Features

Nursing students scooped champions in Social Enterprise Challenge

SN student and alumna are the biggest winners of the Hong Kong Social Enterprise Challenge. The innovative concept of applying Chinese medicinal therapies for injury prevention and sports rehabilitation to the general public and the ergonomic designed commode gained Ms Ka-yee Chan [our year-2 student on the BSc (Hons) in Mental Health Nursing programme] and Ms Ying-tung Chan (our alumna) and their multi-disciplinary teams the champions in the HKSEC. The competition, organised by the Center for Entrepreneurship of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, is an inter-collegiate social venture startup competition, which encourages students to employ a creative entrepreneurial approach to tackle social issues. Ms Chan, together with her three team members from the School of Chinese Medicine and the Department of Politics and Public Administration the University of Hong Kong, beat over more than 120 teams, and they were awarded the champion, with the startup prize money for an amount up to HK$ 75,000 for each team member, which will enable them to implement the first phase of their social enterprise namely “Chinese Medicine in Sports” under mentorship. The champion team also has the opportunity to represent Hong Kong to join the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) Youth Co:Lab Summit 2019*, held in Hanoi, Vietnam in April this year. Since the successful hosting of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Chinese medicine (CM) has been playing an important role in sports and many research studies have shown that CM therapies achieved good results for athletes. Unlike professional athletes, the public does not have easy access to sports team doctors and often neglects appropriate pre and post competition preparation and rehabilitation. “Chinese Medicine in Sports” aims to fill the gap in the existing service by providing affordable and quality CM therapies, such as acupressure, massage, and cupping to public participants engaging in sports events or competitions (such as the Standard Chartered HK Marathon) and at the same time, providing employment with a decent wage for the visually impaired massage therapists. “Our project can bring mutual benefits to the service providers and users. This is the key for our success in the competitions, ” said Ka-yee Chan. At present, the unemployment rate of the visually impaired persons is more than 85%. The team is recruiting visually impaired massage therapists and planning to provide training that integrates CM theories and sports science so as to enhance the knowledge of the therapists. As a mental health nursing student, Ms Chan’s role in the team is to recruit massage therapists, organise sharing events and provide psychological support to the recruits. “Many visually impaired persons have low esteem and they find it difficult to survive in the society. We hope that our social enterprise can help them enhance their professional status and demonstrate their potential,” said Ka-yee Chan. By improving the access of CM sports rehabilitation service, the team also hope to raise the public’s awareness of sports injury and rehabilitation, as well as promote the use of CM in sports science. Past Achievements of “Chinese Medicine in Sports” Awarded Silver medal at the 4th China Internet+ College Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, 2018. Awarded Bronze medal at the China College Students’ Entrepreneurship Competition 2018. *Youth Co:Lab Co-created in 2017 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Citi Foundation, Youth Co:Lab aims to establish a common agenda for countries in the Asia-Pacific region to empower and invest in youth, so that they can accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals through leadership, social innovation and entre­preneurship.   Alumna won another champion Another champion project, Squatty Commode, is led by our alumna, Ms Ying-tung Chan (registered nurse) and guided by Dr Kin Cheung (Faculty Advisor of the project). The ergonomic designed commode helps guard against its rolling-over and prevent users from standing up, hence, reduces fall risks. The step-stool brings one’s legs up to mimic a squatting position, which promotes defecation. For details： Chinese Medicine in Sports Squatty Commode

PolyU establishes an alliance with eight institutions in the Greater Bay Area to advance research in nursing

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with eight participating universities / institutions in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) to establish The Nursing Alliance of Research and Knowledge Transfer. The initiative aims to strengthen collaboration in nursing research and knowledge transfer among cities of the GBA in response to the national strategy for the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The MoU was signed in Shenzhen in the Mainland by Prof Alex Molasiotis, Chair Professor of Nursing and Head of the School of Nursing, PolyU, and the eight representatives of other institutions, including: Dr Li Yanlian, Vice President, Macao Polytechnic Institute; Prof.Zhou Ying, Associate Dean of the School of Nursing, Guangzhou Medical University; Prof.June Zhang, Associate Dean of the School of Nursing, Sun Yat-Sen University; Prof. Zhang Lili, Dean of the School of Nursing, Southern Medical University; Prof. Chen Weiju, Secretary and Associate Dean of the School of Nursing,Director of the Nursing Department of the First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University; Ms Mo Beirong, Vice President of the Nanshan District People's Hospital of Shenzhen; Prof. Wang Chunmei, Vice Director of Zhuhai Campus Management Committee, Zunyi Medical University; and Ms Zhang Li, Director of the Nursing Department, The First People's Hospital of Foshan. "The signing of the MoU heralds a significant milestone in the collaboration in nursing development among Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macau," said Prof David Shum, Dean of Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, PolyU, at the ceremony. In the 3-year collaboration, the Alliance will actively promote nursing research cooperation, enhance the quality of care services, encourage sharing of information, resources, evidence-based nursing practice and research outcomes, as well as facilitate training of nursing personnel. "With our unique position as an international and a core city for driving regional development, Hong Kong and PolyU will grasp the opportunities to advance the discipline of nursing; develop inter-disciplinary, cross-institutional, as well as international collaborative research projects; and promote training and innovative services for the benefit of the people in the GBA, " said Prof Alex Molasiotis. The Alliance was selected as one of the top projects at the 2nd Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GreaterBay Area Health Cooperation Conference held earlier. The honour was received by the representatives from PolyU, Sun Yat-Sen University and The Nanshan District People's Hospital of Shenzhen.