It is an exciting time for me to open up a new chapter for the Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC) as the Interim Director. Under the leadership of my predecessor Prof. David Man, MHRC has entered its second year of service to PolyU and our community. Our sustained mission is to advance scientific and academic knowledge and interventions for mental illnesses, and to reach out to enhance our impact on society through conducting fundamental, clinical, and translational research on mental health.
MHRC focuses on innovative East-meets-West research and state-of-the-art basic, neuroscience-driven research, and impact studies of social policy, based upon our solid track records and past successes in mental health research, as well as the collaborative efforts made by our local, regional, and international researchers dedicated to establishing and promoting rigorous, critical research on mental health.
Since 2021, the year in which MHRC was established, we have experienced the broad social, economic, and behavioural consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, which have in turn caused detrimental effects on mental health. We are also facing global health challenges such as urbanisation, aging, dementia and the early onset of mental disorders among school children. At MHRC, we firmly believe that we are able to create a synergy of critical perspectives, establish genuine collaboration among scientists, clinicians, health professionals, engineers, policy makers, NGOs, and the public, and fulfil our commitment to achieving meaningful societal impacts.
In its strategic planning, MHRC has charted numerous routes linking different research maps, from basic science research which aims at understanding brain networks, to translational research efforts to develop and test novel interventions in clinical and community settings, and the dissemination of our research to create impacts on social policy and public health. We are proud of the variety of our expertise from within and without PolyU, and our commitment to making a difference to the mental health of people in Hong Kong and around the world.
Last but not least, we are still in the process of attracting talented persons to join and collaborate with us. If you are interested in being our member, please contact us for more information.
