News

Congratulations to two RS graduates, Dr Herman Lau and Mr Elton Ng, for receiving “Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award 2019”

The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS) is proud to announce that two RS graduates, Dr Herman Lau and Mr Elton Ng, have been selected as the recipients of Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award 2019. Jointly organized by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the Federation of PolyU Alumni Associations, the biennial Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award aims at honouring outstanding graduates of PolyU and its forerunning institutions for their remarkable professional achievements and contributions to the community and their alma mater. The 12th award presentation ceremony was successfully held on 30 April 2019. Out of the total of nine alumni receipts, two are RS graduates. One of the recipients is Dr Herman Lau Mun-cheung, who is RS graduate in Physiotherapy. Dr Lau possesses vast healthcare management experience and is currently the Chief Executive of three hospitals in the New Territories East Cluster (NTEC) of the Hospital Authority, namely Bradbury Hospice, Cheshire Home, Shatin and Shatin Hospital. Being the first physiotherapist in Hong Kong appointed as a Hospital Chief Executive, Dr Lau has been a key driver for volunteer service in hospitals, with his team of volunteers providing about 10,000 service hours monthly at the cluster. He was awarded the HKSAR Chief Executive's Commendation for Community Service in 2009. Dr Lau has offered valuable advice and teaching support for PolyU’s MSc in Manipulative Physiotherapy Programme, being an Adjunct Associate Professor and Professor of Practice. He is currently a member of the Departmental Advisory Committee of Rehabilitation Sciences of PolyU and President of the Rehabilitation Sciences Alumni Association. Another recipient, Mr Elton Ng, is also RS graduate in Physiotherapy. Mr Ng now is a private physiotherapist, elite cross-country trail athlete and mountaineer. Physiotherapist Ng not only has immense talents and stamina, he also has a deep concern for others. As an elite cross-country trail athlete, he has represented Hong Kong in various competitions and won prizes. In 2016, he made a record by becoming the second Hong Konger to scale successfully Mt. Manaslu, the eighth-highest mountain in the world. Having conquered Mount Everest in 2017, he became the second Hong Kong mountaineer who had completed eight expeditions covering the eight highest mountains among seven continents in the world. He was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons (Professionals category) by the Junior Chamber International Hong Kong in 2018, in recognition of his devotion to volunteer services and charitable causes. For more details, please visit https://www.polyu.edu.hk/aado/aa/en/outstanding_alumni/outstanding_alumni.htm.

MOT and MPT High Table Dinner

The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has been providing entry level Master in Occupational Therapy (MOT) and Master in Physiotherapy (MPT) programmes since 2011. The first ever High Table Dinner aiming to celebrate the graduation of 2017 cohort graduates and to welcome freshman of MOT and MPT students was successfully held on 29 March 2019. Over 160 honourable guests including government officials, representatives of NGO sector, academic staff, graduates and students gathered at the Regal Kowloon Hotel to join the High Table Dinner. When delivering the opening speech, Prof. Philip Chan (Interim President, Deputy President and Provost of PolyU) expressed his thankfulness towards the Social Welfare Department of HKSAR in funding our MOT and MPT programmes which provide an extra source of graduates to man rehabilitation services in the community. The speeches delivered by Mr Lam Ka Tai (Deputy Director (Services) of Social Welfare Department, HKSAR) and Mr David Leung (Commissioner for Rehabilitation of Labour and Welfare Bureau, HKSAR) both highlighted the importance of training professional occupational therapists and physiotherapists to address the problem of manpower shortage especially in the NGO sector. We were delighted to have Mr Fong Cheung Fat (retired CEO of SAHK) for delivering an impressive sharing, in which he shared his experience in the welfare sector and gave tips to our students and graduates on their career pathways. After the sharing by our MOT and MPT graduates, Mr Hugo Leung (MOT 2012 Cohort) and Mr Ivan Au (MPT 2017 Cohort), there was an award presentation by Ms Stella Cheng (Chairman of Hong Kong Occupational Therapy Association) and Prof. Marco Pang (President of Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association) to graduates with outstanding academic performance. It was then followed by the graduation speech delivered by class representatives – Ms Sudaki Law (MOT) and Mr Will Wong (MPT). The dinner came to a climax when Prof. Hector Tsang (Cally Kwong Mei Wan Professor in Psychosocial Health, Professor and Head of RS; Director of PolyU Technology and Consultancy Company Limited) sang songs with Ms Chloe Mo (Clinical Associate of RS) and the graduates. When delivering the closing remarks, Prof. Hector Tsang expressed his warmest congratulations on the achievements of the graduates and also welcomed freshman to join the big family of RS. Please click here for more photos.

RS Year 4 students attended free paper presentation in the 11th Annual Symposium of Hong Kong Society for Hand Therapy

The 11th Annual Symposium of Hong Kong Society for Hand Therapy (HKSHT) was successfully held at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) on 29 March 2019. With the theme of “Clinical Pearls and Innovation in Hand Therapy”, various local and overseas experts on scientific or clinical fields shared their innovative clinical practice and research results during the Symposium. Two RS Year 4 Occupational Therapy student representatives of final year project groups, Ms Rita Leung and Ms Jenna Ng, presented the results of their research projects in the free paper session. The presentation received excellent appraisals from the invited guest speakers whom are hand therapists from Australia and UK. Ms Mary Chu, a retired Occupational Therapist as well as student of Doctor of Health Science, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences at PolyU, also presented her thesis in the same session.

Ms ZHANG Haidi, Chairperson, China Disabled Persons’ Federation visited Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS), PolyU

Ms ZHANG Haidi, Chairperson, China Disabled Persons’ Federation visited RS, PolyU on 28 March 2019. During the meeting, they discussed about the talent nurturing and rehabilitation development. Ms ZHANG and her fellows also visited teaching laboratories and interacted with RS’s students. The details of the visits was published in China Disabled Persons’ Federation’s website (Chinese only)

Consultancy Services for Review of Hong Kong Rehabilitation Programme Plan Won Two Awards

The consultancy project of "Consultancy Services for Review of Hong Kong Rehabilitation Programme Plan" (RPP) commissioned by the Labour and Welfare Bureau won two awards, namely, Most Valued Project Award (awarding the consultancy project with the highest contract value for a local client for the financial year) and Multi-departmental Participation Award (awarding the multi-departmental consultancy project with the highest contract value for the financial year).

Congratulations to Dr Alex Wong, RS graduate, for winning "2019 ACRM Deborah L. Wilkerson Early Career Award"

The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS) is very pleased to share a wonderful news that Dr Alex Wing-Kai Wong, BSc (Hons) in Occupational Therapy alumnus and RS PhD graduate, has been selected as a recipient of the 2019 Deborah L. Wilkerson Early Career Award at the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) - the largest interdisciplinary rehabilitation association in US. Dr. Wong will present the Deborah L. Wilkerson Early Career Award Lecture in November during the ACRM 2019 Annual Conference in Chicago. The ACRM Deborah L. Wilkerson Early Career Award was established in honor of Deborah L. Wilkerson, former ACRM president and fellow, for individuals whose careers reflect an energetic promotion of the spirit of interdisciplinary rehabilitation. Each year the ACRM will select one early career scientist to receive this award. With the significant research contribution he has made during his early career work, Dr Wong has been nominated by leaders in rehabilitation medicine and selected as the recipient of 2019 award. Dr Wong is now an Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy and Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Dr Wong's research focuses on using mobile technologies, neurobehavioral and patient-reported assessments to characterize cognitive, mood, and daily function changes over the course of neuro-recovery, and developing new interventions designed to optimize independence and community participation among people with neurological disorders. For further information about the ACRM Deborah L. Wilkerson Early Career Award, please visit: https://acrm.org/about/awards/deborah-wilkerson-award/. For further information about Dr Wong, please visit: https://www.ot.wustl.edu/about/our-people/alex-wong-114

PolyU signed MoU with The Hong Kong Police College 21 February 2019

Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hong Kong Police College (HKPC) of the Hong Kong Police Force signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 21 February 2019. RS has collaborative project with HKPC namely FitLink since 2018. The aims of Project ‘FitLink' include ensuring optimal performance of trainees in HKPC, promoting self-management of physical fitness and ensuring sustainable effect throughout trainees' police career for physical fitness. The MoU will strengthen the partnership of both parties.

PolyU Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Heep Hong Society to Enhance OT and PT Students' Clinical Learning Experience

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Heep Hong Society at a special ceremony on 31 December 2018 at PolyU. The MoU will strengthen the existing collaboration between Heep Hong Society and PolyU in the provision of more bedside teaching and clinical placements for PolyU's occupational therapy and physiotherapy students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Ever since 2000, Heep Hong Society has been offering excellent clinical opportunities to PolyU's Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS) to help hone its occupational therapy and physiotherapy students' knowledge and practical skills. Each year, some Heep Hong Society service units have been able to offer clinical placements for 2-3 RS students, and RS has received much positive feedback and appreciation from the students about them. The MoU will further enhance the clinical learning experience for other future rehabilitation professionals so as to meet the diverse needs of children, youths, and their families.

Caspar-Health Limited and Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University MoU Signing Ceremony

Signing ceremony of the MOU with Caspar-Health Ltd.(Casper) on the project "The Caspar E-system: An Interactive Resource in Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Undergraduate Teaching and Clinical Practice" was held on 21 November. Caspar is a German-based pioneer company who has developed the tele-rehabilitation system for various disorders in physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Through this e-system, which incorporate a thousand of rehabilitation videos for various disorders, can be used as an interactive resource in our undergraduate teaching in physiotherapy and occupational therapy as well as clinical practice in physiotherapy and occupational therapy in our rehabilitation clinic. PolyU collaborated with Caspar to provide the best remote rehabilitation for patients by using their tele-rehabilitation web platform combining with the Remind-to-Move treatment invented by PolyU.

RS Year One Outstanding Students Awarded Scholarships in the Academic Year 2018-19

Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS) is proud to announce that a number of Year 1 students of BSc(Hons) in Physiotherapy (PT) and BSc(Hons) in Occupational Therapy (OT) have been awarded with various scholarships in the Academic Year 2018-19. A total of 173 RS freshmen admitted through JUPAS have been awarded the Entry Scholarship for Outstanding Academic Achievements (64 for OT and 109 for PT).  One of the PT students, also the only one student among the whole university, has been granted the highest amount of scholarship with a result of Level 5** in 5 subjects or above in HKDSE. Out of the total of 23 student awardees who have been awarded with the Entry Scholarship for outstanding IB results, RS takes up 13 of them, with 5 from OT and 8 from PT. RS is the only department with local non-JUPAS admittees being awarded with the Entry Scholarship for Outstanding GCE Results. All the two awarded students are from OT. 5 students (2 from OT and 3 from PT) receive the Entry Scholarship for Outstanding Non-Academic Achievements.