology International (2008- 2013)
6. International Advisory Panel, the Journal of Pediatrics (1993-1999)
7. Editorial Board, International Seminars in Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (1998-2003)
8. Editorial Board, Journal of Formosan Medical Association (1998-2001)

 

Professor Geoffrey Cleghorn

Emeritus Professor, The University of Queensland, Australia

Professor Geoff Cleghorn is of course well known to most of you and was instrumental in the formation of this society

He is a graduate of The University of Queensland Medical School in Brisbane, Australia and undertook postgraduate training in paediatric gastroenterology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto Canada. Following his training he entered academic practice within The University of Queensland where he ultimately became the Director of Research at the School of Medicine and the Deputy Head of School. He was the Foundation Director of the Institute for Biomedical Innovation for the Centre for Children’s Health Research at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane.

Professor Cleghorn has published more than 350 scientific articles and book chapters and is an invited lecturer and public speaker on a number of infant related issues including gastroenterology, perinatal and paediatric nutrition. His research interests include the use of energy expenditure and body composition analysis in a number of disease states including chronic liver disease, cystic fibrosis, and general nutritional rehabilitation. He has been the recipient of a number of research grants from national and international granting bodies including the Australian Research Council, the National Health & Medical Research Council from Australia and the National Institutes of Health from the USA.

Professor Cleghorn has over 3 decades’ experience as an active clinician in the discipline within Australia and has been instrumental in communicating and facilitating research collaborations across the breadth of paediatrics. He has developed an extensive network of associations throughout Asia Pacific and is a frequent, invited visitor to countries throughout the region. Professor Cleghorn was formally appointed to the Academic Teaching Staff of the Department of Child Health, University of Indonesia as a visiting Professor, and has been involved in several multinational trials in S.E. Asia. These collaborations have seen a number of trainees travel to Brisbane to further their paediatric gastrointestinal and nutritional studies with him and his colleagues.

He has been involved in many of the historical and seminal advances in paediatric liver transplantation including the world's first successful living related donor liver transplant and the development of the liver cut down technique now universally known as the "Brisbane Technique". Research from the Queensland Liver Transplant Service has highlighted the importance of nutrition in these patients and again is acknowledged internationally.

His memberships include:

• The Queensland Academy of Arts and Science, 
• The Royal Australasian College of Physicians
• Both the North American and European Societies of Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition

In addition, he has served as the:

• Past President, the Asian Pan Pacific Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology & Nutrition
• Past President, The Federation of International Societies of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition (World Federation)
• And on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition;  the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology; and the Journal of Advances in Nutrition