Professor William I. Wei graduated in 1974 with an M.B.,B.S. from The University of Hong Kong. In 1979, he obtained the F.R.C.S.E. in general surgery, followed by F.R.C.S.E. in otorhinolaryngology in 1986. He was William Mong Chair in Otorhinolaryngology from 1996 to 2007, and has been the Li Shu Pui Endowed Professor in Surgery since 2007. Professor Wei was granted Fellowship of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine in both otorhinolaryngology and surgery in 1995 and 1997, respectively. In recognition of his distinguished achievements, Professor Wei was elected Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2000 and awarded Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2003, Honorary Fellowship of the Hong Kong College of Otorhinolaryngologists in 2005, Honorary Fellowship of the German Society of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery in 2006, and Honorary Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons in 2010.

His main clinical interests are head and neck surgery, in particular, nasopharyngeal, laryngeal, hypopharyngeal and oral cavity cancers. He is active in his clinical research pursuits, holding memberships in 26 academic societies and serving on editorial boards of 41 international academic journals. To date, Professor Wei has authored more than 59 books and book chapters and over 478 publications including 311 articles in peer-reviewed journals, covering the whole range of topics in head and neck surgery.

He has delivered 388 invited and keynote lectures in different countries, including the prestigious Eugene Myers International Lecturein 1994, the Hayes Martin Lecture in 2001, the Helmuth Goepfert Lecture in 2007, the Yearsley Lecture in 2009, and the George L . Adams Memorial Lecture in 2011. He was the only Asian surgeon among the six international leaders who conducted the Head and Neck Education World Tour Program in 2008. He was awarded the “Life Time Achievement Award” by the Asian Society of Head and Neck Oncology in 2017.

Professor Wei has served on many professional bodies. He is the founding President of the Hong Kong College of Otorhinolaryngologists and was President, on two occasions, of the Hong Kong Head and Neck Society. He had been Director of the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncology Societies from 2010 to 2014. Currently, Professor Wei is Assistant Medical Superintendent, Head of Department of Surgery, and Director of Li Shu Pui ENT Head & Neck Surgery Centre at the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital.