Meet the pioneer who seamlessly incorporates digital technologies into healthcare

At the forefront of digital health innovation to enhance patient outcomes and clinical practice is Professor Janelle Yorke, an internationally renowned nursing expert and visionary leader. With a distinguished career that spans Australia, the U.K., and now Hong Kong, Professor Yorke has been a trailblazer in integrating digital technologies into healthcare, particularly through her pioneering work on electronic Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (ePROMs).

Professor Janelle Yorke
•	Angel S.P. Chan Lau Professor in Health and Longevity
•	Head and Chair Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing
•	HK Global STEM Scholar, Director of JC STEM Lab of Digital Oncology Care Enhancement

Professor Yorke assumed the role of Head of the School of Nursing at PolyU in January 2024. Reflecting on her decision to lead the School, Professor Yorke notes, “Hong Kong is a vibrant, exciting city, and PolyU is a world-class institution. I knew I was joining a supportive environment committed to excellence.” Her appointment marks an exciting new chapter for one of the world's top nursing schools.

Elevating cancer patient care through ePROMs

A cornerstone of Professor Yorke’s career is her pioneering work on ePROMs. At The Christie NHS Foundation Trust Hospital in the UK, one of the largest single-site cancer centre in Europe, she led efforts to integrate ePROMs into routine cancer care, demonstrating their transformative potential. This digital initiative enables patients to report their symptoms and treatment experiences electronically on a regular basis which are automatically transferred into the hospital electronic health records, allowing clinicians to respond promptly and effectively.

"The ePROMs platform helps us pick up problems sooner rather than later, so we can put the appropriate care in place more quickly and ideally improve patient outcomes," explains Professor Yorke. In fact, the use of ePROMs has been shown to enhance patient-clinician communication, engage patients more actively in their care, increase health service efficiencies, and even predict cancer treatment completion and survival rates.

Building on her UK experience, Professor Yorke is now exploring introducing ePROMs to Hong Kong's healthcare system for cancer patients. She believes Hong Kong’s electronic health system is already quite well-developed and integrated, offering a solid foundation for implementing ePROMs.

Breaking barriers as a Global STEM Professor in nursing

In 2024, Professor Yorke was awarded the prestigious Global STEM Professorship by the Hong Kong Government, making her the only nurse to receive this honour. The professorship is a testament to her pioneering work and illustrates the potential for nursing to be at the forefront of STEM-related research.

“I am very proud of the award, which sends a strong message that nursing is a highly valued profession in Hong Kong and can be a key player in healthcare innovation. Our discipline has always been scientific and highly rigorous, and this award is a recognition of that,” Professor Yorke remarks.

As part of her STEM professorship, she will lead the Jockey Club STEM Lab of Digital Oncology Care Enhancement at PolyU. This lab will explore real-time cancer patient symptom monitoring as well as digital interventions to support the self-management of symptoms and facilitate effective clinical decision-making.

The Jockey Club STEM Lab of Digital Oncology Care Enhancement steered by Professor Yorke is developing a platform for real-time monitoring of cancer patients’ symptoms.

An internationally renowned school

Professor Yorke highlights that PolyU’s School of Nursing is a “global School of Nursing”, with a diverse student body from many different countries and nationalities, particularly at the postgraduate level. Moreover, she is actively seeking to expand the School’s collaboration with institutions in Mainland China and overseas.

“The internationalisation of the School is very important. By having students and staff from different parts of the world, they all bring different perspectives to healthcare challenges and we all learn from each other, enriching the School. We can also learn a great deal from other healthcare systems and academic institutions from around the world”, she states.

In addition, the School is internationally renowned for its academic and research excellence, with Nursing at PolyU ranking 31st in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024. She is proud that the stellar reputation and excellence of the School contribute to a very high success rate with regard to the immediate employment of its graduates.

Future-focused nursing education

In today's world, artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming many fields, and nursing is no exception. Professor Yorke believes that AI will be applied to big data sets to better understand the consequences of healthcare for patients, enabling predictive models that can help clinicians better understand a patient's journey, leading to better decision-making. This is the work she is doing with ePROMs in oncology.

She points out that the Centre for Smart Health at the School of Nursing, led by Professor Harry Qin, is leveraging the power of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data analytics to transform patient care. Furthermore, many PhD students at the School are working on projects including the application of AI and machine learning in their research projects. The School is therefore well-positioned to make significant contributions to the use of AI in healthcare, supporting Hong Kong’s development as a health and medical innovation hub.

Under her leadership, Professor Yorke is committed to upholding the School of Nursing's status as one of the best globally and to nurturing future nursing leaders. This involves continuously modernising the curriculum to meet evolving healthcare demands. A key focus will be on enhancing nursing education to better prepare nursing graduates for roles in community and primary health care, including expanding community-based placements in response to the Hong Kong Government’s expectations and community needs.

Professor Yorke points out that the School already has a strong teaching and research focus in primary health care, spearheaded by Professor Frances Wong, Chair Professor of Advanced Nursing Practice. Additionally, the School will equip nursing graduates with the skills necessary for elderly care, in response to the rapidly ageing population on a global level.

Championing nurse-led care and technology

For Professor Yorke, the essence of effective and impactful nursing lies in its patient-centred approach. She therefore encourages aspiring nurses and nursing academics to embrace innovation and new technologies while staying true to the foundational principle of patient-centred care.

"Think outside the box, explore how technology and AI can enhance your clinical expertise, improve care and bring efficiencies to the health care system, but never lose sight of individual patient needs," she advises the next generation of nursing graduates.