News

6th Elite Alumni Seminar Online

RS held the 6th Elite Alumni Seminar online The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS) held the 6th Elite Alumni Seminar on 26 February 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the seminar had been changed to online mode. Still it attracted nearly 100 participants. We were very pleased to have Dr Miranda Lou (Executive Vice President of PolyU) deliver her welcome speech and Mr K.K. Ling’s (Director of the Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation, PolyU) presence in the event. Two elite alumni, Dr Julie Chow and Mr Schwinger Wong, were invited to be our guest speakers. Dr Julie Chow graduated from the physiotherapy (PT) programme of RS and is now Director, Medical of Union Medical Healthcare Limited (UMH). Having served in senior managerial roles for over 30 years, she is a seasoned and passionate leader with extensive management experience and professional network in the hospital and healthcare industry in Hong Kong and China. During her presentation, she shared her success stories and encouraged the use of advanced technology in the healthcare sector in order to enhance the healthcare ecosystem. Mr Schwinger Wong graduated from the occupational therapy (OT) programme of RS. He is currently Assistant Chief Executive of Evangelical Lutheran Church Social Service - Hong Kong. Having over 23 years of experience in different social welfare organisations, he has contributed to the expansion of various service areas and the establishment of many innovative systems including the Dementia Care Mapping. He shared his experience in developing different career paths and hoped that his sharing would attract more young talents to dedicate themselves to rehabilitation services in the community. After the two presentations, the participants raised questions and had active interactions with the guest speakers. At the end of the seminar, Prof. Hector Tsang (Cally Kwong Mei Wan Professor in Psychosocial Health, Chair Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences and Head of RS) delivered a vote of thanks. He expressed his warmest appreciation for the presence of Dr Miranda Lou and Mr K.K. Ling as well as the sharing of the two speakers. He also mentioned that it was good to have such a meaningful event which connected alumni with students of RS and hoped to hold similar seminars regularly in the near future.  

People’s Republic of China Ten Thousand People’s Scheme 2021 (萬人計劃)

Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of Sun Yat-Sen University have maintained a continuous mutual affiliative partnership in acupuncture teaching and evidence-based research practice.  Freshly, Dr Billy So (Assistant Professor, RS) has succeeded in acquiring a collaborative project under People’s Republic of China Ten Thousand People’s Scheme 2021 (萬人計劃) from Ministry of Education to promote and advance the interconnection in East meets West rehabilitation education between the two universities. With this scheme, thirty-two students from BSc (Hon) in Physiotherapy programme will be funded to participate in the acupuncture clinical internship program at the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University. The internship exchange program will last for 20 days starting from July 17, 2021 to August 14, 2021. We aim at providing students a variety of exposures in hands-on clinical application of acupuncture after program completion and we act as a pioneer in empowering RS students to broaden horizons in east meets west rehabilitation. 

RS physiotherapy student is selected as World Physiotherapy Future Asia Western Pacific region network facilitator

RS physiotherapy student is selected as World Physiotherapy Future Asia Western Pacific region network facilitator The World Physiotherapy Future Network aims to engage physiotherapist students and early career professionals with World Physiotherapy and their member organisations, and to encourage, promote and facilitate the interchange of ideas and activities of common interest. Mr Henry Guo, a year-3 student of our BSc (Hon) in Physiotherapy Programme is selected as one of the network facilitators and the only ONE representative serving the network’s Asia Western Pacific region. He would like to share his happiness below: I am Henry Guo, a year-3 physiotherapy student. Having been engaged in global physiotherapy networks like the Asia Physical Therapy Student Association (APTSA) and the World Physiotherapy Future as the representative of Hong Kong for years, I am delighted to be appointed a network facilitator of the World Physiotherapy Future Asia Western Pacific region in February 2021. World Physiotherapy is a global organisation representing physiotherapists from 125 countries, while World Physiotherapy Future Network is a network for global physiotherapy students and early career physiotherapists. We aim to encourage, promote and facilitate the interchange of ideas and activities of common interests. We hold different career webinars and strengthen the bonding between different countries and regions. As a regional coordinator, I am representing the Asia Western Pacific region on the world stage. I am responsible for supporting the network by contacting and engaging with student physiotherapists and early career professionals from different countries within the AWP region, and helping to amplify their voice during discussions within the profession. I am very excited about this challenge. It is truly a valuable chance for me to contribute to the global physiotherapy community and provide help for PT students and early career professionals within the region, in the hope of preparing them better for the challenges in their future career. This is also a good opportunity for me to widen my horizons and build a more extensive network by collaborating with physiotherapists all around the world. I believe the physiotherapy industry in different countries have their unique features and their own strengths which are worth learning. I hope I can join hands with my fellow students and early professionals, and facilitate knowledge exchange within the region during my two-year appointment. Looking forward to serving you all!

A research team led by Dr Andy Cheng from RS and Department of Computing at PolyU has established the “Smart Work Injury Management System” (SWIM)

A research team of Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Department of Computing at PolyU has established the “Smart Work Injury Management System” (SWIM) to accurately predict with AI and big data the length of sick leaves and return-to-work trajectory in the cases of injuries at work. Dr Andy Cheng, Associate Professor of RS, said they fed the system with around 90,000 cases collected from 68 insurance companies for building up analytic models through machine-learning.  With the basic information such as age, job nature, salary, injured area and cause of injury, SWIM is able to predict the severity of a case, what treatment should be taken, the possibility of resumption of work, and the amount of insurance claim costs etc.  SWIM’s prediction reaches 70% and 60% in accuracy to assess disability level and number of days of sick leave respectively, both outperforming estimations conducted by humans. Dr Cheng said they hope SWIM’s prediction can be used as a reference for stakeholders like employers, injured workers and insurance companies to acquire a more comprehensive information so as to develop better rehabilitation plans and reduce the chances of work-related injuries. Six insurance companies have already expressed their interest in SWIM. Dr Cheng said they expect to launch a 6-month trial run for these companies earliest by March, and put SWIM to use by the insurance and healthcare industries next year.  

OT student received the Swire University Scholarship 2020/21

Miss Tik Naomi Yin, a year 3 student of BSc (Hons) in OT programme, received the Swire University Scholarship 2020/21. The scholarship rewards outstanding students for their excellent academic achievements as well as commitment to community services. Naomi is a talented student with distinguished academic performance, who has participated actively in volunteer services, such as the World Occupational Therapy Day 2018 to promote occupational therapy to the general public. She has the following to share: "2020 was a tough year. Things were harsh no matter in personal, social and global aspects. I was struggling with the adaptation to the new teaching mode and lifestyle, while my parent was facing potential unemployment. Studies were stressful as I needed to work hard to maintain good grades. When I heard about this scholarship, I decided to give it a try. I did not expect much since I thought an additional source of stress was not good. As a result, the news that I was honoured with this award came as a happy surprise. It is also a great encouragement to me and my family. Many thanks to my family and friends who had supported me. My deep appreciation too to Professor Tsang and the teachers who had nominated me. I am also very grateful for all my teachers who have taught me with passion for their professions. Finally, I would like to thank God for His grace and the opportunity He gave me.”

PolyU RS signs Memorandum of Understanding with Kunming Medical University on 15 January 2021

Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Kunming Medical University (KMU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 15 January 2021 via Zoom, as a record of both parties’ understanding in relation to discussing the opportunity to undertake cooperative activities. RS has more than 30 years of collaborative relationship with. Under the leadership of Prof. Ao, the Rehabilitation Medicine Department of KMU has achieved a higher academic ranking in the country due to high-quality training to the students. The completion of the new rehabilitation teaching building shows the great support in rehabilitation education of the country as well as the rapid expansion of rehabilitation professions. This collaboration will strengthen the existing collaboration between RS and KMU in the provision of a new education platform and enhancement of community rehabilitation education. There are three objectives of this collaboration: 1.) To strengthen the mode of community rehabilitation service education so as to enhance the teaching curriculum and clinical education. 2.) To build up a brand new “PolyU-KMU Community Rehabilitation Education Centre” with the objectives to preserve the valuable service data and to promote rehabilitation education to different parties including teachers, students, professions and the public. 3.) To make use of the newly established Centre as a core basement of community rehabilitation education so as to further promote a more professional rehabilitation education training to the whole country. The promotion is not only limited to the students of PolyU and KMU, but also to the surrounding institutions, as well as all parties who are interested in community rehabilitation services. In the future, we will make use of this “PolyU-KMU Community Rehabilitation Education Centre” to enhance the promotion of rehabilitation education in the whole country. The ultimate goal is to improve the teaching quality and to enhance the development of rehabilitation education in the country, thereby positively impacting on the lives of people with disabilities and helping them to go back into the community.

Dr Sulaiman joins Prof. Tsang’s research team to conduct a collaborative project with GMU

We would like to welcome Dr Surajo Kamilu Sulaiman on board, who newly joined Prof. Hector Tsang’s research team as a postdoctoral fellow in January 2021.   Dr Sulaiman received his Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy from Bayero University in Nigeria, and his Master of Physiotherapy from SRM University in India. He earned his PhD (rehabilitation science) from Queen’s University in Canada. Before joining our department, he was lecturer in the Department of Physiotherapy, Bayero University. His research interest is quality of life and its measurement in individuals with disabilities or at risk of developing disabilities. Dr Sulaiman will be working on a collaborative research project on physical exercises for individuals with knee osteoarthritis, jointly supervised by Prof. Tsang, Dr Arnold Wong of RS, and Dr Ou Haining from Guangzhou Medical University (GMU). Prof. Tsang has been appointed Nanshan Scholar by GMU, and the funding support for this project originates from his appointment. 

RS gave an interview with Xinhua Net to share their experience in helping survivors from the Yunnan earthquake in 2014

Members of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS), PolyU, gave an interview with Xinhua Net to share their experience in helping survivors from the Yunnan earthquake in 2014. For six years, Mr Tang Kin-chung (Occupational Therapy Clinical Associate, RS) and the team of PolyU students, 愛無疆 (Love without Borders), has never stop visiting the county and surrounding areas to give out their services, equipment and love to those disabled. Prof. Hector Tsang (Chair Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences and Head of RS) said the demand for occupational therapy is vast in the impoverished rural areas in China where the medical facilities are not as comprehensive as first-tier cities. “Positively impacting on the lives of people with or without disabilities” is the mission of RS. Over 130 PolyU students have joined the “Love without Borders” over the years to visit Rudian and surrounding areas at least twice a year, and about 110 disabled persons have received their therapy services. Online coverage: Xinhua Net - http://bit.ly/3hBB2Vc; http://bit.ly/38U8CBT China News - http://bit.ly/2JIQpP6 The Cover - http://bit.ly/3rOZCqi Sina - http://bit.ly/3obdiJL Yunnan.cn - http://bit.ly/3hFA2iO 光明時政 - http://bit.ly/3oay2lb 21CN新聞 - http://bit.ly/3b5LfYv East Day - http://bit.ly/3hAQQaI Sohu - http://bit.ly/3oaymjT Toutiao - https://bit.ly/2LjRop7

PolyU sets up the first university-based occupational therapy clinic on campus

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has established a new on-campus rehabilitation centre that focuses on the provision of occupational therapy (OT) services, thanks to a generous donation from Mr Tam Wing Fan and his family. It is the first-ever OT clinic in Hong Kong operated by a university. The Tam Wing Fan Rehabilitation Service Centre (Occupational Therapy), named after its donor Mr Tam Wing Fan, a distinguished Hong Kong architect and philanthropist who generously supported education, research and community service, is the second rehabilitation centre operating on the PolyU campus. With state-of-the-art equipment, veteran academic researchers and experienced occupational therapists, this new Centre provides comprehensive OT services for people of all age groups, including treatments for musculoskeletal, neurological and mental health dysfunctions. In view of the ageing population and the rising needs for primary healthcare services in the community, the Centre will become a service point for the public, with an emphasis on elderly care and offering treatments for common neurological diseases, elderly falls and fractures, and mental health conditions. For more details, please refer to https://www.polyu.edu.hk/en/media/media-releases/2020/1120_first-university-based-ot-clinic/

RS designs new dual-task exercise for stroke patients to effectively reduce the risk of falls and fall-related injuries

Professor Marco PANG Yiu-chung, Professor of Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at PolyU led the study of “Dual-Task Exercise Reduces Cognitive-Motor Interference in Walking and Falls after Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Study” (link), appeared in Stroke, a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Heart Association. It was revealed that dual-task exercises were able to help reduce the risk of falls and injurious falls by 25.0% and 22.2% respectively, bringing about significant improvement to the dual-task mobility of people post-stroke. As such, the programme has the potential to roll out in community and home-based settings, where healthcare resources are scarce. For more details, please visit: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/en/media/media-releases/2020/0917_polyu-designs-new-dual-task-exercise-for-stroke-patients/