Academic Staff
PolyU Scholars Hub
Prof. Elaine Yee-lan KWONG
Associate Director of Research Institute for Smart Ageing
Associate Professor
- HHB801c, Hung Hom Bay Campus
- +852 3400 8559
- elaine-yl.kwong@polyu.edu.hk
ORCID ID
SCOPUS IDBiography
Prof. Elaine Kwong is an Associate Professor in the Department of Language Science and Technology and the Associate Director of the Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her research focuses on dysphagia management, voice sciences and technological innovations for clinical practice, with a particular emphasis on the application of ultrasound imaging in swallowing examination. Prof Kwong is committed to translating research into practical benefits for clinicians, patients, caregivers, and the wider community. Her work aims to enhance the accuracy, accessibility, and clinical utility of swallowing assessment, while promoting evidence-based management for individuals with dysphagia. She has actively delivered professional training workshops and talks on ultrasound imaging and dysphagia care to speech therapists and allied health professionals locally and internationally, including participants from Macau and Taiwan. As the Co-Chair of the Hong Kong IDDSI Reference Group, Prof Kwong advocates for the standardization and implementation of the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) framework in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and Asia. Through her roles in teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and interdisciplinary collaboration, Prof Kwong strives to advance innovative, patient-centred solutions in dysphagia management and smart ageing, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life of people with swallowing disorders and their families.
Education and Academic Qualifications
- 2004 - 2009
Doctor of Philosophy in Voice Disorders, The University of Hong Kong (HKU) - 1999 - 2003
Bachelor of Science (Speech and Hearing Sciences), The University of Hong Kong (HKU), First Class Honours
Academic and Professional Experience
- June 2024 - Present
Associate Director, Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) - July 2023 - Present
Associate Professor, Department of Language Science and Technology (Formerly Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies (CBS)), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) - Aug 2017 - Jun 2023
Assistant Professor, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies (CBS), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) - Sep 2016 - Jul 2017
Clinical Associate and speech language pathologist, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies (CBS), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) - Aug 2015 - Mar 2016
Part-time Senior Research Assistant, Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, The University of Hong Kong (HKU) - Jul 2015 - Aug 2016
Part-time Clinical Associate, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies (CBS), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) - Jun 2015 - Aug 2016
Part-time Clinical Instructor, Department of Special Education and Counseling, The Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIED) - Jan 2015 - Jun 2015
Part-time Lecturer (non-clinical), Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, The University of Hong Kong (HKU) - Aug 2009 – May 2011
Post-doctoral Fellow, Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, The University of Hong Kong (HKU)
Research Interests
Research Output
- Lam, W. Y. S., Kwong, E., Leung, R. C. K., Lee, C. H., Rai, S., & Lui, L. K. (2025). Conformal Swallowing Accelerometry: Reimagining the Acquisition and Characterization of Swallowing Mechano-Acoustic Signals. Sensors, 25(23), 7396. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25237396
- Kan, A. K.-F., Kwong, E., Chan, M. S.-W., & Shek, P. T.-C. (2025). Implementation of Instrumental Assessment to Assess Dysphagia in Older Adults Receiving Long-Term Care Services: A Scoping Review. Geriatrics, 10(2), 53. https://doi.org/10.3390/geriatrics10020053
- Lam, W. Y. S., Kwong, E., Chan, H. W. T., & Zheng, Y.-P. (2024). Using Sequence Analyses to Quantitatively Measure Oropharyngeal Swallowing Temporality in Point-of-Care Ultrasound Examinations: A Pilot Study. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 13(8), 2288. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13082288
- Chen, H. M., Li, K. Y., Li, T. L., Wong, G. H. Y., Kwong, Y. L., Ng, R. C.-L., … Chen, H. (2024). Association of dietary inflammation with tooth loss and cognitive decline in older adults from cross-sectional data: The moderated role of albumin. Journal of Dentistry, 144, 104967–104967. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdent.2024.104967
- Chen, H. M., Li, K. Y., Li, T. L., Kwong, E., Wong, G. H. Y., McGrath, C., & Chen, H. (2023). The association between tooth loss and cognitive decline in the aged population: The mediating role of HDL-cholesterol. Journal of Dentistry, 135, 104570–104570. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdent.2023.104570
- Kwong, E., Shek, P. T. C., Leung, M. T., Zheng, Y. P., & Lam, W. Y. S. (2022). Temporal measures of oropharyngeal swallowing events identified using ultrasound imaging in healthy young adults. Plos one, 17(6), e0270704. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270704
- Kwong E. (2022). Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Hong Kong-Chinese Version of Children's Voice Handicap Index. Journal of voice: official journal of the Voice Foundation, 36(3), 435.e15–435.e21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2020.07.001
- Kwong, E., & Tsang, M. L. C. (2023). Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Hong Kong-Chinese Version of Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI(HK)). Journal of Voice, 37(4), 632.e21-632.e28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2021.03.019
- Kwong E. (2020). Cross-cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Hong Kong-Chinese version of Children's Voice Handicap Index-10 for Parents (CVHI-10-P(HK)). Journal of voice: official journal of the Voice Foundation, S0892-1997(20)30454-9. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2020.07.001
- An, K., Zhang, Q., & Kwong, E. (2021). ViscoCam: Smartphone-based Drink Viscosity Control Assistant for Dysphagia Patients. Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies, 5(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1145/3448109
- Feng, S., Shea, Q.-T.-K., Ng, K.-Y., Tang, C.-N., Kwong, E., & Zheng, Y. (2021). Automatic Hyoid Bone Tracking in Real-Time Ultrasound Swallowing Videos Using Deep Learning Based and Correlation Filter Based Trackers. Sensors, 21(11), 3712. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21113712
- Kwong, E., Ng, K.-W. K., Leung, M.-T. & Zheng, Y.-P. (2021). Application of ultrasound biofeedback to the learning of Mendelsohn maneuver in non-dysphagic adults: a pilot study. Dysphagia, 36, 650–658. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-020-10179-y
- Kwong, E., Poon, S.-Y. S. & Tse, C.-Y. S. (2021). Efficacy of different straw phonation doses for vocal fatigue prevention. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 23(3), 321–328. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2020.1787514
- Kwong, E. & Tse, S.-K. (2020). Application of a manufacturer’s guideline and an IDDSI-driven guideline to thickening of some non-water beverages: a rheological study. Dysphagia, 36, 270-280. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-020-10127-w
- 2026
Principal Investigator - “THE POLYU- FU HONG SOCIETY Center for Inclusive Innovation: XAI‑Powered Ultrasound‑Based Swallowing Examination Tool” (HKD $800,000) - 2022 - 2023
Principal Investigator - Departmental General Research Fund, CBS, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
“Demographic Investigation on Oral Frailty for Older People in Hong Kong and its implication on Diet Modification.” (HKD $249,670) - 2021 - 2022
Principal Investigator - General Research Fund
Research Grant Council. “Applying a motor learning theory to the acquisition of swallowing Maneuver.” (HKD $546,768) - 2020 - 2021
Food and Health Bureau, HKSAR
“The temporal profiles of swallowing events in healthy adults: a pilot study using ultrasound imaging” (HKD $99,703) - 2020 - 2021
Inter-Faculty Collaboration Scheme for Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences and Faculty of Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
“Investigating changes in mass and quality of swallowing muscles in aging individuals with or without dysphagia using ultrasonography” (HKD $497,768)
- 2022
Seed fund for mission-based project, Research Institute for Smart Aging (RISA), PolyU
“Healthy Aging Blockchain Ecosystem with Person-centred Care Approach for People with Cognitive Impairment: A pilot pragmatic-controlled trial” (HKD $1,000,000)
- 2022 - Present
Co-chair of the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) reference group in Hong Kong
- 2025
Faculty Award for Outstanding Performance Achievement in Knowledge Transfer: Society, Faculty of Humanities, PolyU
