Latest News and Achievements of APSS (June 2022 issue)
June 2022 issue
Staff Appointments
Professor Eric CHUI has been appointed Co-Director of Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology (PReCIT)
PolyU announced the establishment of the Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology (PReCIT) 科技及創新政策研究中心 on 1 May 2022 under the purview of Deputy President and Provost.
PReCIT aspires to be a leading research centre in Hong Kong and the region with an influential voice on the development strategy and related policies in the field of innovation and technology.
Prof. Eric CHUI, Head and Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences, has been appointed Co-Director of PReCIT with effect from 1 May 2022. Congratulations to Prof. CHUI.
|
|||
Promotion to Associate Professors
Dr. Jenny CHAN and Dr. Karita KAN (Sociology, Anthropology and Philosophy discipline), and Dr. Jasmine ZHU (Social Work discipline) will be promoted to the rank of Associate Professor, effective from 1 July 2022.
Congratulations to Jenny, Karita and Jasmine on their great achievement and well-deserved promotion. Sincere congratulations on their hard-earned success!
|
|||
Promotion to Senior Teaching Fellow
Dr. Kong YAM has been promoted to Senior Teaching Fellow since 1 April 2022. We look forward to seeing even more great things from Yam Sir!
|
|||
Promotion to Teaching Fellow
Dr. Rita CHEUNG has been promoted to Teaching Fellow since 1 June 2022. Congratulations to Rita!
|
|||
Representative to the Grievance Committee 2022-2024 Elected |
Project / Grant Awards
|
Prof. CHEN has also achieved the status of Senior Fellow (SFHEA) of Advance HE (Higher Education Academy), in recognition of attainment against the UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and learning support in higher education.
The UK Professional Standards Framework was developed by the Higher Education sector in the United Kingdom in 2011. It was promoted by the Higher Education Academy (HEA, now Advance HE) as a way of individual university teachers’ contribution to learning and teaching. Congratulations to Prof. CHEN on her achievements!
|
|
Dr. Xue BAI, Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences, has been selected from a pool of many qualified candidates from throughout Asia to participate in the 2022-2023 United Board Fellows Program (the Program) which prepares talented mid-career faculty and administrators for leadership in universities and colleges in Asia through exposure to leadership ideas and practices in diverse university settings.
The goal of the Program is to build strong leadership for higher education institutions in Asia. The Program seeks to strengthen networks of young leaders in teaching, research, and service and promote understanding and commitment to whole person education in Asian colleges and universities.
|
|
|
|
Project brief The Save the Children Hong Kong (SCHK) has launched the “Hong Kong Mental Health Projects” that have sponsored 27 intervention programmes from nine partner NGOs between July 2020 and March 2022. All programmes are based on at least one of the three objectives: (1) to improve mental health awareness and acceptance of mental health issues among children and youth; (2) to drive early detection and treatment for children and youth who are impacted by mental illness; and (3) to strengthen the capacity of parents, teachers and social workers to support children & youth in need.
To evaluate the effectiveness of these programmes and to foster learning among NGO partners who are using different approaches in promoting child and youth mental health, SCHK is collaborating with the PolyU research team which is headed up by Dr. Herman LO and Dr. Yam KONG. A mixed methods study integrating participant's ratings of outcomes and interviews of project staff, parent and child who joined the programmes will be conducted. Findings and recommendations will be released around July 2022 and hopefully such collaboration can generate new knowledge and evidence that can inform the mental health service and policy in Hong Kong.
|
“A Study on the Social Service Projects under the Covid-19 in P.R.C." is supported by Keswick Foundation Limited
China and Global Development Network has been awarded an external grant of RMB1,485,000 to conduct a research to examine the insights from the social workers and to explore the innovative service models during this unique period. |
Talks and Events
|
Promoting Positive Youth Development Around the World: Models, Measures, and Making Contributions to Social Justice
The fourth APSS International Scholar Talk Series
Prof. Richard M. LERNER, the Bergstrom Chair in Applied Developmental Science and the Director of the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development at Tufts University, gave a talk on 29 April, 2022.
After the talk, Prof. Daniel SHEK, Associate Vice President (Undergraduate Programme) and Chair Professor, and Dr. Lu YU, Associate Head of the Department of Applied Social Sciences, joined the discussion on youth who have experienced adversity or trauma. Over 120 participants attended the online presentation.
|
Over 1,400 participants joined the OSS events and activities Since launching the One Stop Shop (OSS) in late March, more than 1,400 participants have joined OSS events and activities. The events covered a wide spectrum of topics related to mental health care, art therapy, mindfulness, and parenting. Heartfelt thanks to all the supporting units for making all the events run smoothly.
|
|
Head of APSS shared insights in a public social innovation symposium
J.C.DISI held the “Carving Paths Together for Small Group Homes” Social Innovation Symposium on 8th April via Zoom. Prof. Eric CHUI, Head and Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences, was one of the invited speakers of the symposium to share the insights with over 170 paticipants on the topic – Growing up in Small Group Homes: Risks, Needs, Interventions and Outcomes.
More about the symposium: https://www.polyujcsoinno.hk/en/innovation-themes/s14/symposium-workshop-sgh
|
|
The 89th Research Salon on “Achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050” A Research Salon on “Achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050” was successfully held on 6 May 2022. It was hosted by Prof. Eric CHUI, Head and Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences and Co-Director of Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology (PReCIT) at PolyU. Prof. CHUI addressed that carbon neutrality remains one of the most important social issues we have to tackle. In the light of this, Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) and Director of PRCIT at PolyU was invited to give an introductory remark on the establishment of PReCIT.
The speakers shared their invaluable insights on how to achieve carbon neutrality in the short term as well as in the long term. Please click here for an online review and visit the webpage of PRCIT at: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/prcit/news-and-events/news/2022/research-salon-20220506/
|
|
The Faculty of Health and Social Sciences (FHSS) Seminar Series was successfully held in the evening on 17 May 2022. Over 10 distinguished academics from different departments, including the Faculty Dean, Department Head / Associate Heads, and other departmental members, were invited to share important information about admissions to PolyU via the online seminar. More than 320 participants, mostly students and their parents, joined the event. The participants were able to gain pertinent knowledge and a broader perspective from the seminar about admissions to the University and the Faculty's programs. This knowledge would help them set their academic goals early, and eventually prepare them for a fruitful academic and career development. Report of the seminar can be found in the web link: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/media/media-releases/2022/0504_polyu-to-launch-faculty-seminar-series-featuring-deans-and-heads/
|
|
APSS Virtual JUPAS Consulatation Day 2022 The Department of Applied Social Sciences has held a seminar on “Admission Strategies and Interview Skills” on the PolyU Virtual JUPAS Consulatation Day 2022 on 21 May 2022. Dr. Kong YAM and Dr. Raymond TAM, Co-Programme Leaders of BA (Hons) Scheme in Applied Social Sciences, delivered a school talk to around 80 participants to provide JUPAS applicants with information to make well-informed decisions before reprioritising their programme choices. Though the talks, participants became more familiar with our entrance requirments, curricula and characteristics.
|
|
1st Career Talk for APSS Students
The first APSS Career Talk was held on 19 May 2022 by APSS Student and Alumni Affairs Committee (SAAC). The talk aims to help APSS students reach their career goals and prepare for their future career paths. APSS invited 3 practitioners: Mr. Carlos CHUNG (Executive Director of Youth Outreach), Mr. Jason LAM (Assistant Executive Director of Youth Outreach) and Ms. Vicky WONG (Senior Occupational Therapist of Yan Chai Hospital Social Services Department), to share professional insights with our participants and to let our participants have a better understanding of the industry trends and job opportunities available in the market.
|
|
2nd Career Talk for APSS Students Ms. Carman LEE, an alumnus of BA (Hons) Social Policy and Administration, is the co-founder of the digital marketing agency R-Digital. Ms. Natalie HO, an alumnus of BA (Hons) Social Work, the founder of Daylily Garden Family Education Centre which is an education centre for children. Ms. Helen FOK, an alumnus of BA (Hons) Social Policy and Administration, has become an Executive Officer at the HKSAR Government.
Our student participants were actively engaged in the Q&A sessions. A heartfelt thank you to our alumni! |
Media Interviews
|
Source: https://hd.stheadline.com/news/realtime/hk/2328732
A PolyU study led by Prof. Eric CHUI, Head and Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences, has found that 22.2% young people have ever used e-cigarettes in their lifetime, while 20.8% believe the electronic products are less harmful than cigarette smoking.
The study, conducted in cooperation with The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, also found that 14.8% of the 1,025 survey respondents aged 11 to 28 have used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, representing a significant increase from 4.8% in 2019 (Hong Kong Economic Times A16, Sky Post P08).
Online coverage: Oriental Daily News - https://polyu.me/3xpuOBw Hong Kong Economic Times - https://polyu.me/3rmf7HM Sky Post - https://polyu.me/3KTtqLi HK01 - https://polyu.me/3KGH2JT The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups - https://hkfyg.org.hk/en/2022/04/13/e_cigarette-2
|
|
PolyU study shows family resilience can help improve family members’ mental health A study conducted by PolyU’s Faculty of Health and Social Sciences has found that at least one in ten core family members exhibited psychological trauma symptoms due to the pandemic.
Dr. Janet LEUNG, Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences, and Prof. Daniel SHEK, Associate Vice President (Undergraduate Programme) and Chair Professor of Applied Social Sciences, pointed out that family relationships and individual mental wellbeing among respondent families were generally affected by recent stressful events and the pandemic, but family resilience served as a buffer against these impacts. As such, it is important to promote family resilience in order for family members to be better able to support one another during adversities.
Press release: English - https://polyu.me/3uD65ba;
Online coverage: Oriental Daily News - https://polyu.me/3jBoPBF Ming Pao Daily News - https://polyu.me/3xprmXG Sky Post - https://polyu.me/38QwMAQ Hong Kong Commercial Daily - https://polyu.me/3E94EEF
|
|
Prof. Eric CHUI was interviewed live on Now TV In an interview with the Now TV programme “News Magazine” broadcast on 4 May 2022, Prof. Eric CHUI, Head and Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences, gave an insight on how the next government can better promote youth upward mobility, including formulating policies with an evidence-based approach.
Online coverage: Now TV - https://polyu.me/3w3kInH (0:30 - 10:35)
|
|
Prof. Elsie YAN on vaccine hesitancy on RTHK Prof. Elsie YAN, Associate Head of the Department of Applied Social Sciences, was interviewed on a RTHK radio programme “HK2000” on 18 May to elaborate the results of her study on vaccine hesitancy.
Prof. YAN pointed out that high vaccine willingness did not entail high vaccination rate. She suggested the government should thoroughly explain the benefits and the needs of vaccination to the public in order to encourage people to get vaccinated.
Online coverage: RTHK - https://polyu.me/33VwWBn (1:13:03 - 1:21:55) Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/3wngWqG HK01 - https://polyu.me/3wwMcm1
|
|
PolyU research reveals over 10% residents exhibit post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms one year after the onset of the pandemic
They surveyed more than 3,000 residents during the fourth wave of the coronavirus outbreak between December 2020 and February 2021 and found that 12.4 per cent of respondents showed signs of PTSD and those with lower level of education, were unemployed or lacked a source of income were found to be vulnerable.
Online coverage: TVB - https://polyu.me/3LKKGlG RTHK - https://polyu.me/3NB9Sws (English); https://polyu.me/3GiKj0P (Chinese) Commercial Radio - https://polyu.me/3LPDMf0 Ming Pao Daily News - https://polyu.me/3MLXoCd Oriental Daily News - https://polyu.me/3NDbMNa Hong Kong Economic Times - https://polyu.me/3GhZ2Je Sky Post - https://polyu.me/3NDbNAI am730 - https://polyu.me/3GhjRVf Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/3sYGBnk Hong Kong Commercial Daily - https://polyu.me/38jrspN South China Morning Post - https://polyu.me/3yWgpOd The Standard - https://polyu.me/3LLeoqE Hong Kong Free Press - https://polyu.me/3sS29SE BizWire Express - https://polyu.me/3wMsrbl HK01 - https://polyu.me/3MKDwza Bastille Post - https://polyu.me/39ViaRi The Epoch Times - https://polyu.me/3NCE0ri Radio Free Asia - https://polyu.me/3wO8Mqh Dot Dot News - https://polyu.me/3lFz3Sr Hong Kong China News Agency - https://polyu.me/3wKCHRq Lianhe Zaobao - https://polyu.me/3sYcvk0
|
|
Dr. Chi-yuen LEUNG, Teaching Fellow of the Department of Applied Social Sciences, has been interviewed by Ming Pao Weekly. Dr. LEUNG shared his views on the Hong Kong food truck scheme.
Online coverage:
|
|
Prof. Elsie YAN suggests flexible strategy to encourage people to receive vaccines
Prof. YAN opined that the government should adopt a flexible strategy to encourage people to receive vaccines on the RTHK radio programme entitled “Letter to Hong Kong”.
In the letter addressing to Prof. David SHUM, Dean of FHSS, Prof. YAN emphasised that residents’ intentions to receive vaccines were associated with the intensity of the pandemic situation. (Oriental Daily News A02)
Online coverage: RTHK “Letter to Hong Kong” - https://polyu.me/3z3WVqM (02:59 - 10:16) RTHK - https://polyu.me/3GtcwSH Oriental Daily News - https://polyu.me/3zaAbFT Hong Kong Economic Times - https://polyu.me/3wVZt9d Sing Tao Daily - https://polyu.me/38roHmn Headline Daily - https://polyu.me/3GqePWz Hong Kong Commercial Daily - https://polyu.me/38utmUC HK01 - https://polyu.me/3MXiKfU Bastille Post - https://polyu.me/3wWyt9e
|
Student Corner
Annual Best Paper Award for Research Postgraduate Students 2021 The Annual Best Paper Award for Research Postgraduate Students 2021 goes to Ms Jiwen ZHANG and Mr. Siu Wing Alex CHAN.
Ms Jiwen ZHANG Title of the Manuscript: The buffer of resilience in the relations of gender-related discrimination, rejection, and victimization with depression among Chinese transgender and gender nonconforming individuals Journal: Journal of Affective Disorders, Volume 283, 15 March 2021, 335-343 Authors: Jiwen Zhang, Herman Hayming Lo and Alma Maylan Au
Mr Siu Wing Alex CHAN Title of the Manuscript: Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on psychological well-being of older chronic kidney disease patients Journal: Frontiers in Medicine, Volume 8, 26 May, 2021, doi: 10.3389/fmed.2021.666973 Authors: Alex Siu Wing Chan, Jacequeline Mei Chi Ho, Jane Siu Fan Li, Hon Lon Tam and Patrick Ming Kuen Tong
|
|
Two APSS students Ms Pui Han CHEUNG (BASW) and Ms Wanzi SONG (BASPSE), were the awardees of the Department of Applied Social Sciences Scholarship for Hall Residents 2021/22. They were actively involved in extra-curricular activities (including hall activities) and community services. Each of the awardee received HK$6,000. Congratulations to both awarded students.
|
|
Fencing athlete joined APSS Mr. Royce Lok Hei CHAN, an outstanding fencing athlete of Hong Kong, will join APSS BA (Hons) Scheme in Applied Social Sciences under the Student-Athlete Learning Support and Admission Scheme (SALSA) in the 2022/23 academic year.
Let us welcome Royce to join our APSS family.
Online coverage: Bastille Post - https://polyu.me/3Oxxgwf Hong Kong Economic Times - https://polyu.me/37Q2KMU Dot Dot News - https://polyu.me/3EnuDs8
|
|
APSS student shares his football journey with media Mr. James In Chim TANG, our BASPSE student and professional soccer player, shared his football journey in a media interview.
James was admitted through PolyU Outstanding Sportsmen Recommendation Scheme to Marketing initially, but decided to take the Social Policy and Social Entrepreneurship programme instead as he wanted to study something to broaden his horizons.
The midfielder of Hong Kong Premier League team HK U23 said he used to practise football in the morning and study at school in the afternoon, until the pandemic upset his routine. As such, James seizes every chance to continue to practise and strives to become a better footballer.
Online coverage: Inmediahk - https://polyu.me/3vYs3Gr |
