Professor Yeoh is Professor of Public Health, Director of the Centre for Health Systems and Policy Research at the JC School of Public Health and Primary Care. His research is in health systems, services and policy with an interest in applying systems thinking in studying how the complex components of health systems interact and interrelate to improve health. He has a vast experience and knowledge in health systems research and in social and elderly services. Professor Yeoh is a member of the Grant Review Board Executive of Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF). He has recently completed 2 HMRF commissioned studies (i) investigating Hong Kong’s early detection, assessment and response system to COVID-19, and (ii) epidemic intelligence and a risk assessment system for the control of COVID-19. As a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Global Research Roadmap Social Science Working Group, he has published a report funded by the WHO R&D Blueprint Novel Coronavirus on the key lessons for policy from a comparative study of government responses in six middle/ high income jurisdictions. In health systems research, he completed a commissioned study by the Macao Health Bureau to assess their population healthcare needs so as to inform the planning of services and resources necessary to meet the changing health needs of Macao population. He has evaluated a new primary care initiative of an innovative district health system in the 18 districts in Hong Kong. He has also studied the impact of a publicly funded elderly healthcare voucher scheme on healthcare utilization in a segmented public and private provider healthcare system, and completed a study to review, develop and pilot integrated health service models for an ageing population. He has been commissioned by the Social Welfare Department to evaluate two pilot projects on (i) Residential Care Service Voucher for the Elderly and (ii) Support for Elderly Persons Discharged from Public Hospitals after Treatment with an aim to enhance the residential care and transitional care services for the elderly. In addition, he has been funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to conduct 2 studies (i) to better understand factors for intergenerational cohesion and population health, and (ii) delineating the health support needed by ethnic minorities. He has led 3 health policy research projects for Our Hong Kong Foundation, namely An Investment for the Celebration of Aging, Fit for Purpose: A Health System for the 21st Century, and Strategic Purchasing: Enabling Health for All. 

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Internationally, he is involved in collaborative work with research networks such as the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), the Association of Pacific Rim Universities and Asia Pacific Network for Health Systems Strengthening (ANHSS) in studies on health systems and training for policy. He also supports the work in health system of the Western Pacific Region of World Health Organization undertaking commissioned research & has completed consultancy reports on governance and hospital planning. He has served as Temporary Advisor to provide technical support for strengthening health systems.

Prior to joining The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Yeoh was Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region between 1999 and 2004. As Secretary, he established systems in health care delivery, financing and quality assurance for a vision of “a lifelong investment in health”. He modernised the capabilities of the health system to deal with potential outbreaks of infectious disease. In the Welfare portfolio, he instituted changes in funding providers and in the organisation of services which would improve outputs and outcomes.

From 1990 - 1999, Professor Yeoh was head & the first Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority with the responsibility of the management and transformation of the public hospital system. The greatest impact of Professor Yeoh’s work as Chief Executive was in transforming the entire public system into one which embraced new values of being patient-centred, a focus on outcomes, an emphasis on quality and initiative in clinical governance. He was President of the International Hospital Federation from 2001 – 2003 and was awarded the Hospital Management Asia Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.

As a clinician, he pioneered public health programmes in the prevention of Hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS. Professor Yeoh has held many key positions in professional bodies, both locally and internationally. He was awarded JP in 1993, OBE in 1997 by the Hong Kong Government and GBS in 2005 by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in recognition of his public services.