Supported by a generous donation amounted to RMB 200 million (RMB 120 million for hardware and RMB 80 million for software establishment) from the Hong Kong Jockey Club, China’s first Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction (IDMR) jointly established by PolyU and Sichuan University was officially opened in May 2013. In this issue of Excel@PolyU, Prof. Angelina Yuen, Vice President (Institutional Advancement and Partnership) and Director (Hong Kong) of IDMR introduced the new developments and professional programmes of IDMR.

Please introduce the departments and facilities of IDMR.

Located in Jiang An Campus of Sichuan University, the 20,000-square metres IDMR is home to six laboratories and a disaster database and resource centre. It is comprised of the following departments: (1) Post-disaster Rehabilitation and Medical Treatment (subject areas: disaster nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, prosthetics and orthopedics, biomaterials and bio-engineering); (2) Disaster Social Work and Psychology (subject areas: post-disaster community reconstruction and mental rehabilitation); and (3) Environment Planning and Engineering (subject areas: shockproof structure, urban planning with disaster prevention). 

IDMR is committed to promoting “disaster prevention, mitigation and post-disaster reconstruction”. Under its joint PhD programme, some thirty doctoral students have been researching on a number of disciplines, include rehabilitation therapy, nursing, social work, prosthetics and orthotics, and civil engineering. Recently, IDMR has started to offer four master’s degree programmes in the areas of disaster nursing, prosthetics and orthotics, occupational therapy and physiotherapy. Students will receive PolyU academic awards upon successful completion of the programmes.

IDMR is the world’s first institute integrating efforts in the areas of disasters prevention and management, scientific research, education and training, social services and disaster information services. The four programmes mentioned above are jointly offered by PolyU and Sichuan University for the first time and funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. These programmes contribute to IDMR’s objectives in nurturing mainland talents for disaster prevention, mitigation and post-disaster reconstruction in the nation and the world.

Take for example the master’s programme in disaster nursing which has incorporated international theories and practices of disaster nursing and the experience gained after the Wenchuan earthquake. This will enhance students’ ability to respond to major disasters and help establish a new disaster nursing profession under the mainland health care system.