News

PolyU and Peking University Third Hospital join forces to establish Joint Research Laboratory on Musculoskeletal and Sports Rehabilitation

(6 June 2025) The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and Peking Third Hospital (PUTH) signed a collaboration agreement last month to officially establish the “Joint Research Laboratory on Musculoskeletal and Sports Rehabilitation”. This partnership aims to advance cutting-edge research and innovation in musculoskeletal health and sports rehabilitation by leveraging the clinical expertise, medical engineering and translational research strengths of both institutions, and to promote the translation and application of research outcomes. The agreement signing ceremony and the plaque unveiling ceremony of the joint research laboratory were held at PUTH. The agreement was signed by Prof. DONG Cheng, Associate Vice President (Mainland Research Advancement) of PolyU and Prof. FU Wei, President of PUTH. Following this, witnessed by Prof. Dong Cheng and Prof. Fu Wei, the plaque unveiling ceremony for the “Joint Research Laboratory on Musculoskeletal and Sports Rehabilitation” was jointly officiated by Prof. Marco PANG, Shun Hing Education and Charity Fund Professor in Rehabilitation Sciences, Chair Professor of Neurorehabilitation and Head of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS) of PolyU, and Prof. LI Rong, Vice President of PUTH and Director of the Reproductive Medicine Department, symbolising the official launch of the joint research laboratory and marking a significant step forward in academic and medical research collaboration between Hong Kong and the Mainland China. Prof. Dong Cheng remarked, “In the face of global population ageing and the increasing burden of chronic diseases, sports rehabilitation plays an increasingly vital role in improving quality of life and alleviating healthcare pressures. This collaboration between PolyU and PUTH will not only deepen academic exchange between the two institutions but also inject new momentum into the field of sports rehabilitation in the Greater China region. We look forward to working closely with PUTH to develop the joint laboratory into a hub for research innovation and talent development serving the Asia-Pacific region.” Prof. Fu Wei stated, “We are delighted to collaborate with PolyU to advance impactful research projects and promote the translation of innovative achievements in musculoskeletal and sports rehabilitation, benefiting patients and fostering the further development of rehabilitation medicine.” PolyU and PUTH will leverage their respective strengths to establish an integrated and interdisciplinary joint research laboratory. The partnership will promote scientific research, technological innovation and talent cultivation in the field of sports rehabilitation, with the goal of improving patient recovery outcomes and contributing to healthy ageing.

Prof. Derek Yau and Prof. Billy So win Prestige Awards at WPC 2025

Two distinguished members of our academic staff have received international recognition at the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025, held in Tokyo, Japan. Prof. Derek Yau was awarded the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025 Specialty Group Award (International Confederation of Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapists, ICCrPT). His research, titled “Effect of Quality of Recovery-15 Score on Self-Rated Health Status at 90 Days After Cardiac Surgery in Patients Undergoing Prehabilitation,” was presented during an e-Poster session and was praised for its clinical relevance and impact. Prof. Billy So received the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025 Specialty Group Outstanding Presentation Award (International Organisation of Aquatic Physiotherapists, IOAPT). His presentation, “Integrating Artificial Intelligence in Aquatic Exercise Applications: The Underwater Analysis System and Wearable Sensors,” showcased innovative approaches to enhancing aquatic therapy through technology. These accolades highlight the global impact of the professors’ work and underscore the department’s commitment to advancing physiotherapy research and practice.

RS Students Shine at PolyU Sports Team Annual Prize Presentation Ceremony

The PolyU Sports Team Annual Prize Presentation Ceremony 2024/25, held on 14 May, was a celebration of talent and dedication. Among the honourees were 26 exceptional students from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, recognized for their remarkable achievements and contributions to sports. These outstanding individuals received scholarships and prestigious awards, including titles such as King's Flair Group Scholarship for Outstanding PolyU Student Athletes, Soo Chew Bong Sports Scholarship, Joe Chan Outstanding Sports Performance Award, The Most Outstanding Academic Achievement Award, The Outstanding Academic Achievement Award and PolyU Most Valuable Players. Congratulations to all the student athletes for their remarkable achievements! Name Sports Programme Scholarship / Award Ao Weng I Swimming (F) BScPT King's Flair Group Scholarship for Outstanding PolyU Student Athletes Lee Hoi Man Karen Table Tennis (F) BScPT King's Flair Group Scholarship for Outstanding PolyU Student Athletes Lee Hoi Man Karen Table tennis (F) BScPT NOMINEES OF PolyU Best Athlete of the Year & Soo Chew Bong Sports Scholarship Ng Ki Wing Volleyball (F) BScPT NOMINEES OF PolyU Best Athlete of the Year & Soo Chew Bong Sports Scholarship Chan Wai Yan Alison Cross Country (F) BScPT Joe Chan Outstanding Sports Performance Award Lie Hiu Ching Athletics (F) BScOT The Most Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Chan Wai Hei Badminton (M) MPT The Most Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Tam Hiu Ching Cross Country (F) BScOT The Most Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Cheng Ho Yin Dragon Boat (M) BScOT The Most Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Chan Adrian Fencing (M) BScPT The Most Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Lee Wing Yin Rugby (F) BScOT The Most Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Wong Tsz Ho Swimming (M) BScPT The Most Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Tang Tsz Wing Taekwondo (F) BScPT The Most Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Tang Wai Ho Taekwondo (M) BScPT The Most Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Tham Jun Yan Trevor Tennis (M) MPT The Most Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Wong Wing Suet Volleyball (F) BScPT The Most Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Yu Cheuk Him Curtis Woodball (M) BScPT The Most Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Choi Season Athletics (F) BScPT The Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Lam Pak Yu Dragon Boat (M) BScPT The Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Sam Yat Kan Swimming (M) BScOT The Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Chan See Ching Table Tennis (F) BScPT The Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Chui Sum Yee Table Tennis (F) BScPT The Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Yau Man To Christopher Taekwondo (M) BScPT The Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Yip King Wai Athletics BScPT PolyU Most Valuable Players Yeung Tik Sum Athletics BScPT PolyU Most Valuable Players Chan Wai Yan Alison Cross Country BScPT PolyU Most Valuable Players            

RS PhD Student Winnie Chan Wins SOSORT Best Paper Award 2025

Ms Wai-ying Chan (Winnie), a PhD student of Prof. Arnold Wong and a physiotherapist, has won the Best Paper Award 2025 from the International Society on Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT), a non-profit organisation dedicated to sharing options for the non-operative management of structural spine changes. Titled “Oxygen Dynamics in Paraspinal Muscles During Isometric Loading in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS)”, Ms Chan’s award-winning study revealed that adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) demonstrate significant oxygen recovery asymmetry at T9, with prolonged recovery predominantly on the concave side. This metabolic imbalance correlated with spinal curve severity, particularly in single-curve cases. These findings suggest a potential metabolic association with scoliosis, offering new perspectives for clinical evaluation. Recognised with the SOSORT Best Paper Award, this research provides important insights into muscle dysfunction in spinal deformity. Please join us in congratulating Ms Chan on this achievement.        

Congratulations to OT Student Atta Yu on Winning Sun Hung Kai Properties X MELO Scholarship 2025

Atta Yu, our Year 3 Occupational Therapy student, has been awarded the Sun Hung Kai Properties X MELO Scholarship 2025. The organisers remarked that Atta demonstrated an exceptional commitment to advancing the field of psychiatric and mental health, securing her position as one of only two awardees.  This scholarship recognises qualities that are closely aligned with our department’s core values: A commitment to excellence (GPA ≥ 3.5) Active contributions to community service and leadership A spirit of curiosity and dedication to lifelong learning Please join us in extending our heartfelt congratulations to Atta for this well-deserved recognition. Her success reflects not only her dedication and talent but also inspires all of us within the department.          

Dr Zhang Bingbing Receives Faculty Distinguished Thesis Award

Dr Zhang Bingbing, a PhD student of Prof Georg Kranz, has received the Faculty Distinguished Thesis Award. The title of Dr Zhang’s thesis is Testing the Neuromodulatory Effects of Theta-burst Stimulation, which focuses on optimising intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, to improve its efficacy for neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression. Through experimental and computational studies, she addressed challenges such as variability in responses, optimal stimulation intensity, timing of priming protocols, and anatomical differences. Key findings identified 70% of the resting motor threshold as the most effective intensity, demonstrated the importance of a 10-minute priming interval to enhance metaplasticity, and highlighted how anatomy affects outcomes. These insights refine iTBS protocols and advance its potential as a precision therapeutic tool in clinical practice. Please join us in congratulating Dr Zhang on her achievement.          

Recent Achievement at the Asia Pacific Eldercare Innovation Awards in Singapore

A team of Year 4 OT students - Fung Wing Sze, Stephy (Leader), Yeung Kai Ming, Chan Ka Lok, Ho Tat Hong, Lee Ka Ho, and Wong Hei Ying—has won three prestigious awards at the Asia Pacific Eldercare Innovation Awards in Singapore on 9 April. The awards are as follows: Category 8 – Technology D: Innovation of the Year – Technology – Social Engagement Champion Award Category 6 – Product: Innovation of the Year – Product (Cognitive Training & Rehabilitation) Finalist Award Category 7 – Operational Efficiency & ICT: Innovation of the Year – Operational Management Technology & Productivity Finalist Award Their service learning project, 'Silveration' '老治號', is a mobile therapeutic cart designed to connect community elderly and residential care home users, addressing local geriatric service gaps with the motto "Driving to connect, thriving to care." The students created 18 evidence-based therapeutic activities that engage elderly participants in immersive, multisensory cognitive stimulation sessions, reflecting Hong Kong culture and its 18 districts. The home-to-home services also train elderly peer instructors, fostering a supportive active aging environment in care homes and the community. Our OT RS students demonstrated their dedication to excellence. Please join me in congratulating them on their outstanding achievement.      

RS Student Kelvin Hui Awarded Most Outstanding PolyU Student Title

The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences is delighted to share the wonderful news that our Year 4 BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy student, HUI Tsz Kwai (Kelvin), has been honoured with two prestigious awards: the Most Outstanding PolyU Student Award and the Outstanding Student Award of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences. This serves as a remarkable achievement for Kelvin and a great honour for the Department. The PolyU Outstanding Student Award Scheme is a significant initiative aimed at fostering critical thinkers, effective communicators, innovative problem solvers, and socially responsible global citizens. Beyond excelling academically, award recipients act as role models, inspiring fellow students to thrive in extracurricular activities and community service. Kelvin exemplifies these qualities as a dedicated physiotherapy student. His passion for becoming a physiotherapist stems from a deeply personal motivation, inspired by his father’s struggles with back pain while working as a transporter. Kelvin found purpose in helping others on their path to recovery through the power of his hands. Over the years, he has won numerous scholarships and accolades, including the Link University Scholarship, which he has been awarded four years in a row. Please join us in congratulating Kelvin on these outstanding achievements. To read Kelvin’s reflections on his success, please click on this link.    

PolyU “We Care We Share – Community Tele-Rehabilitation Programme in Mainland China” receives funding from the Keswick Foundation, expanding its service network nationwide

The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) launched the “We Care We Share” team in 2014 to provide rehabilitation services to residents affected by the 813 earthquake in Ludian, Yunnan, China. With this year marking the 10th anniversary since the establishment of the team, PolyU has received a donation of HK$6.1 million from the Keswick Foundation to implement the “We Care We Share – Community Tele-Rehabilitation Programme in Mainland China” (the Programme), which seeks to replicate the successful experience in Yunnan across north-western and north-eastern China, thereby expanding its community rehabilitation service network nationwide. The expanded programme aims to provide rehabilitation service training for 5,000 local students and professional medical personnel, benefiting 500 families over the next three years. Dr David LAM, Legislative Council member (Medical and Health Services); Prof. Miranda LOU, PolyU Executive Vice President; Mrs Clara WEATHERALL, Chairman of the Keswick Foundation Board of Governors; Prof. Angelina YUEN-TSANG, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Keswick Foundation; Dr Laura LO, PolyU Associate Vice President (Institutional Advancement); Prof. David SHUM, Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences; Prof. Marco PANG, Head of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences; Prof. YAO Liqing, Vice Chairman of the Yunnan Disabled Persons’ Federation and Associate Dean of the School of Rehabilitation at Kunming Medical University; Prof. MA Ting, Dean of the Rehabilitation School at Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine; Ms DUAN Chen-yuan, a recipient of the Programme; and Ms Atta YU, a student member of the “We Care We Share” team, jointly officiated at the launching ceremony. Dr David Lam said, “Rehabilitation is an essential extension of medical care. Based in Hong Kong, the PolyU ‘We Care We Share’ community rehabilitation service network supports rehabilitation services and personnel training in Yunnan, which has further developed into a nationwide professional service and training system. With breakthroughs in rehabilitation brought by technological applications of artificial intelligence and robotics, I believe PolyU can contribute to the Nation by leveraging its strength in this discipline.” Prof. Miranda Lou remarked, “The We Care We Share Community Rehabilitation Programme has been running for over a decade, with the PolyU Department of Rehabilitation Sciences providing rehabilitation services and therapist training to the local and neighbouring communities in Yunnan. Through professional knowledge, skills, therapeutic services and care, the Programme has not only transformed the recipients’ lives, but also brought hope to their families and communities. Today’s launching ceremony marks a new milestone for the Programme. We would like to once again express our gratitude to our charity partner, the Keswick Foundation, for their continued support, which enables us to keep moving forward and contribute more to the society.” Mrs Clara Weatherall said, “It gives me great pleasure to join you in celebrating the further expansion of this remarkable programme. What makes ‘We Care, We Share’ particularly special is how it combines expert professional care with practical, innovative community solutions. Together, we are empowering local professionals, communities, and families to build sustainable, lasting change.” The Programme has gained extensive experience in community rehabilitation over the years. With the support of the Keswick Foundation and leveraging technology to achieve tele-rehabilitation and interregional and interdisciplinary collaboration, the expanded programme will build a community-based rehabilitation service network nationwide. Through a three-dimensional model of “technology empowerment, community linkage and talent cultivation”, the Programme will leverage innovative rehabilitation medical technologies to provide support to more groups in need, while also raising societal awareness of the development of the rehabilitation profession.

PolyU RS Signs MoU with Far Eastern University – Dr. Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation

The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and Far Eastern University – Dr. Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation (FEU-NRMF) are pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore future collaboration opportunities. The MoU signing ceremony, held online, marks the beginning of a promising partnership aimed at enhancing academic and clinical cooperation between the two universities.