Welcome Message
from Head

Over the past 45 years, the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS) has trained more than 3,700 PTs and 2,600 OTs for Hong Kong. Throughout the 45 years of development, RS has strived to triangulate teaching, research and knowledge transfer, as well as services in our core business so that we can touch the lives of the needy and make an impact on the health and well-being of people in Hong Kong and beyond.

The RS Department has started to offer undergraduate OT and PT programmes since 1991. To help addressing the shortage of manpower caused by a rapid expansion of OT and PT professions in the NGO sector, RS has started to offer the 2-year Entry-Level MPT and MOT programmes in Hong Kong since 2011. Serving as the pioneer in knowledge transfer, RS launched the 1st Pan Pacific Conference on Rehabilitation (PPCR) in 1998. In 2018, RS launched the project commissioned by HKSAR Government to formulate the new HK Rehabilitation Programme Plan. RS scholars have been ranked among the world’s top 2% most-cited scientists by Stanford University in 2022 and RS is ranked number 1 in China and Asia in OT and PT specialties according to EduRank in the same year. Four RS eminent academics, Prof. David Shum (Chair Professor of Neuropsychology and Dean of Faculty of Health and Social Sciences), Prof. Hector Tsang (Chair Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences and Head of RS), Prof. Margaret Mak (Associate Dean of Faculty of Health and Social Sciences and Professor of RS) and Prof. Amy Fu (Associate Head and Professor of RS) have been conferred Endowed Professorships by PolyU, which represent the highest honour that a university can bestow upon its outstanding scholars. In addition, RS has been dedicating to provide quality clinical rehabilitation services to the community via the Rehabilitation Clinic since 1993. Supported by donation from Ir Tam Wing Fan, RS has further strengthened the service arm by establishing the Tam Wing Fan Rehabilitation Service Centre (Occupational Therapy) since 2020.

This year we are proudly celebrating the RS 45th anniversary. A series of celebratory events, including both academic and social activities, will take place throughout the year to engage our staff, students, alumni and distinguished guests to share the joyous occasion and witness this important milestone of RS altogether.

In this website you can learn more about our upcoming celebratory events, the celebratory events for the RS 40th anniversary, the history and important milestones of the Department as well as our future development. I hope you enjoy reading the website to know more about our past and present achievements, and I look forward to seeing you at our celebratory events.

Professor Hector Tsang

Cally Kwong Mei Wan Professor in Psychosocial Health

Chair Professor and Head

Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

Associate Director, Mental Health Research Centre

Director, Board of Directors of PolyU Technology and Consultancy Company Limited

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University