ATTAINMENT OF PhD DEGREES

Congratulation to Professor York Chow for the appointment to Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food

Volume IV, Issue 2 / January 2004

8

VOLUME IVISSUE 2

JANUARY2005

The Master in Physical Therapy (MPT) programme wasofficially kicked off on 11 October 2004. This profes-sional entry level master degree programme is offeredby the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences of TheHong Kong Polytechnic University in collaborationwith Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University ofScience and Technology, with the aim to “Train theTrainers” who will teach in physiotherapy programmesthat meet the international standards. The first intakeconsists of 35 students: 22 doctors, 8 Chinese medicine

A teacher must be creativein structuring an enrichedlea rn ing env i ronment toencourage student learning.Since joining the University in1994, I have introduced twoinnovative learning method-ologies: problem-based learningand experiential learning tothe undergraduate occupationaltherapy curriculum, aiming to develop students’ skillsof independent thinking and active learning. With thesupport of the University and the department, I havedeveloped teaching websites to support student learningand promote discussion on a web-platform. Educationaloutcomes of these innovative teaching and learningstrategies have been discussed with a wider audiencein journals, books, and conferences.

I believe that teaching, research, and service mustbe interwoven to bring about quality tertiary educationin a professional context. My research interests indementia care have been translated into learning activ-ities in which students were provided the opportunityto acquire the latest knowledge and clinical skills onoccupational therapy management for dementia. I amhonored to be the Chairman of the DepartmentalLearning and Teaching Committee, in which strategiesare developed to enhance the quality of teaching andlearning processes in accordance with departmentaland University ethos.

• Dr. Jenny C.C. Chung

At the commencement ceremony of the Master in Physical Therapy on11 October 2004. The sunny blue sky is seldom found in Wuhan.

practitioners, 1 nurse, 2 each with basic degrees inhuman kinesiology and in physical education. Thesestudents come from different provinces of China:Hubei (central), Liaoning (north), Guangdong (south),Zhejiang (east), and Yunnan (west). All students haveto complete 76 credits in 2 years: 6 foundation subjects,8 professional subjects and 5 clinical placements. Ourcolleagues have to fly to Wuhan to teach each subjectin blocks of 2 to 4 weeks. We have also employed afull-time lecturer to station in Wuhan for teaching and

THE FIRSTMasterinPhysical Therapy

PROGRAMME IN CHINA

Dr Anna Lau Lay-ding,Assistant Professor of RS,has recently earned theDistinguished ResearchFellow Award from TheInternational Society forQual i ty of Li fe Studies( ISQOLS) , a US -basedinternational professionalauthority on Quality ofLi fe (QOL). The awardrecognizes her substantialcon t r ibu t ions to QOLr e s e a r c h . D r L a u i scurrently the Hong Kong Principal Researcher andConvenor and Regional Coordinator for China of TheInternational Wellbeing Group. This Group aims todevelop a cross-cultural measure of Subjective QOL,and to p romote g rea te r under - s t and ing o f theenhancement of subjective well-being of populationsusing this measure.

Before his appointment as theSecretary for Health, Welfare andFood of the HKSAR Government on8th October 2004, Professor Chowwas the Chief Executive of theQueen Mary Hospital, the largesthospital in the territory. He is widelyknown in Hong Kong as an out-standing hospital manager, and afervent advocate for the welfare of

the disabled population. In hospital management, he iswell recognized for his leadership in the delivery ofseamless patient services. Professor Chow was theChairman of our Departmental Advisory Committeefrom 1992 to 1999. He has been an external member ofour Area of Strategic Development Advisory Committeesince August 1999, and our Honorary Professor sinceMarch 2000. In these roles, Professor Chow has shownhis visionary leadership, and has been a true facilitatorof all the major initiatives in our Department. Withouthis wholehearted support and his immense networkingwith the rehabilitation communities, the Departmentwould not have been able to attain such a quantumleap in its teaching, research and services to thecommunity over the recent years.

• Professor Christina Hui-Chan

President’s Award forOutstanding Performance

in Teaching 2003/2004Dr. Jenny C.C. Chung

Dedicated researcher honouredDr Anna Lau

Congratulationsto Staff

Dr Lau receiving her Award fromISQOLS President Prof. RichardEstes, at its conference held inPhiladelphia in November.

Dr. William Tsang Dr. Paul Lam

MARRIAGE

Mr. Thomas Wong married Annie on 12th December 2004

This issue of IMPACT is edited by Dr William Tsang, RS Department, PolyU.Tel: 2766 6717 Fax: 2764 1435 Email: rswtsang@polyu.edu.hk

Volume IV, Issue 2 / January 2004

2 3

administration. Although all subjects are taught inEnglish, students are learning fast because they arevery keen to learn, and are very interactive duringclass discussions. Our teaching team found it extremelyrewarding to teach these bright and motivated students.

• Dr. Margaret Mak

I 'm very lucky to be enrol led inthe Mas te r in Phys i ca l Therapyprogramme. I have learnt much dur-ing the past 3 months, both from theteachers, books and my classmates.Here, it's just like a big family. Theteachers from Hong Kong are verydedicated. Every teacher has his ownstyle, which also make our study lifemore vibrant. At the beginning of thete rm, we were no t used to theintensive pace, but the teachersalways gave us encouragement. Also,the wonderful lectures and labora-tories deeply attract us. Although weface difficulties, but they only makeus more experienced. Everyone enjoysthe subjects on functional anatomy, foundation ofphysiotherapy practice, musculoskeletal disorders…Now we are really interested in the programme, whichgives us both theoretical knowledge and practicalskills. Through the training, it develops our clinicalreasoning and also broadens our views.

I think this program has a profound significance intraining physical therapists in the Mainland to meetinternational standards. With our effort and hard work,and with the help of our wonderful teachers, I stronglythink that after the two years of study, we will becompetent therapists and can contribute ourselves tohelp others. I eagerly looking forward to be a goodphysical therapist, so that I can contribute to the 2008Olympics in Beijing. That will be my honor!

• Miss Chen Hong Ying, Holly

(year 1 Master in Physical Therapy student)

Challenging but rewarding— sharing from a student of the Master in Physical Therapy program

THE FIRSTMasterinPhysical Therapy

PROGRAMME IN CHINA

My classmates, teacher (Dr. Ella Yeung, first row and second from right) andme (second row, first from right)

The first lecturer who taught the MPT programme,Dr. William Tsang (right) was standing with Mr.Dennis Cheung, our full-time lecturer (left). In frontwere Prof. Hui-Chan (right) and myself (left).

Classes are taught inTongji Medical

College of HuazhongUniversity of Science

and Technology in Wuhan.

MSc in Sports Physiotheraphy

ADMISSIONI S N O W

OPENAPPLICATION

This postgraduate program is open for practising physiotherapists who wish to advance their knowledgeand clinical skills in sports physiotherapy.

Areas of special emphasis• Up-to-date knowledge in the enhancement of sports

performance, prevention, assessment and managementof athletic injuries

• Development of clinical reasoning with emphasis onevidence-based sports physiotheraphy practice

• Supervised clinical practice in specialised sports injuryclinics, on-field/sports events, and attachment to professional sports teams dealing with elite athletes,sports clinicians and coaches

• Undertake clinical research in the area of interest• Elective modules — unique opportunity to acquire

knowledge in traditional Chinese therapeutics (e.g.Chinese manipulative therapy) in the management ofsports injuries

Course structure• Part-time mode with normal duration of 2.5 years• Flexible pattern of learning

For further information,please contact:Dr Simon YeungTel: 2766 6705Fax: 2330 8656Email: simon.yeung@polyu.edu.hk

If you are a physiotherapist graduate that…• has a passion for sports• want to contribute positively to sports

development in Hong Kong• wish to develop your knowledge and

career by studying for a Master’s degreethis may an ideal opportunity...

FOR

Volume IV, Issue 2 / January 2004

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The Hong Kong Polytechnic University received adonation of HK $1 million from Mr. Frank Pong. Thedonation was made in support of the development ofsports physiotherapy education in the Department ofRehabilitation Sciences.

Mr. Frank Pong was the former Executive Directorof Shiu Wing Steel Limited and a member of PolyU’sCourt. Being an avid sailing athlete, his sailing boat“Jelik” claimed line honours in a Hainan off-shore race.

The cheque presentation ceremony was held onOctober 25 and was officiated at by Prof. Poon Chung-kwong, Mr. Frank Pong, Mr. Timothy Fok Tsun-ting,and Professor Christina Hui-Chan. More than 100participants including 15 reporters from TV, radio andnewspapers attended the ceremony.

During the ceremony, Prof. Poon thanked Mr. Pongfor his generous donation, saying, “Mr. Pong is both asuccessful industrialist and an avid athlete well knownin the sailing community for the kudos he has won insailing competitions.”

In giving the cheque to President Poon, Mr. Pongsaid, “My wife, Alexia, and I are happy to support theUniversity’s dedicated efforts to provide first classtraining of physiotherapists to ensure the provision ofinnovative sports rehabi l i tat ion services for theathletes in Hong Kong and China. In fact, I greatlyappreciate the professional treatment that I receivedthree years ago.”

• Dr. Amy Fu and Mr. Freeman Lee

PolyU receives donation from Mr. Frank Pongto advance sports physiotherapy

Cynthia Tang (1950–2003)

Cynthia Tang, an early pioneer in the field ofOccupational Therapy in HK, passed away on25th December, 2003. As a clinical educator, shehad worked closely with the university teachingstaff in curriculum development and delivery ofclinical education to our OT students. She hasgiven us enormous support to upgrade ourprofessional OT diploma programme and in1991, validated our BSc OT programme. Being atherapist trained overseas, Cynthia had alwaysencouraged students and graduates to have awider exposure of c l inical experiences bysupporting students’ exchange programme and staff developmentactivities overseas. After she was promoted to be Executive Manager ofHospital Authority, she continued to devote her energy to enhance thedevelopment of occupational therapy services in the organization as wellas in Hong Kong.

Up to her final moment, Mrs. Tang had maintained her dedication tothe OT profession and student education. She and her family hadgenerously donated $1,000,000 to our Department for the educationof our occupational therapy students and the development of ourprofession. Together with the government’s matching fund of $500,000,the total fund will add up to be HK $1.5 million.

Mrs. Tang was sponsored to have OT training in UK by a governmentscholarship scheme. She wished to support other students to study theOT programme in the same manner. Thus, in memory of Mrs. Tang andher chosen career in the occupational therapy profession, a scholarshipto support outstanding students to study OT programme is set up andnamed “Cynthia Tang Memorial Scholarship”. Preference will be given toMainland Students with outstanding academic achievements who needfinancial support to study OT programme in Hong Kong. TheInauguration Ceremony of Cynthia Tang Memorial Scholarship will beofficiated by Dr. York Chow, Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food at2:30 p.m. on 28th January, 2005 in Room AG 206, Chung Sze YuenBuilding, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. All are welcome.

In line with her wish to promote the OT profession, a professionpromotion award is also set up to encourage the promotion of OTprofession in Hong Kong SAR and/or Mainland China. The fund is opento OT students, clinicians and academic staff. We are proud of Cynthia’scontribution to the OT professionin Hong Kong and the Mainland,and shall always remember herwith gratitude and respect.

• Dr. Cecilia Li and Dr. Matthew Yau

Cynthia (front row, center) at her retirementparty in 2003.

The Hong Kong Physiotherapy Concern received theCommunity Services Award 03–04 presented by theStudent Affairs Office, Faculty of Health and SocialSciences, and the Hong Kong PolyU Student Union.To e a c h m e m b e r o f t h e g ro u p , i t i s b o t h a nencouragement and approval.

S ince the e s tab l i shment o f the Hong KongPhys io the rapy Concern , we a im a t p romot ingphys io the rapy and se rv ing the pub l i c th roughexe r c i s e c l a s s e s , e d u c a t i o n a l t a l k s , f i t n e s sassessments and exhibitions. For every activity, weprovide opportunities for our members (students)to apply their professional knowledge learnt in schoolto serve the community. This also helps to build up ourprofessional image in society.

We have been learning a lot from organizingdifferent activities inthe past years. Theseactivities ranged fromcontacting d i f f e r e n tkinds of association,holding meetings withthem, designing suit-able services, runningdifferent programs, toobtaining feedbackfrom the community.We treasure the com-munication and teamw o r k a m o n g t h em e m b e r s . A s t h elearning schedule inthe school is very tight,we def ini te ly learnhow to strike a balancebetween study andorganizing activities.We are also glad thatthe communi ty weserved begins to under-stand the importanceof physical f i tness,exercise and fall pre-ventive measures, andtakes ca re o f the i rhealth status more.Establishing networkswith different organizations enables our students toprovide more service to the community in the future.

We are looking forward to serve a wider range oftarget groups in the coming future. For the coming

Volume IV, Issue 2 / January 2004

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Students’ physiotherapy servicesbeing awarded

The Student Affairs Office, Faculty of Health and SocialSciences and Hong Kong PolyU Student Union jointlyorganized a Community Wellness Project — SocialResponsibility & Global Outlook

, launched during 1–23 November, 2004. TheProject aims at promoting the notion of Wellness toPolyU students and staff, and the wider community.

The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS)participated in the Community Wellness Showcase,(attendance: 1200 students and staf f) , and theCommunity Services Day (attendance: 800 invitedparticipants from various non-government agencies).Over 100 students and staff attended Dr. Matthew Yau’sl u n c h - t i m e t a l k o n “ H e a l t hy S ex & H e a l t hyRelationship: The Key to Well-Being”.

Over 100 RS students helped in manning the RSshowcase booth during 11–13 November. The theme ofthe booth was Body & Mind: Exercise for Health &Wellness . Activities held were:1. “Know Your Mind, Get Your Strength

”. 2. Forget Me Not: The Many Faces of Memory

.3. Fal l prevention: Balance control and Tai Chi

.4. Empowering older adults as health ambassadors

. This community service projectwas the winner of one of the six CommunityServices Awards. This showcase activity involved a

group of elderly persons who has been trained byour physiotherapy students in the CommunityClassroom project as health ambassadors. Theseelderly health ambassadors participated in our show-case by demonstrating their health ambassador’srole as exercise leaders, by leading an exercisedemonstration on the stage on 13th November; asHealth assessors by manning a section of the RSbooth on 13th November and performing simplehealth measurements such as handgrip; height andweight and timed-up-and-go test.

5. Qigong .Our physiotherapy students through the Hong

Kong Physiotherapy Concernparticipated in voluntary community service

projects throughout the year 2003–4. Their efforts wererewarded when their project, entitled “CommunityCaring in Action ” was awarded oneof the six Community Services Awards.

• Miss Agnes Gardner

Wellness in action

We aim at promoting physiotherapy and serving the public through exercise classes, educational talks, fitness assessments and exhibitions.“

”

year, the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Concern proposesto organize health-related activities for school children,community centers, members of rock-climbing associationand athletic teams.

Activities organized between Sept 2003–Sept 2004include:1. Physiotherapy Health Information Day2. Community Health Exhibition with Assessment3. Fitness Assessment4. Common Occupational Health Problems and their

Prevention5. Fall Prevention6. Continuo’s Psychosocial & Physical Motion for

Elderly

• Miss Sharon Chu (year 2 physiotherapy student)

The annual PolyU Education Info Day was successfullyheld on Saturday, 9 November 2004. It is one of thelargest public events of the PolyU to introduce theacademic programs to prospective students and thepublic. Over two hundred staff members and studentsof our department enthusiastically participated in theInfoDay. For the occupational therapy program, allstudent ambassadors and staff wore pink tops. Theywere energetic and cheerful in orienting the visitors tovarious activities including booth exhibitions, informa-tion seminars, guided tours, programme consultations,professional demonstrations and video shows.

Our exhibition booths located at CF podium werenot only professionally decorated with eye-catchingposters, but they also displayed advanced occupationaltherapy equipment for the evaluation of clients withmental or physical disabilities. In addition, six teachingand research laboratories were opened to prospectivestudents on the specialty areas of occupational therapy,namely vocational rehabilitation, physical rehabilitation,geriatric rehabilitation, tele-rehabilitation, pediatricoccupational therapy, and psychosocial rehabilitation.Visitors also gained personal experience by participatingin some occupational therapy programs such as tele-rehabilitation, sensory integration therapy, innovativeuse of aids and gadgets for optimal independence andso on.

Information seminars and program consultationswere arranged. The former provided hundreds of visitorswith useful information about the occupational therapyprogram, including curriculum content, teaching andlearning methodologies, career development, paths for

PolyU Education Info Day 2004A glimpse of student life in the BSc (Hons) OT programme

further study, and entrance criteria. Our staff membersprovided individual or small-group consultations tothose visitors who wanted to seek advice or furtherinformation about the program.

W i t h t h e c o n c e r t e d e f f o r t o f a l l s t u d e n tambassadors and staff members, the Info Day this yearwas a great success, with record-breaking number ofvisitors. A survey with 250 randomly selected visitorsshowed that a majority (95%) found the activitiesorganized in the Info Day provided them with a betterunderstanding about the occupational therapy programand the profession. The Info Day also gave the visitorsan opportunity to tour the state-of-art teaching andlearning infrastructure of our department. Mostimportantly, our students, being the ambassadors,gained a sense of belonging to the academic program,profession, and the department.

You are welcome to take a look at the snapshots tofeel the warm and lively atmosphere of the Info Day. (http://siu.rs.polyu.edu.hk/photos/InfoDay_Expro/InfoDay2004)• OT Course Promotion Team (Dr. Jenny Chung, Ms. Viggie Tang,

Mr. Alex Yuen, Mr. Tang Kin Chung, Mr. Nico Ching)

Volume IV, Issue 2 / January 2004

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Participating in this project was a bitter-sweet experience for me. This projectdemanded tremendous amount of ourtime and effort — from contacting theschool, designing the workshop content,

working on the logistics and financing, to actualimplementat ion of the workshop and ensuringsmooth operation on the day of event. Fortunately, wehave lots of support from the academic and technicalstaff and also from our student helpers. At the end ofthe workshop, you can tell how successful it was fromall the happy faces and the participants who all wantto join another workshop in the future!

In addition, I would like to take this opportunityto thank Dr. Grace Szeto and Ms. Dora Poon for theirkind support and all our physiotherapy studenthelpers. This is a meaningful event for us to puttheory into practice, and it is a memorable momentthat I would never forget.

• Miss Lidia Wong (year 2 physiotherapy student)

On the 6th of Dec 2004, we conducted a studentinnova t ive p ro j ec t ca l l ed ‘The Hea l thy K idsWorkshop’, and invited 30 special school studentsfrom the Po Leung Kok Yu Lee Mo Fan MemorialSchool to participate. This half-day workshop aimedat improving participants’ health awareness with anemphasis on the importance of regular exercise andbalanced nutrition through a variety of fun and excitedactivities designed by our physiotherapy students.The workshop also allowed participants to have aglance of university life and to know more about thePolytechnic University. Student helpers were able togain hands-on experience working with kids with dis-ability, and contribute their knowledge and skills tothe community.

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Workshop

A s t u d e n t i n n o v a t i v e p r o j e c t

The

Centre of East-meets-West in Rehabilitation Sciences SEMINARSTime: 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm / Venue: ST522

Date Theme Topics and Presenters

2 Feb 05 Stroke rehabilitation • Neurological mechanisms and clinical utilization of visual mental imagery on stroke rehabilitationDr. Karen Liu

• Does early TENS enhance recovery of stroke-induced motor dysfunction of the upper extremity? Ms. Stephanie Au-Yeung

2 Mar 05 Tai Chi and motor function • Modulation of pre-landing muscle response in the lower limb of basketball players with bilateral multiple ankle sprainsDr. Amy Fu

• Effects of Tai Chi on standing balance control following vestibular stimulationDr. William Tsang

6 Apr 05 Cardio-pulmonary rehabilitation • The effect of Qi Gong on physical health and psychosocial status of people with chronicpulmonary diseasesDr. Hector Tsang

• Correlation between the pulse-wave propagation velocity and other cardiovascular parametersDr. Jufang He