Congratulations to Prof. Sophia Chan Siu-chee and Prof. To Chi-ho for winning the Outstanding PolyU Young Alumni Award 2023!
The Award aims to give recognition to distinguished graduates of PolyU and its forerunners forerunning institutions for their remarkable achievements in their respective fields as well as their contributions to their alma mater and society.
Prof. Sophia Chan Siu-chee, GBS, JP and Prof. To Chi-ho are among the five recipients of OPAA in 2023.
Prof. Sophia Chan Siu-chee, GBS, JP – Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award in Professional Achievement
Professor of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong; Senior Advisor to the President’s Office, The University of Hong Kong; Director, HKU Primary Health Care Academy Post-registration
Diploma in Health Care Education (Nursing) (1991), Hong Kong Polytechnic
Best known for her decade-long stints as the Under Secretary for Food and Health and the Secretary for Food and Health, Prof. Sophia Chan Siu-chee was the first PolyU alumna and nurse in Hong Kong to take up these ministerial positions. She has made remarkable contributions to the formulation and implementation of policies on health, food safety and environmental hygiene services. Moreover, Prof. Chan has been widely recognised for her pioneering academic achievements including her research in public health, tobacco control, primary health care, children’s health, as well as health promotion and disease prevention. Despite her accomplishments, she never forgets her nursing roots and has been supportive of her alma mater. She was a founding faculty member of the School of Nursing, contributing to PolyU’s offering of the first bachelor degree nursing programme in Hong Kong. Over the years, she has also served the School as a consultant, external examiner and in various other roles.
To know more about Prof. Sophia Chan, please click HERE.
Prof. To Chi-ho – Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award in Scholarly Achievement
Visiting Chair Professor of Experimental Optometry, School of Optometry, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Scientific Director, Centre for Eye and Vision Research Limited
Professional Diploma in Optometry (1987), Hong Kong Polytechnic
Prof. To Chi-ho is a globally recognised scholar in the fields of myopia and glaucoma. Apart from publishing in top journals and being a sought-after keynote speaker at international conferences, he is a pioneer leading his research team to develop the ground-breaking Defocus Incorporated Soft Contact (DISC) Lens and the Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (DIMS) Spectacle Lens, which have been proven to slow the progression of short-sightedness among children by as much as 60%. Being significant technological breakthroughs in vision health, both innovations have received multiple awards, including Grand Prizes at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva. His headship of PolyU’s School of Optometry during 2013 to 2022 was equally impressive; in the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2020, 88% of the School’s research outputs were rated as “internationally excellent” or above. Moreover, Prof. To has connected the School with research laboratories and scholars worldwide, sparing no effort in fostering interdisciplinary research.
To know more about Prof. To Chi-ho, please click HERE.
