News

Department of Rehabilitation Sciences kicks off the celebration of sapphire (45th years old) anniversary

This year RS marks its 45th years old since its establishment in 1978.  To commence the celebration series, RS held the Kick-Off Ceremony of RS 45th Anniversary Celebration cum Spring Dinner on 7th February 2023. More than 200 distinguished guests, alumni, students and staff have joined us to share the happiness of celebration in the first month of Year of the Rabbit. The event was jointly organized with Physiotherapy Students’ Society and Occupational Students’ Society.  Among them, we felt privileged to have Dr Miranda LOU (Executive Vice President, PolyU) and Dr Libby LEE (Undersecretary for Health, Health Bureau) deliver speeches. Following their impressive sharing, Prof. Hector TSANG (Cally Kwong Mei Wan Professor in Psychosocial Health, Chair Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences and Head, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences) hosted a chit chat session with Prof. Sophia CHAN (Professor in Nursing / Senior Advisor to the President’s Office, Former Secretary for Food and Health, Food and Health Bureau) to discuss the future development of rehabilitation sciences. A gimmick opening for posting sapphire puzzles was then held to symbolize our shinning wishes for the practitioners and stakeholders of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy to join hands and contribute to the allied health fields. RS has been admitting students with the highest DSE scores among all PolyU academic programmes.  To better nurture these high-quality students, RS has launched the High Flyer Programme to pair up high flyer students and elite alumni since 2018. To update this accomplishment, Prof. Shamay NG (Associate Head and Professor of RS) gave a sharing on the progress of the Programme during the event. Mr Jimmy WU (Director, District Health Centre Team, Health Bureau), our mentor of the Programme and Mr Curtis YU (Year 2 student, BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy Programme) highlighted what they have experienced in the Programme. Ms Magdalene POON (Department Manager, Occupational Therapy Department, Kwai Chung Hospital) also shared her thought to the audiences.  The band show by our students and the singing session were the climaxes of the event. The student band members, consisting of year 2 and 3 Physiotherapy Programme students, have thoroughly showcased their talent in singing and playing musical instruments throughout this session. Prof. Hector TSANG and the VIPs then joined the team to sing classical songs in the 1980s, bringing resonance of past memory among the alumni.    At the end of the event, Prof. TSANG delivered the closing address in which he thanked all the guests, colleagues and students for attending the event. He also looked forward to seeing them in the other RS 45th anniversary events and expressed his best wishes for RS to close the event.

Promoting healthy life among middle-aged and older persons with physical disability (PWPDs) and their caregivers hybrid symposium

Hosted by Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, PolyU Sponsored by Labour and Welfare Bureau   To facilitate persons with physical disability (PWPDs) living a meaningful and independent life in the society, professionals in the rehabilitation and social welfare sectors in Hong Kong have been putting their hands together to create an inclusive community. In July 2022, the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), has been entrusted and sponsored by the Labour and Welfare Bureau to implement a project named as “Promoting healthy life among middle-aged and older persons with physical disability (PWPDs) and their caregivers”. This project aims to address the importance of wellbeing and transfer professional hand-on skills to the PWPDs and their caregivers for enhancing their quality of life. The project team conducted 6 activities including three online talks and three face-to-face workshops at the end of 2022 and a symposium was held on 13th Jan 2023, giving a closure to the whole project. On that day, the Department has the honour to have Miss Vega Wong, JP, the Commissioner for Rehabilitation from Labour and Welfare Bureau, who delivered an informative speech for us. Together with Miss Wong, Ir Prof. Christopher Chao, the Vice President (Research and Innovation) PolyU, Prof. Hector Tsang, Cally Kwong Mei Wan Professor in Psychosocial Rehabilitation, Chair Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences and Head of Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, PolyU and Ms. Ng, the representatives of PWPDs caregivers, put a symbolic puzzle with coordinated effort to launch the event. The puzzle symbolized that The Hong Kong SAR Government, PolyU, PWPDs and their caregivers, work together to build an inclusive and caring community for PWPDs. In addition, the symposium had also invited Ms Mable Siu, the Chief Social Work Officer of the Rehabilitation and Medical Social Services Division of the Social Welfare Department, and several representatives from different non-government organizations and provided a platform for PWPDs, their caregivers and our honourable guests to exchange ideas on facing ageing issues. Last but not least, the symposium had also invited Prof. Hector Tsang, and Prof. Alice Chong, Research Professor of Felizberta Lo Padilla Tong School of Social Sciences, Caritas Institute of Higher Education (CIHE), Hong Kong, to deliver keynote speeches on the topic of “Promoting healthy life among persons with physical disability (PWPDs) and their caregivers”.  The event was brought to an end with the enthusiastic responses from the participants.

Social Welfare Department (SWD) and PolyU RS have committed to continue the collaboration in providing MPT and MOT programmes for 5 more cohorts

RS held the inauguration ceremony for its Master in Physiotherapy (MPT) and Master in Occupational Therapy (MOT) programmes today (3 January 2023), in order to welcome the freshmen of the upcoming academic year. With the support from the Social Welfare Department (SWD), Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, SAHK, Po Leung Kuk, relevant NGOs, as well as RS colleagues and students, the ceremony was completed with a great success. The Department is honoured to have Dr Lawrence Li, Deputy Council Chairman of PolyU, to deliver the welcome address at the ceremony. Dr Li mentioned that PolyU and SWD had been cooperating with each other to provide the aforementioned programmes from 2012, and would continue to cooperate, in an effort to regularize the two programmes so as to meet the society’s ever-growing demand. Miss Charmaine Lee, Director of Social Welfare, SWD, also delivered a speech, introducing its Training Sponsorship Scheme and relevant new developments. During the inauguration ceremony, Prof. Hector Tsang (Cally Kwong Mei Wan Professor in Psychosocial Health, Chair Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences and Head, Department of RS, PolyU) and Miss Charmaine Lee have together completed the Kick-off Ceremony of Cooperation, symbolizing the continuous collaboration between RS and SWD in the provision of five more cohorts of MOT and MPT programmes to 2029. After that, Mr Faye Cheung, Principal Social Services Secretary (Elderly and Rehabilitation) of Po Leung Kuk, and Ms Edith Hung, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of SAHK, have introduced respectively their organizations and the current development of rehabilitation in Hong Kong. Two graduates of the master programmes have also shared their learning experiences. Dr Hon David Lam, Legislative Councilor of HKSAR Legislative Council, was then invited to present souvenirs to the speakers in appreciation of their sharing. Finally, Prof. Tsang delivered the closing remarks at the end of the ceremony. He briefly introduced the prospects of social welfare in Hong Kong and encouraged the freshmen to provide high-quality professional services to the people in need in the future. The inauguration ceremony came to a successful conclusion.  

MoU Signing Ceremony between RS of PolyU and School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Nanjing Medical University

RS of PolyU and the School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Nanjing Medical University (NMU), held a Memorandum of Understanding Signing Ceremony on 12 December 2022, symbolising a closer and more concrete collaborative relationship between RS and NMU. RS and NMU have built a solid foundation for collaboration. In 2016, the two parties co-organised the 10th Pan-Pacific Conference on Rehabilitation (PPCR) in Shanghai, with around 1,000 participants.  During the ceremony, Prof. Hector Tsang (Cally Kwong Mei Wan Professor in Psychosocial Health, Chair Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences and Head of RS, PolyU) and Prof. Xu Guangxu (Dean of School of Rehabilitation Medicine, NMU) separately introduced the background and prospect of cooperation between the two universities in the field of rehabilitation. The main purpose of the MoU is to further explore and implement collaborations in teaching and research projects, staff and student exchange programmes, clinical practice, etc. in order to facilitate the development of the discipline of rehabilitation medicine in mainland China. PolyU has always encouraged various academic departments to strengthen cooperation and exchanges with mainland China. We look forward to further exploring the models and opportunities for collaboration with NMU in different areas.  

MoU Signing Ceremony between RS of PolyU and Guangzhou Medical University

RS of PolyU and Guangzhou Medical University (GMU) held a Memorandum of Understanding Signing Ceremony on 25 November 2022, signifying the official establishment of a closer collaborative relationship and broader areas of cooperation between the two parties. It also indicated that the scale of cooperation has been elevated from the departmental/college level to the university level. RS and GMU have built a solid foundation for collaboration. Prof. Hector Tsang (Cally Kwong Mei Wan Professor in Psychosocial Health, Chair Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences and Head of RS) has been appointed “Distinguished Professor of Nanshan Scholar” by GMU in 2019, and provides direction for curriculum and team setup for rehabilitation-related disciplines at GMU. During their speeches for the ceremony, Prof. Kwok-yin Wong, Vice President (Education) of PolyU, and Prof. Li Jianhua, Vice President of GMU, both expressed expectations for more in-depth cooperation between PolyU and GMU in teaching and scientific research for their mutual benefit. Prof. Hector Tsang and Prof. Zhou Xinke, Director of The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of GMU, also separately introduced the background, outcomes and future directions for cooperation between the two universities in the field of rehabilitation. PolyU has always encouraged various academic departments to strengthen cooperation and exchanges with mainland China. We look forward to further exploring the models and opportunities for collaboration with GMU in education, research, teacher and student exchanges, curriculum development, and clinical practice. 

A warm reunion for RS alumni and students

RS 9th Elite Alumni Seminar was held successfully on 24 November 2022. After adhering to social distancing measures for a long period of time, RS alumni and students were delighted to meet their friends and teachers face to face at the event. They grabbed the opportunity to catch up on each other and enjoyed a delicious dinner together. Prof. Kwok-yin Wong, Vice President (Education) of PolyU, delivered an opening speech to kick off the seminar, which was followed by an encouraging speech by Prof. Hector Tsang, Chair Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences and Head of RS. The event was also graced by our special guest, Dr Katherine Ngan, Chairman of the University Court.  We were pleased to have invited three elite alumni, Mr Bronco But, Mr Cap Chan and Ms Grace Cheung, to share their success stories with the attendees. Mr Bronco But has been admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong, United Kingdom, and Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales of Australia, and is currently Consultant at Messrs. Li & Partners. Mr Cap Chan is a solicitor and the sole proprietor of Cap Chan & Co. Ms Grace Cheung is a final-year student studying medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Thanks to their interesting talks, the evening was filled with laughter and unforgettable memories for the attendees.  

Three RS scholars have been ranked among top 2% of scientists in the world

We are delighted to share the good news that three RS scholars (listed below) have been ranked among the world’s top 2% most-cited scientists. They were named, along with more than 200 PolyU scholars, in the latest “Updated science-wide author databases of standardised citation indicators”, compiled by Stanford University. To group and rank over 100,000 top scientists across the world into 22 subject fields and 176 sub-fields, the Stanford research team led by Prof. John Ioannidis used an array of standardised citation indicators including information on citations, an individual’s scientific research output, co-authorship and a composite indicator for career-long citation impact up to the end of 2021.  Name of Scholar Subject Field Prof. Hector Tsang (Chair Professor) Psychiatry Prof. Marco Pang (Chair Professor) Rehabilitation Prof. Benjamin Yee (Professor) Neurology and neurosurgery

Congratulations to Miss Karen Tam on breaking USFHK’s swimming record

Miss Karen Tam, a student of our Master in Physiotherapy programme, won the Gold medals in Women’s 50m Freestyle and Women’s 50m Butterfly at the Annual Aquatic Meet of The University Sports Federation of Hong Kong, China (USFHK) on 30 October 2022. She also set a new USFHK’s record in Women’s 50m Freestyle with 25.86s (the old record was 26.69s). 

Agreement Signing Ceremony between RS of PolyU and Jiangbin Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

A ceremony to record the moment on signing an agreement between RS of PolyU and Jiangbin Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (the Hospital) was held on 14 October 2022, signifying a closer and more concrete collaborative relationship between RS and the Hospital, and at the same time strengthening ties and co-operation with the Mainland China. In delivering the speeches of the event, Dr Miranda Lou (Executive Vice President of PolyU), Prof. Hector Tsang (Cally Kwong Mei Wan Professor in Psychosocial Health, Chair Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences and Head of RS) and Mr Joseph Zeng mentioned the main purpose of the agreement was to provide training to the healthcare staff of the Hospital and equip them to be the international qualified professionals in the field of rehabilitation services, and facilitate the development of the rehabilitation services in the Mainland China.  It has been one of the major objectives of our University to actively promote exchanges and co-operation in various aspects of expertise and management between different industries of the two places.  This collaboration between RS of PolyU and the Hospital is expected to promote the rehabilitation education in the Mainland China and enhance the professional skills in rehabilitation services of the healthcare staff.

RS year-one students have won PolyU entry scholarships with their outstanding academic achievements

Since its inception, RS has been admitting elite students from Hong Kong and elsewhere into its programmes. We are proud to announce that RS admittees in this academic year perform very well in winning nearly 40% of the JUPAS and non-JUPAS entry scholarships offered by the University, an achievement as impressive as that of our past admittees in preceding academic years. PolyU offers altogether 511 entry scholarships for new admittees with outstanding academic achievements this year. Out of these 511 scholarships, 134 go to PT freshmen and 67 go to OT freshmen. These two figures make up a total of 201, or nearly 40% of all entry scholarships offered to all academic departments of PolyU.