Born in Hong Kong on June 11, 1936, Dr. Yuet Wai Kan received his M.B., B.S. (with honors) from the University of Hong Kong Medical School in 1958. He received a D.Sc. from the University of Hong Kong in 1980.

After graduation from medical school, Dr. Kan received clinical training at the Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong. In 1960, he went to the United States and obtained additional clinical, hematology and research training in Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Montreal. In 1970, he joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital, Boston, and in 1972 moved to the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) where he is currently the Louis K. Diamond Professor of Hematology. He has been an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute since 1976.

Dr. Kan has served on many national committees as well as on the editorial boards of many scientific journals including President of the American Society of Hematology (1990) and United States Government advisory committees and Visiting Committee to advise the Board of Overseers of Harvard University on Harvard Medical School and School of Dental Medicine (1992-1997).

Dr. Kan has participated in a number of medical and educational projects in Hong Kong. He was a member of the Research Grants Committee of the University & Polytechnic Grants Committee, Hong Kong (1991-1995) and the Director of the Institute of Molecular Biology of the University of Hong Kong (1990-1994). He is currently the Chairman of the Croucher Foundation of Hong Kong and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board and Executive Committee of the Qiu Shi Foundation of Hong Kong.

Dr. Kan is a member of many learned societies, among which are the Royal Society, London, National Academy of Sciences, USA, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing. He was the first Chinese to be elected to the Royal Society.

Dr. Kan has received honorary degrees from the University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy (M.D., 1981); the Chinese University of Hong Kong (D.Sc., 1981), and the University of Hong Kong (D.Sc., 1987). He is an Honorary Professor in the University of Hong Kong, Peking Union Medical College, Zhejiang University, First Military Medical University, and Fourth Military University, and Jiao Tung University.