News

RS PhD student Bingbing Zhang received Eurasia-Pacific Ernst Mach Scholarship

RS PhD student Bingbing Zhang received Eurasia-Pacific Ernst Mach Scholarship   Ms Bingbing Zhang, RS PhD student under the supervision of Dr Georg Kranz (Research Assistant Professor of RS), has been recently awarded the Ernst Mach Grant, Eurasia-Pacific Uninet. The scholarship is offered by OeAD, Austria’s Agency for Education and Internationalisation. With this scholarship of HK$68,500, Ms Zhang will be able to conduct research in Austria for six months. She will work at the Neuroimaging Labs (http://meduniwien.ac.at/neuroimaging/) at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna.

RPg student gathering in June

RPg student gathering in June This year, the research student gathering was held on 3 June via Zoom. We have all gone through a tough 2020 and early 2021. Now the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be easing off and the research students in our department finally had a chance to gather online. Over 15 research students, their supervisors and RS faculty members joined the gathering and enjoyed the food, games (including “scavenger hunt” and “guess the movie”) and highly anticipated lucky draw. It was a great way to relieve some of our stress amid the long-lasting pandemic.   Prof. Hector Tsang (Head of RS) and Prof. David Man (Associate Head of RS and Chair of the Departmental Research Committee) gave an opening speech and encouraged the research students. We are also grateful to Prof. Tsang and Prof. Man for sponsoring the prizes for our lucky draw. Congratulations to the winners of the grand lucky draw!

Asia Pacific International Rehabilitation Forum 2021

The Asia Pacific International Rehabilitation Forum 2021, hosted by The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and attended by more than twenty participating units, was successfully held from 6 to 10 May 2021. With the theme of “Healthy China 2030: A vision for health care is a national health mission for all”, the forum aimed to optimise the application of rehabilitation sciences and enhance the quality of life. The forum also encouraged collaboration of research efforts in rehabilitation and healthcare among experts around the world, including Prof. Hector Tsang from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Cally Kwong Mei Wan Professor in Psychosocial Health, Chair Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences and Head of RS), Dr Antonio Stecco from New York University, and Ms Jody Anne from the WHO. A wide array of topics were discussed in the forum, including chronic pain management, autism rehabilitation, biotechnology innovation in rehabilitation medicine, and neuro-rehabilitation. The forum strived to make a social impact in the fields of rehabilitation and healthcare, and to promote good health through better prevention and treatment of diseases as well as palliative care. Prof. Tsang was one of the prominent speakers to deliver a speech in the forum, on the topic of the “Opportunities of professional training for occupational therapists and physiotherapists in Hong Kong”. Prof. Tsang introduced the historical and recent developments of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and RS, and the relevant academic programmes of RS that help to advance the knowledge of rehabilitation sciences. Besides, Prof. Tsang shared his vision of the future high-quality training for occupational therapists and physiotherapists with the establishment of the new PolyU campuses in Homantin, Hong Kong and mainland China.

Visit by the Hong Kong Housing Society, Elderly Services Team

Dr Carmen Ng (General Manager of Elderly Services, Hong Kong Housing Society) visited RS department with her team. During the visit, they had meeting with Prof. Hector Tsang (Cally Kwong Mei Wan Professor in Psychosocial Health, Chair Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences and Head of RS), Prof. Amy Fu (Professor and Associate Head of RS) and Prof. Kenneth Fong (Professor and Programme Leader of OT). The team also joined a tour around the teaching, research and service facilities of RS. They are exploring the possibility of collaboration in the future.

The School of Dance of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts visited RS

Following our visit to the School of Dance, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (APA) last month, Prof. Anna Chan (Dean of the School of Dance) led a team of delegates to visit RS. During the visit, the team learned more about our teaching, research and service facilities. The two parties also explored the possibility of collaboration in the future.

Commissioner for Labour, Labour Department visited RS Department

Mr Sun Yuk-han Chris, JP (Commissioner for Labour, Labour Department) led a team to visit RS Department. During the visit, they had meeting with RS Department to explore the possibility of collaboration in the future. The team also joined a tour around the teaching, research and service facilities of RS.

New publication by RS

New publication by RS We are happy to announce that our new publication, Notes of Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists (in Chinese), was released in March 2021. Prepared and written by the Department’s PT and OT experts under the supervision of Prof. Hector Tsang, Head of Department, the book’s contributors include professors at various levels, clinical associates, frontline physiotherapists and occupational therapists. The stories compiled in this amazing collection are all based on real clinical cases, vividly, intuitively related by the above-mentioned rehabilitation professionals in the form of therapy notes. With the ageing population and growing life and work pressures, chronic diseases such as degeneration of knee joint, frozen shoulder, osteoporosis, stroke, dementia, depression, and occupational musculoskeletal disorder are increasingly common. This book aims to demonstrate, through interesting cases of common medical problems, how physiotherapists and occupational therapists apply professional techniques, equipment and technology to assist patients. Although their treatment methods differ from those adopted in conventional healthcare (e.g. injection, medication, surgery, etc), they are equally effective in relieving patients’ suffering. Moreover, their treatments help to minimise the inconvenience that the diseases bring to the patients and their families, thereby enabling the patients to take a more positive attitude towards illness and life. In addition to introducing the work of physiotherapists and occupational therapists, the book discusses some common diseases and shares practical medical knowledge. We believe that students and general readers who are interested in the two professions will benefit greatly by reading this book.   Notes of Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists (in Chinese) is now available in major bookstores. If you want to purchase the electronic version of this book, please scan the QR Code below:

Deputy President & Provost shared tips on study-life balance with RS high-flyer students

Prof. Wing-tak Wong, Deputy President and Provost of PolyU, met with Prof. Hector Tsang (Cally Kwong Mei Wan Professor in Psychosocial Health, Chair Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences and Head of RS), RS faculty members and year-one high-flyer students on 26 March 2021. During the meeting, the students explained why they determined to study physiotherapy (PT) or occupational therapy (OT) programmes at PolyU as well as their fruitful university life. Also, Prof. Wong and the attendees engaged in a dialogue on various topics, such as online teaching, teaching and learning support, and university life. The meeting ended with Prof. Wong’s sharing of the tips on study-life balance. The purpose of the High Flyer Mentorship Programme is to offer student mentees invaluable opportunities to gather, interact and connect with RS distinguished alumni in the rehabilitation sector. The alumni mentors will share their thoughts on learning, pursuit of further studies, personal and career development with the year-one high-flyers. The programme helps to strengthen students’ sense of belonging to RS and PolyU. It also encourages them to take pride in studying PT and OT, and contribute to society with their expertise upon graduation.  

President Teng met with RS high-flyer students

President Teng met with RS high-flyer students Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, President of PolyU, met with RS staff and year-one high-flyer students on 16 March 2021. During the meeting, the high-flyer students shared the reasons why they chose to study physiotherapy (PT) or occupational therapy (OT) at PolyU as well as their vision for learning. Moreover, Prof. Teng and the attendees exchanged views on different topics, especially on how they consider online teaching. The High Flyer Mentorship Programme aims to provide a platform for year-one high-flyer students to meet with RS elite alumni from the rehabilitation sector. The students will receive advice on learning, pursuit of further studies, personal and career development from elite alumni who have excelled themselves in the PT or OT fields. The programme helps to strengthen students’ sense of belonging to RS and PolyU. It also encourages them to take pride in studying PT and OT, and contribute to society with their expertise upon graduation.

Visit to School of Dance of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) on 11 Mar 2021

Visit to School of Dance of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) on 11 Mar 2021 Prof. Hector Tsang (Cally Kwong Mei Wan Professor in Psychosocial Health, Chair Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences and Head of RS) and Prof. Amy Fu (Professor and Associate Head of RS) visited the School of Dance of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) on 11 Mar 2021. Professor Anna CY Chan (Professor and Dean of School of Dance of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts) led a tour around the teaching facilities of the school with Prof. Hector Tsang and Prof. Amy Fu. They also explored  collaboration of RS and the School of Dance of HKAPA in the future.