Department of Rehabilitation RS Summer School 2023

The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences Summer School 2023 program was successfully completed from 11 to 17 July 2023. With generous support from the University, the program lasted for 5 days and entertained more than 70 participants from different countries. During the program, the participants enjoyed seminars on research frontiers in rehabilitation sciences, clinic and laboratory visit as well as visits to Occupational Therapy/ Physiotherapy and other allied health services in hospital and community settings. Participants were also invited to join the RS’s Got Talent Show for the 45th anniversary celebration of RS.

The participants shortlisted were with a major in Occupational and Physiotherapy and related health disciplines from prestigious universities. They were selected based on academic excellence, cultural diversity, and interest in pursuing research.

The program commenced with an opening ceremony and welcome lunch for the participants and PolyU staff. Ice-breaking activities were first carried out to build rapport and followed by a campus tour, which was administered on a small group basis to provide an in-depth experience of the environments. A sharing session was then delivered by Prof. Roy Cheung and his students from Western Sydney University.

On the second day, participants had a visit to the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Jockey Club Rehabilitation Complex. They learned about rehabilitation services from experienced occupational/physio-therapists through talks, site tours, and exchange sessions. In the afternoon, participants were introduced to PhD programs. Dr Freddy Lam, a graduate representative and current academic staff, shared his experience with participants. This was followed by seminars with Q&A sessions in three research areas including ‘Complementary and Integrative Health in the East-West Context’, ‘Healthy Ageing’, and ‘Translational Neuroscience and Rehabilitation: Sensori-motor Systems’.

The third day started with sharing by two awardees of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme. Participants were then exposed to more research areas with seminars on “Translational Neuroscience and Rehabilitation: Cognitive-affective Systems” and “Musculoskeletal and Sport Rehabilitation”. This was followed by an afternoon of clinical visits to Tuen Mun Hospital and Kwai Chung Hospital, which allowed participants to reflect more deeply on the healthcare climate in Hong Kong.

On the fourth day, participants had a visit to RS’s research labs (e.g., Gait and Motion Analysis Laboratory and Neurorehabilitation Laboratory) and PT and OT clinics on campus. The visit allowed participants to engage directly with various laboratory attachments and learn more about the practice aspects of rehabilitation sciences. During the afternoon, some of the participants prepared for the evening’s Got Talent Show and formed four performing teams. They presented attractive performances, including K-pop song dancing, musical instrument playing, singing, and Sri Lankan dancing, further facilitating their communication with RS staff and students.

Group consultation with Research Area Coordinators and Closing Ceremony have been cancelled due to the hoist of Typhoon Signal No.8 on the last day of program. However, participants were encouraged to keep in touch with Faculty members to explore the opportunity for Research Studies in the RS, PolyU.