Susie LUM Shun-sui

Dr Susie LUM Shun-sui

Honorary University Fellow (2024)

Dr Susie Lum Shun-sui has led a distinguished career in the nursing sector. Throughout her life and professional journey, she has demonstrated remarkable resourcefulness, leadership and foresight in transforming patient care and educating nurses for a better and healthier world.

Growing up in a family of healthcare professionals, Dr Lum developed a desire to make nursing and healing her lifetime commitment since she was young. She was particularly inspired by the story of Florence Nightingale, the legendary figure in nursing in England, who compared nursing to the “finest of Fine Arts”. This made her determined to dedicate herself selflessly to protecting and saving lives in Nightingale’s footsteps.

The most enlightening and formative experiences in Dr Lum’s life was an international medical service trip that she took as a volunteer for Operation Mobilisation after completing nursing training in Hong Kong. This trip, which lasted over a year on a ship, led her to Bangladesh, India, the Philippines, and Thailand. During her journey, she had to navigate through challenging environments, including areas infested by diseases and military conflict, to deliver medical supplies to hospitals and books to universities. Along the way, she encountered many people who suffered from homelessness, sexual crimes, and a variety of physical and mental health problems. These encounters not only fuelled her commitment to serve others further, but also gave her valuable insights and skills that paved the way for her long and illustrious career.

To Dr Lum, nursing is not merely a job, but a personal calling. Upon returning to Hong Kong, she began to work at a hospital where, on a day-to-day basis, she tirelessly provided nursing care to alleviate suffering and enhance the holistic well-being of her patients. Despite facing all kinds of challenges and hurdles, she saw them as crucial opportunities for enhancing her skills in observation, decision-making, prioritisation, organisation, and execution.

Dr Lum can certainly be described as a trailblazer in the nursing sector who has broken glass ceilings and brought about pioneering innovations. When she served as the Chief Manager (Nursing) / Chief Nurse Executive of the Hospital Authority, she was responsible for managing the development of nursing policy and education. Being acutely aware of the shortage of human resources in the sector, she perceptively put a dual focus on retention as well as recruitment. On the one hand, she reframed the career path for nurses through increased specialisation and improved professional development prospect. On the other, she championed the training and recognition of specialty nurses by founding the Hong Kong Academy of Nursing, and by facilitating the training of specialty nurses in the Mainland. She is also the very first nurse-counsellor in Hong Kong. Her dedication and innovative contributions earned her the respect and acclaim of all those she has served. In 2013, she was awarded the truly deserved Florence Nightingale Medal by the International Committee of the Red Cross —the highest international distinction for nurses.

In her on-going efforts to serve and care for others, Dr Lum has gone beyond her nursing practice and set up a healthcare business, the Salubrity Living Wellness Centre, in 2014. This centre aims at providing affordable and holistic health assessment, education and management services. It is Dr Lum’s belief to help patients regardless of their background. Dr Lum’s entrepreneurial endeavours undoubtedly reflect the meaning of empathy in action. The solutions and services at her centre address the health needs of her clients with a clear sense of humanitarianism.

Dr Lum has had a close relationship with Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), as she serves as the Chairperson of the Nursing Education Advisory Committee under the University’s School of Continuing Education. She has always held HKBU in high regard, for the University’s vision to be a creative, caring, and global institution resonates deeply with her own values with regard to education. Under her leadership and guidance, she hopes the Committee can be an anchor that provides stability, support, strength and encouragement to the School’s sustainable development. She is also committed to sharing her expertise and offering counsel to help HKBU continuously nurture future well-rounded nursing leaders of the highest calibre.

Dr Lum believes that the power to make a difference lies within each individual, therefore she encourages everyone to never pass up any opportunity to offer themselves in the service of others. To the young people who dream of joining the nursing profession and to all the nurses-in-training, she urges them to “aspire to inspire”. As her heroine Nightingale once said, “So never lose an opportunity of urging a practical beginning, however small, for it is wonderful how often in such matters the mustard-seed germinates and roots itself”. By striving for excellence in compassionate care and setting a positive personal example, nurses can move the hearts of others and become promoters of change.

The Honorary University Fellowship recognises Dr Lum’s visionary leadership, outstanding achievements and unwavering commitment to nursing. She has transformed the lives of many and driven ground-breaking changes to make the world a better place. Without question, she is an invaluable and revered member of the HKBU community.