He attended Hsinchu Senior High School and earned his medical degree from the College of Medicine at National Taiwan University in 1967.
[3] That same year, he helped compile a hepatitis B prevention guide for use across Asia after attending the International Liver Congress in Fukuoka, Japan.
[4] In 2012, Liaw was appointed distinguished chair professor, and was honored by the European Association for the Study of the Liver as the 2013 recipient of its International Recognition Award.
[7] In 2017, he lent support to a petition advocating the protection of corals found near Guantang Industrial Park in Taoyuan.
[9] In the 2022 local elections, Liaw and Lee Ming-liang jointly organized a petition supporting Chen Shih-chung's bid for the Taipei mayoralty.