The 12th Pan-Pacific Conference on Rehabilitation

RS hosted the 12th Pan-Pacific Conference on Rehabilitation (12th PPCR) on 27-28 November 2021, with the theme of “Innovations and Technological Developments in Rehabilitation”. Due to the continuous spread of the pandemic and the social distancing measures, the PPCR had to be held online this time. Still there were encouraging responses and the active participation of people from the related sectors across different regions, including experts, scholars, clinicians, healthcare administrators and students in Hong Kong, mainland China and overseas countries. 

We are delighted to have over 300 people registering for the conference, one third of which are from overseas institutions. Out of the 129 abstract submissions we accepted, 51 were selected for platform presentation, with the rest of the papers presented in poster format. A post-conference workshop was also conducted on 3 December 2021 by Prof. Susan Whitney, on the topic of the “Advances in the treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo”. The workshop attracted more than 70 people to register.    

The opening ceremony, with Mr Kok Che-leung (Deputy Director of Social Welfare [Services], Social Welfare Department), Prof. Christopher Chao (Vice President [Research and Innovation], PolyU) and Prof. David Shum (Dean, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, PolyU) as the officiating guests, marked the kick-off of the event. We are honoured to have invited Prof. Christopher Chao to deliver a welcome address and Mr Kok Che-leung to give a speech at the ceremony. 

As an essential part of the conference programme, the Organising Committee had invited six distinguished speakers from prestigious universities to deliver keynote lectures on wide-ranging topics in rehabilitation: Prof. Douglas Gross and Prof. Jeffrey Hausdorff shared about the application of machine learning and low-cost technologies to rehabilitation; Prof. Susan Whitney and Prof. William Miller updated us on the advances in the use of technology in clinical interventions and rehabilitation care provision; Prof. Alyssa Wise lectured on the application of advances in data technologies to rehabilitation education; and Prof. Masud Husain talked about the neurology of apathy and motivation. In addition to the aforementioned keynote lectures, workshop and platform presentations conducted online, around 100 local participants even had a chance to visit RS’s advanced equipment and laboratories on the spot in an Engagement Hub session on 27 November. 

The PPCR was inaugurated in Guangzhou in 1998 and has since become an iconic biannual event of our department. The 12th PPCR aims to foster multi-disciplinary collaborations among rehabilitation professionals, academics, students and healthcare administrators in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. We are gratified by the great support we received from different parties for this big event, and look forward to seeing you all again in the next PPCR.