Prof. Yan LI and her team’s project has been awarded at the Healthy Longevity Global Competition

Prof. Yan LI, Assistant Professor (Presidential Young Scholar) at PolyU’s School of Nursing, and her team’s project entitled “The Impact of ‘Digital Strolling’ on Depression and Quality of Life of People with Severe Mobility Impairment” has been awarded at the Healthy Longevity Global Competition organised by the U.S. National Academy of Medicine. Their study aims to develop a digital strolling intervention for people with severe mobility impairment and to test its feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects on depression and quality of life. The competition consists of three progressive phases during which innovators have the opportunity to compete for increasingly larger prizes at the Catalyst, Accelerator, and Grand Prize levels. The project is sponsored by the Research Grants Council. Team members also included Prof. Janelle YORKE (Angel S.P. Chan Lau Professor in Health and Longevity, Chair Professor of Nursing, Head, School of Nursing), Dr Richard LI (Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Social Sciences and Department of Computing), and Dr Mengqi LI (Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Nursing).

Prof. Eva HO has been appointed as the Kuok Group Young Scholar in Child and Adolescent Health

Prof. Eva HO, Associate Professor, has been appointed as the Kuok Group Young Scholar in Child and Adolescent Health (郭氏集團兒童及青少年健康青年學者), under the PolyU Endowed Young Scholar Scheme. The scheme offers donors a unique opportunity to partner with the University to advance research and academic activities. The Endowed Young Scholar donation will advance Prof. HO’s research on promoting the physical and psychological well-being of children and adolescents.

Two PolyU Nursing Scholars were honoured by Sigma

Congratulations to Prof. Justina LIU (Professor) who was inducted into the 2024 International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame, and Prof. Arkers WONG (Associate Professor) who received the 2024 Emerging Nurse Researcher/ Scholars by the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma) in July of this year. Prof. LIU is the third researcher from the School to be honoured by Sigma for her significant achievement in nursing research and her contributions to the development of nursing. Prof. WONG is our second Emerging Nurse Researcher/Scholar recognised by Sigma.

Virtual Hospital won President’s Award

After receiving the Faculty Award in Teaching, the Virtual Hospital team led by Dr Kitty CHAN, Associate Professor of Practice (team members include Prof. Justina LIU and Prof. Kin CHEUNG, Associate Professors, Dr Timothy LAI, Associate Professor of Practice, and Prof. Patrick KOR, Assistant Professor) was awarded the PolyU President’s Award for Outstanding Teaching Achievement 2023 (Team Awards) in recognition of their significant contribution to healthcare education through their innovative Virtual Hospital learning system [HK Short-term Patent: HK30083446]. This is the fifth award received by the team since the launch of the Virtual Hospital in 2022. Congratulations!

Prof. Janelle YORKE has been appointed as the Angel S.P. Chan Lau Professor in Health and Longevity

The endowed professorship, Angel S.P. Chan Lau Professor in Health and Longevity, awarded to Prof. Janelle YORKE, was established in 2013 in honour of the donor, Mrs Angel LAU, Chair and CEO of Squina International Group Limited, a market leader in natural health foods and natural skincare products in Hong Kong. Squina is committed to promoting healthy living, primary healthcare, and disease prevention. The company has sponsored numerous healthcare seminars and the establishment of laboratories and teaching facilities for healthcare education. The endowed professorship scheme provides Mrs Angel LAU with a unique opportunity to partner with the University to advance research and academic activities in the field of health and longevity. Prof. YORKE is the School’s second Endowed Professor in Health and Longevity, recognised for her continued excellence throughout her career.

PolyU Nursing music-with-movement system won the CES Innovation Awards 2024

The groundbreaking therapeutic music-with-movement system invented by PolyU researchers won a prestigious global consumer product award in the “Accessibility & Aging Tech” category at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Innovation Awards 2024. Being the only Hong Kong educational institution to receive this award is a testament to the exceptional impact of the music-with-movement intervention on older adults and their caregivers. An integral part of CES, the annual CES® Innovation Awards recognise outstanding innovations in design, evaluating products based on engineering quality, aesthetics and design, practical value, uniqueness, and their impact on quality of life. Prof. Daphne CHEUNG, Associate Professor, led the project that developed the “Music-with-movement system for older adults”. The research team merged an existing therapeutic music intervention system with advances in medical research and engineering technology for the ageing population. This groundbreaking system enables caregivers and staff working in the elderly care sector to effectively and efficiently engage older adults in a music intervention. The music-with-movement system combines many elements, such as songs, Augmented Reality (AR) interactive games, and motion sensors, into a tablet-based gaming and cloud-based management platform. The integration of oldies music with motion sensors and AR makes this system the first of its kind in music interventions. The interactive and cognitively stimulating musical games aim to maintain the cognitive and social stimulation levels of older adults. The user-friendly design of this therapeutic programme also helps alleviate issues caused by social isolation. Prof. CHEUNG said: “It’s my greatest honour to receive this award in recognition of the application of our research into ageing technology, a key focus in our work related to the increasing ageing population. The music-with-movement programme reinforces sustainable adoption among older adults for their consistent engagement and facilitates effective intervention and communication”. Although the music-with-movement programme was developed for people with dementia in Hong Kong, it was later extended to family caregivers as a dyadic intervention. Integrating current information and communication technology as implementation strategies for music interventions generates effective communication and collaboration and more effective connections between older adults, caregivers, staff working in elderly centres, and health professionals. The CES Innovation Awards 2024 ceremony was held in Las Vegas, U.S., from 9 to 12 January 2024. CES is one of the world’s largest consumer technology trade fairs, bringing together innovators, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders from around the world. It provides a platform to showcase cutting-edge technologies and breakthrough research.

The School’s teams won two merit awards at the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2023

The School’s teams won two merit awards at the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2023. A project entitled ‘Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) Motor-Cognitive Training for Older People with Cognitive Frailty’ received a merit award in the Smart People (Smart Ageing) category in recognition of its effectiveness in promoting healthy ageing, and Virtual Hospital won a merit award in the Smart People (Smart Education and Learning) category. Congratulations to both teams! With Virtual Hospital having earlier won the PolyU Faculty Award in Teaching, two more awards were added to Virtual Hospital’s growing list of accolades this year.

Dr Daphne CHEUNG received the Claudia J. Beverly Innovation Award 2023

Dr Daphne CHEUNG (Associate Professor) was selected to receive the Claudia J. Beverly Innovation Award 2023, presented by the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence (NHCGNE) in recognition of her innovative Music-with-Movement System (HK Short term patent no. 32023075903.9), which has had a positive impact on the nursing care of older adults. She is the second staff member from the School to have been selected to receive an Innovation Award from the NHCGNE. The Music-with-Movement System was designed to improve the cognitive and psychosocial well-being of older adults with cognitive impairment. As of August 2023, more than 700 people had benefited from this system and more than 150 people, including staff members of nursing homes and our nursing students, had been trained in its use.

Two SN scholars received awards at the 2023 Yonsei International Nursing Conference

At the 2023 Yonsei International Nursing Conference, held on 5–7 October in Seoul, South Korea, Dr Yan LI (Assistant Professor [Presidential Young Scholar]) won two Best Poster Presentation Awards and Dr Katherine LAM (Assistant Professor) received a Best Oral Presentation Award. Dr LI’s awarded studies were entitled ‘The Development of a Web-based Psychoeducation Programme with a Motivational Artificial Intelligencebased Chatbot to Decrease Vaccine Hesitancy’ and ‘Feasibility and Effectiveness of Artificial IntelligenceDriven Conversational Agents in Healthcare Interventions: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials’, and Dr LAM’s awarded paper was entitled ‘Through Thick and Thin: Developing a Community-Based Network to Promote Anti-Drug Messages and Identify Hidden Drug Abusers’.

Dr Justina LIU was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing

Dr Justina LIU (Associate Professor) was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) in recognition of her significant contribution to nursing and healthcare. Dr LIU is the fourth person at the School to have received this prestigious honour: Prof. Frances WONG (Chair Professor of Advanced Nursing Practice and Associate Dean [FHSS]), Dr Claudia LAI (Honorary Professor), and Prof. Alice Yuen LOKE (Professor of Practice [Family and Community Health]) were inducted as AAN Fellows in 2012 and 2014.