Academic Staff
Prof. Lloyd CHAN
Assistant Professor
PhD (UNSW), MSc Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CUHK), BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy (PolyU), Registered Physiotherapist (Hong Kong and Australia)
- ST519
- +852 2766 7093
- lloydly.chan@polyu.edu.hk
ORCID IDBiography
Prof. Chan began his academic training at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), where he obtained his BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy. He subsequently completed an MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, receiving the Best GPA and Class Salutatorian Award. Supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship, he obtained his PhD in Population Health and Biomedical Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).
His clinical experience spans acute care, outpatient services and rehabilitation in Hong Kong public hospitals, as well as clinical practice in Sydney. Before returning to PolyU, he was a Lecturer in the School of Health Sciences at UNSW, where he developed and convened neurological physiotherapy courses. His Neurological Clinical Practice course received the School’s HoS Course of the Year Award in 2025.
Prof. Chan led the development and validation of WatchWalk, an algorithm that measures daily-life walking speed, gait quality and activity using wrist-worn sensors. The algorithm has been applied in large-scale international cohort studies and made accessible to research groups through an online processing platform. It has also been licensed exclusively to an ASX-listed wearable technology company, supporting knowledge transfer and commercial application. His research has attracted support from the Stroke Foundation Australia and philanthropic donors. Through government-supported social innovation programmes, he has also translated wearable-sensor research into community mobility screening for older people in Hong Kong.
Prof. Chan has published in leading journals, including Age and Ageing and The Journals of Gerontology: Series A. His research work has been recognised through the UNSW School of Health Sciences Early Career Researcher of the Year Award (2025), the UNSW Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering Paper of the Year Award in Digital Medicine and Digital Biology (2024) and the NeuRA Publication Excellence Award (2023). He also contributes through journal editorial roles, grant reviews and international scientific committees.
Education and Academic Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of New South Wales
- Master of Science in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Physiotherapy, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Professional Qualifications
- Registered Physiotherapist, Hong Kong
- Registered Physiotherapist, Australia
Research Interests
Research Output
- Toapanta Gaibor CL, Bellés Andreu S, Lord SR, Chan LLY. Real-world walking patterns from wrist-worn wearables predict incident type 2 diabetes: a UK Biobank WatchWalk study. Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology. 2026. doi: 10.1177/19322968261464535.
- Fernandez N, Wong AY, Brodie MA, van Schooten KS, Chan LLY, Lord SR. Are real-world mobility patterns early indicators of COPD onset? Insights from wrist-worn sensors. International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. 2026;21:605234. doi: 10.2147/COPD.S605234.
- Herrero Pinilla B, Hong S, Brodie MA, Lord SR, Chan LLY. More than step counts: slow walking speed, limited running, and fewer long walks predict cardiovascular mortality in the Walk Watch UK Biobank study. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A. 2025;80(10). doi: 10.1093/gerona/glaf184.
- Tajimi T, Chan LLY, Okubo Y, Lord SR. Real-world walking patterns are associated with regional brain atrophy and white matter lesions in middle-aged and older people: a Watch Walk-UK Biobank study. GeroScience. 2026;48(3):4247-4261. doi: 10.1007/s11357-025-01878-1.
- Osuka Y, Chan LLY, Brodie M, Okubo Y, Lord SR. Frailty assessed by a wrist-worn device can predict hospitalisation and mortality in middle-aged and older adults: a UK Biobank study. Age and Ageing. 2025;54(8). doi: 10.1093/ageing/afaf210.
- Chan LLY, Espinoza Cerda MT, Brodie MA, Lord SR, Taylor ME. Daily-life walking speed, running duration and bedtime from wrist-worn sensors predict incident dementia: a Watch Walk-UK Biobank study. International Psychogeriatrics. 2025:100031. doi: 10.1016/j.inpsyc.2024.100031.
- Sturnieks DL, Chan LLY, Cerda MTE, Arbona CH, Pinilla BH, Martinez PS, et al. Cognitive functioning and falls in older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 2025;128:105638. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2024.105638.
- Chan LLY, Lord SR, Brodie MA. Daily-life walking speed, quality and quantity derived from a wrist motion sensor: large-scale normative data for middle-aged and older adults. Sensors. 2024;24(16).
- Chan LLY, Yang S, Aswani M, Kark L, Henderson E, Lord SR, et al. Development, validation, and limits of freezing of gait detection using a single waist-worn device. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering. 2024;71(10):3024-3031. doi: 10.1109/TBME.2024.3407059.
- Chan LLY, Herrera Arbona C, Brodie MA, Lord SR. Prediction of injurious falls in older adults using digital gait biomarkers extracted from large-scale wrist sensor data. Age and Ageing. 2023;52(9).
