Dr Howard Wong is the Director for Development of Veterinary Medicine at City University’s Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences. Howard graduated from the University of Cambridge with degrees in Biological Anthropology and Veterinary Medicine and went on to complete a Master's degree in Preventive Veterinary Medicine from the University of California at Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences in the United States and a MSc in Sustainable Aquaculture from the University of St. Andrews. He is also a Certified Aquatic Veterinarian (CertAqV) from the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association.
Dr. Wong worked for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of the Hong Kong Government from 1996 until 2011 with short stints in the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Food and Health Bureau and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. During that time he had responsibility for the regulation of livestock farms in Hong Kong, including animal health issues and the licensing of livestock farms. He has also had responsibility for the import and export of live animals, local slaughterhouses and the control of drug residues in livestock. From 2001-2005, Dr. Wong ran the avian influenza prevention programme on local poultry farms that included the introduction of vaccination for avian influenza and biosecurity measures on local farms. He was also placed in charge of the avian influenza depopulation exercises in 2001 and 2002 during the outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza.
From 2005-2007, Dr. Wong was head of the Veterinary Public Health Section in the Centre for Food Safety. His responsibilities included the import of foods of animal origin, the inspection of Mainland livestock farms and overseas food production facilities, local slaughterhouses, export certification for foods of animal origin from Hong Kong and a review of the regulation of aquatic products and seafood in Hong Kong. In 2007 Dr. Wong worked for the Food and Health Bureau and was responsible for drafting the blueprint for a new Food Safety Law in Hong Kong, now Cap 612.
From August 2007 to January 2011, Dr. Wong was the senior veterinarian at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens where he oversaw the health of several animal and bird collections under the purview of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
In 2011 Dr. Wong was appointed the first Principal Veterinary Officer in the Hong Kong Government and charged with responsibility for the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory service, the Animal Management Division (including the establishment of cattle teams to control the population of wild cattle and buffalo), animal welfare issues as well as the Livestock Farm division and the management of avian influenza.
In October 2012 Dr. Wong joined City University as the Executive Director of Life Sciences Programmes (later to become the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences) and was responsible for the establishment of the CityU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and the CityU Veterinary Medical Centre and involved in the establishment and development of the BVM programme. He is currently focused on the continued development of the College, including the planning of new facilities such as the University Farm, working with donors and communication with stakeholders and is also responsible for the College’s continuous professional education programmes. He currently sits on several committees such as the Expert Committee on Food Safety under the Centre for Food Safety, the Scientific Committee on Vector-borne Diseases under the Centre for Health Protection and the Advisory Committee on Communicable Disease under the Hong Kong Medical Association and is an academic advisor for the Federation of Hong Kong Agricultural Associations.