On April 16, 2025, Chair Professor Paul Kwong Hang TAM, Vice-President of the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), was awarded the prestigious Coe Medal at the 58th Annual Congress of the Pacific Association of Paediatric Surgeons (PAPS) held in Melbourne, Australia.
This award is the highest honour presented by PAPS to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of paediatric surgery. In the past 40 years, only 24 individuals have received this recognition.
Chair Professor TAM received the Coe Medal from Professor Kenneth Kak Yuen
Wong and Professor Kevin P. Lally
The award ceremony was jointly presided over by Professor Kenneth Kak Yuen Wong, President of PAPS and Chairman of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) Paediatric Surgery Alliance, and Professor Kevin P. Lally, Chair of A.G. McNeese and Surgeon-in-Chief of Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in the United States.
Chair Professor TAM gave a speech
Attended by congress participants from 30 countries, the ceremony highlighted the global academic significance of the award.
Founded in 1967, the Pacific Association of Paediatric Surgeons (PAPS) is recognised as one of the most influential organisations in paediatric surgery across the Asia-Pacific. It has a membership of 530 leading surgical specialists. The PAPS’ Coe Medal completes an international ‘grand slam’ of highest honours in paediatric surgery achieved by Professor TAM, which also includes the Honorary Fellowship of American Surgical Association (2013), the Denis Browne Gold Medal from British Association of Paediatric Surgeons (2017), and the Rehbein Medal from European Paediatric Surgeons’ Association (2020).
Group photo of Chair Professor TAM with the paediatric surgery teams from The University of Hong Kong and Beijing Children's Hospital
In his acceptance speech, Professor TAM acknowledged the key roles of his mentors, trainees, research and clinical teams, patients, and, most importantly, his family, for their contributions to his life-time achievement.
