KEEPING HONG KONG FIT AND WELL - HKU Li Ka Shing Faculty ...

Vol. 17 Issue 1 May 2012
THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
KEEPING HONG KONG
FIT AND WELL
6TH INAUGURATION
OF ENDOWED
PROFESSORSHIPS

DEAN’S MESSAGE
Gazing over Sandy Bay from my office, the echoes of students
cheering from the Stanley Ho Sports Centre summon up fond
remembrance of my days of yore as a student in this Faculty
back in the 1960s. So many things in the community have
changed since then, yet the core values of this medical school
have remained constant – to educate and nurture medical
and health professionals with knowledge, skills, integrity and
compassion. With this yearning inside us, we continue to
strive to enhance the education of our students.
In the last few months, we implemented the new
undergraduate degree curriculum. We put a great deal of
thought and effort into the design of our programmes to
ensure that they are intellectually nourishing and we aim for
the whole-person development of our students. We have
taken some audacious steps in establishing multi-faculty
links, including partnerships with the Faculty of Arts and
Faculty of Law in order to introduce these disciplines into our
programmes.
We have included medical humanities in our six-year MBBS
programme. The study of the humanities in Medicine
encompasses history, literature, philosophy, sociology, arts and
religion. The aim is to attain a better understanding of the
human existence, and to foster humane and humanitarian
values. We believe this will help our students to grow to
become socially responsible, caring and reflective healthcare
professionals who will provide the best medical and holistic
care. We have also established the Centre for the Humanities
and Medicine and the Centre for Medical Ethics and Law, both
being joint centres with the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of
Law respectively. These provide the niche from which we can
grow, generate scholarly inquiries, and become better teachers.
With regard to teaching and learning facilities, I am delighted
to tell you that we will be building a multidisciplinary clinical
skills training centre, which will be the first of its kind in Hong
Kong, and one of a few in Asia. The centre will allow all
our undergraduates from different programmes – Medicine,
Nursing, Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy – to take classes
together under one roof rather than separately. We believe
that integrated teaching is the right way to go and will enable
our students to understand other disciplines and help them to
cooperate with each other from the very start of their studies,
nurturing a truly all-round healthcare team for the betterment
of the community.
Good medical education moulds character in addition to
imparting expertise and skills. With 125 years of experience
and service behind us, our history and ongoing drive for
excellence constantly inspire us to explore the future and
propel us make innovative, creative and bold moves. Through
these initiatives, we hope to lead healthcare education in a
direction that will set new standards in the medical profession
and community, and have an endearing impact on the
evolution of medical education and healthcare reform in China
and the region. I hope you will join us in our endeavour to
write this exciting new chapter in the Faculty’s unique and
proud history.
Professor SP Lee
Dean of Medicine
MEDICAL FACULTY NEWS 1

1. Primary Care Research Leadership workshop
2. Family Medicine Junior Clerkship
3. Family Medicine Specialty Clerkship – Community Family Medicine Clinic
Placement
The unit was restructured to the Department of Family
Medicine and Primary Care in October 2010. This was
a significant move. Being an independent academic
department enhanced visibility, Professor Lam noted, and
facilitated collaboration and discussion with government, nongovernment
organisations and international universities. The
Department also greatly expanded its capacity, increasing to
a team of over 40 staff. As the Convenor of the Food and
Health Bureau’s Task Force on Primary Care Directory, Professor
Lam said she was encouraged to see the role of primary care
doctors increasingly recognised.
MEDICAL EDUCATION
On the education front, the Department provides both
undergraduate and postgraduate medical education
programmes. “We were the first in the Faculty to introduce
problem-based learning to undergraduate teaching,
an important step leading to the MBBS curriculum reform in
1997,” Professor Lam said. “Our Department focuses not
only on knowledge but also on skills and attitude. Apart
from family medicine and general practice, we also emphasise
a great deal of teaching on generic skills of being a doctor,
including consultation, clinical interpersonal communication,
and hypothetical deductive problem solving. We aim to teach
our students to diagnose and manage patients’ problems in
the most efficient and empathetic way.” To enhance students’
exposure in primary care clinical settings, the Department’s
teaching clinics include the Ap Lei Chau general outpatient
department as well as 20 core family medicine teaching
centres and over 100 family practice attachment sites.
1
Currently, family medicine and related programmes are
incorporated into all five years of the MBBS curriculum,
including the clinical visit programme, clinical interpersonal
skills programme, family medicine junior clerkship and family
medicine specialty clerkship.
“We also offer two postgraduate diplomas in community
psychological medicine and community geriatrics, and some
certificate courses, to enhance practitioners’ knowledge and
management of patients in the community. Students are
not confined to primary care doctors. Traditional Chinese
Medicine practitioners have also participated in parts of these
courses.”
RESEARCH, COLLABORATION AND INNOVATIVE
CLINICAL SERVICES
As a research-intensive department, the Department’s studies
focus on four themes: primary healthcare services; healthrelated
quality of life; medical education; and mental health.
“To build evidence and knowledge to support our practice,
we conduct person-centred and health services research.
This involves the study and evaluation of patients in a real
healthcare setting. Being a broad-based discipline, we also
play an active role in interdisciplinary, inter-faculty, and interinstitutional
collaborations in research, both locally and
internationally,” Professor Lam said.
As patient-reported outcomes and quality of life are relevant
to many different fields, the Department has collaborated
in research projects with different disciplines, such as public
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MEDICAL FACULTY NEWS 3

FEATURE
health, nursing, internal medicine, surgery, psychiatry,
ophthalmology, oncology, Chinese medicine, dentistry,
social sciences, psychology, real estate and architecture, and
education. It has also partnered with other institutions such
as the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians, Hospital
Authority, and many community health organisations.
“The Department has been working with the Hospital
Authority in evaluating the quality and effectiveness of
new primary care enhancement programmes, such as the
Multi-disciplinary Risk Factor Assessment and Management
Programme (RAMP) for diabetic patients. In collaboration with
the Department of Community Medicine and the Eye Institute,
we proved the effectiveness and feasibility of screening
diabetic retinopathy with retinal photos. It supported the
Hospital Authority to incorporate the assessment as a standard
clinical service for diabetic patients.”
“In terms of patient care, we have introduced many clinical
innovations that have influenced primary care in Hong Kong,
such as the International Classification for Primary Care (ICPC)
coding, telephone appointment booking system, computerised
medical records, and patient hand-held records. We have also
introduced the concept of special clinics, such as the diabetes
4 MEDICAL FACULTY NEWS
5
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4. Team photo of the Department of Family Medicine
and Primary Care
5. Family Medicine Junior Clerkship – Video Reviewed
Consultation
6. Family Medicine and Primary Care Symposium in
2011
clinic, asthma clinic and well women clinic, to improve the
quality of patient care.”
DEVELOPMENT PLAN
To cope with the changes and increased demand brought
by healthcare reform and the new curriculum, Professor Lam
hopes to build up the Department’s academic capacity. This
will assist academic and research staff in meeting the soaring
number of students, and to develop research evidence.
Regarding service provision, the Department will work closely
with the government and Hospital Authority in developing
the community health centre models. A research project on
promoting health and health services for families in Tung
Chung is developing.
There are also exciting plans for the future. “Our next step
is to go beyond the local primary care service and contribute
to the development of general practice in Mainland China,
through introducing family medicine and primary care to the
HKU-Shenzhen Hospital,” Professor Lam said.
For more information on the Department of Family Medicine
and Primary Care, please visit www.fmpc.hku.hk.
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Sharings by ...
I am delighted to see the academic discipline
of Family Medicine and Primary Care being
recognised by the Medical Faculty of The
University of Hong Kong. This endorsement
is vital for the discipline of Family Medicine to
thrive and to have a major role in contributing
to healthcare delivery and reform of the primary
healthcare system in Hong Kong. With the
current focus on chronic disease management
and the aging population, the discipline of Family
Medicine will have a vital role to play in teaching
and research, which can translate into practice
and policy to improve the health outcomes of
the community. I congratulate Professor Cindy
Lam and her dedicated staff in achieving this
milestone.
Professor Doris Young
Professor of General Practice & Associate Dean, Academic
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences
University of Melbourne
Dr Wendy Wong
Post-doctoral Fellow
Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care
The University of Hong Kong
Family medicine training equips doctors with
skills to identify the wide range of problems that
patients present, solve them with decisions that
set priorities, code them into medical language
for other medical and healthcare professionals,
enhance long-term relationships that best serve
the patients and the community, and seize
every opportunity for anticipatory care. All
these require a wide spectrum of the most upto-date,
evidence-based medical knowledge,
understanding of human nature, communication
skills, courage to tolerate uncertainty, the
highest standard of ethics, and kindness.
Greater emphasis on undergraduate family
medicine teaching and research will enhance
the competence of not only future generations
of family physicians, but also doctors of all
specialties.
Dr Ruby Lee
President
Hong Kong College of Family Physicians
I am honoured to be the first PhD student, who is a locally trained Chinese
Medicine practitioner, to graduate from the Department of Family Medicine
and Primary Care (2004-08) under the supervision of Professor Cindy
Lam. The promotion of the Family Medicine Unit to a Department signifies
the importance of primary care research in enhancing quality of care
with a holistic approach. I am excited to be one of the team! During my
candidature, research was not limited to lectures, with on-site clinical trial
coordination, grant management and journal writing opportunities that
allowed me to better evaluate the clinical effectiveness of Chinese Medicine.
I sincerely hope more clinicians can contribute to primary care research by
translating findings into greater bedside care for patients.
MEDICAL FACULTY NEWS 5

EDUCATION MATTERS
ENRICHED LEARNING
OPPORTUNITIES FOR
CHINESE MEDICINE
UNDERGRADUATES
The 3-3-4/5/6 education reform has presented an excellent
opportunity to enhance the learning experiences of our
Bachelor of Chinese Medicine (BChinMed) students. The
new six-year curriculum provides more time and flexibility
for students to acquire, integrate and explore a wide range
of human experience by completing six Common Core
Curriculum Courses. Other key features of the six-year
BChinMed are:
• Clinical training
Students will be able to apply knowledge in a practical
setting from Year 1 to Year 5.
• Clinical clerkship
In Year 6, students will undertake a 40-week clinical
clerkship in affiliated hospitals in Mainland China to round
out their training.
• Field trips and dispensary practicum
Visits to Mainland China will enable students to study
indigenous herbs in their natural environment and to see
how the Chinese Medicine industry operates in a real
8 MEDICAL FACULTY NEWS
business setting. The dispensary practicum will provide
further insight and experience.
• Exchange programme
There will be an opportunity for students to go on exchange
to the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,
or participate in other international exchange programmes
offered by HKU.
• Discipline-related elective courses
Students will be required to take five out of 11 disciplinerelated
elective courses, according to their interests. This
will enhance their knowledge of relevant theories, culture
and specialties.
Like the current five-year BChinMed programme, the six-year
programme will adopt multidisciplinary teaching approaches,
including problem-based learning and clinical case discussion.
By analysing contextualised and virtual clinical cases, students
can build up a solid foundation of knowledge along with
first-hand experience. Under the Outcome-based Approach
to Students’ Learning (OBASL), desired learning outcomes of
different courses will be made clear to students. They will also
be encouraged to actively participate in class through different
learning approaches.
The six-year BChinMed programme will also continue to
offer a distinctive education by integrating Chinese Medicine
theories, fundamentals of biomedical sciences, Western clinical
medicine and hands-on clinical experience.
For further details, please visit the Education section of the
Faculty website at www.med.hku.hk/03edu_undergrad.
htm.

Seventh International Symposium on Healthy Aging –
“Live Well Age Well”
The Research Centre of Heart, Brain, Hormone and Healthy
Aging held its Seventh International Symposium on
Healthy Aging on March 3-4, 2012. At the conference, 24
renowned local and overseas speakers delivered lectures
on related issues including cardiology, degeneration &
regeneration, diabetes & metabolism, neurology and
ophthalmology to around 500 participants from local and
overseas institutions. Overseas speakers included Professor
Jubin Abutalebi from Italy, Professor Robert A Moore
and Professor Bryan Williams from the UK, and Professor
Lars S Rasmussen from Denmark.
The symposium received a total of 71 presentations in oral and poster formats. Eight presenters gained
best presentation awards, with four under the sponsorship of the Sun Chieh Yeh Heart Foundation, and
four from the Research Centre of Heart, Brain, Hormone and Healthy Aging. The Eighth Symposium is
scheduled for March 2-3, 2013.
5th Shirley Boyde Memorial
Lecture – “From Reading to
Writing the Genetic Code”
World-renowned scientist Dr J Craig Venter delivered the 5th Shirley Boyde Memorial Lecture, entitled “From
Reading to Writing the Genetic Code”, on March 15, 2012. Among his numerous contributions to genomic
research, Dr Venter created the first living cell with synthetic DNA, which has been hailed as a scientific
landmark of the 21st century. He received an honorary doctorate in science for his contributions to medical
research and society from HKU.
In his public lecture, Dr Venter shared his design of bacterial cells that would produce medicines and fuels,
and even absorb greenhouse gases. The presentation attracted more than 400 people, including
120 local secondary school students. Established in 1989 in memory of Mrs Shirley
Boyde, the Shirley Boyde Trust supports original scientific research on medical topics or
directed at improved conservation of wildlife and the environment.
3rd International Symposium on
Development of the Enteric Nervous
System Cells, Signals and Genes
MARCH 3-4, 2012
After the first and second International Symposium on Development of the
Enteric Nervous System, held in New York and London respectively, the third
symposium was held in Hong Kong from March 25-28, 2012. At the conference,
30 renowned local and overseas speakers delivered lectures on areas of enteric nervous system
development. Over 150 participants from 15 countries gathered to share their expertise and
experience in related research. The triennial symposium has become one of the most important
gatherings for scientists, clinicians and researchers in the field. The 2012 symposium was
sponsored by the Medical Faculty and the Centre for Reproduction, Development and Growth.
MARCH 25-28 2012
MARCH 15, 2012
MEDICAL FACULTY NEWS 11

NEXT GENERATION
“GIVE LOVE, GIVE BLOOD”
Judianna Yu (MBBS III)
Given misconceptions about blood donation and a lack of
motivation, as little as 3% of the Hong Kong population
donates blood. Yet as the society ages, blood transfusions will
be increasingly in demand to meet the needs of patients with
chronic illnesses. Nine medical students captured over 1,000
pedestrians’ attention by performing a reality drama and
AIR POLLUTION KILLS – FIGHT FOR NEW
AIR QUALITY OBJECTIVES
Kelvin Chiu (MBBS III)
The adverse effects of air pollution on health have been well
established in different studies, yet the Hong Kong government
has appeared to turn its back on this pressing problem by failing to
update the Air Quality Objectives (AQO) for more than 25 years. To
enhance public awareness, a group of medical students collected over
1,500 signatures from HKU and petitioned the Legislative Council on
December 7, 2011. They also lobbied for an update of the current
AQO. Legislative Councillors Ms Tanya Chan, Ms Audrey Eu, Ms Cyd
Ho and Mr Lee Wing Tat were present to show their support.
16 MEDICAL FACULTY NEWS
collecting signatures in Causeway Bay on March 10, 2012. In
the reality drama, passersby were invited to help an injured
boy by considering blood donation. Students hoped to
encourage the younger generation to realise the significance
of blood donations and ultimately become regular blood
donors.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS
MAY
17th Hong Kong Medical Forum
May 12 – 13, 2012
Venue
Room N201, 2/F, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition
Centre (New Wing), 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai
Information
Miss Celia Chor, Department of Medicine
T: 2255 4607 F: 2816 2863 E: wlchor@hku.hk
W: www.hku.hk/medicine/hkmf.htm
Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)
Student Course
May 18 – 20, July 27 – 29, August 24 – 26,
September 21 – 23, 2012
Venue
Surgical Skills Centre, Department of Surgery
10/F, Laboratory Block, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam
Information
Course Administrator, Department of Surgery
T: 2819 9691 / 2819 9692 F: 2818 9249
E: hkussc@hku.hk
W: www3.hku.hk/surgery/atls.php
Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS)
Provider Course
May 19 & 27, July 21 & 29, August 5 & 12,
August 17 & 24, September 22 & 29, 2012
Venue
Hong Kong St. John Ambulance Association
St. John Tower, 2 Macdonnell Road, Hong Kong
Information
Hong Kong St. John Ambulance Association
T: 2530 8020 F: 2976 0457 E: assn@stjohn.org.hk
W:www3.hku.hk/surgery/phtls.php
Symposium for FAMILY: A Jockey Club
Initiative for a Harmonious Society –
FAMILY Participation: Generating Evidence
of FAMILY Health, Happiness and Harmony
(3Hs) in the Community
May 24, 2012
Venue
Cheung Kung Hai Conference Centre,
William MW Mong Block, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam
Information
Ms Candy Yip, Department of Community Medicine
T: 2819 2824 F: 2855 9528 E: cwkyip@hku.hk
9th Hong Kong International Orthopaedic
Forum
May 26 – 27, 2012
Venue
Cheung Kung Hai Conference Centre,
William MW Mong Block, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam
Information
Ms YN Chang, Department of Orthopaedics and
Traumatology
T: 2255 4257 F: 2817 4392 E: ynchang@hku.hk
W: www.ortho.hku.hk/forum2012.html
JUNE
Head and Neck Course 2012 – Cancer of the
Larynx and Hypopharynx
June 7 – 8, 2012
Venue
Underground Lecture Theatre,
New Clinical Building, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam
Information
Head and Neck Course Secretariat,
Department of Surgery
T: 2819 9691 / 2819 9692 F: 2818 9249
E: hnsrg@hku.hk
W: www3.hku.hk/surgery/headneck2012.php
Alzheimer’s Disease Conference 2012:
From Public Health, Basic and Clinical
Sciences to Therapeutic Insights
June 15 – 16, 2012
Venue
Lecture Theatre 1, Cheung Kung Hai Conference Centre,
William MW Mong Block, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam
Information
Miss Joyce Ha, Research Centre of Heart, Brain, Hormone
and Healthy Aging
T: 2255 4689 F: 2974 1171 E: joyceha@hku.hk
W: www.med.hku.hk/hbha/adc2012/
JULY
Update Certificate Course in Endocrinology
& Diabetes
July 7 – 8, 2012
Venue
Mrs Chen Yang Foo Oi Telemedicine Centre, 2/F,
William MW Mong Block, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam
Information
Miss Celia Chor, Department of Medicine
T: 2255 4607 F: 2816 2863 E: wlchor@hku.hk
W: www.hku.hk/medicine/postdip_certcourse.htm
Virology Course
July 11 – 27, 2012
Venue
HKU-Pasteur Research Centre,
1/F, Dexter HC Man Building, 8 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam
Information
Ms Anne Li
T: 2816 8403 F: 2872 5782
E: hku-pasteur@hku.hk
W: www.hkupasteur.hku.hk
2012 Conference of Asia Oceania Research
Organisation on Genital Infections and
Neoplasia (AOGIN 2012)
July 13 – 15, 2012
Venue
Cheung Kung Hai Conference Centre,
William MW Mong Block, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam
Information
Conference Secretariat
T: 2734 3312 F: 2367 3375
E: aogin2012@pctourshk.com
W: www.aogin2012hk.org/index.htm
Hong Kong Surgical Forum – Summer 2012
July 14, 2012
Venue
Underground Lecture Theatre,
New Clinical Building, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam
Information
Forum Secretary, Department of Surgery
T: 2819 9691 / 2819 9692 F: 2818 9249
E: hksf@hku.hk
W: www3.hku.hk/surgery/forum.php
Valedictory Lecture by Prof William Wei
July 20, 2012
Venue
Underground Lecture Theatre,
New Clinical Building, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam
Information
Miss Elaine Chan, Department of Surgery
T: 2255 4238 F: 2819 5910 E: surgery@hku.hk
W: www.hku.hk/surgery
AUGUST
3rd Basic Science and Anatomy Course in
Orthopaedics and Traumatology
August 11 – 14, 2012
Venue
Anatomy Lab, 1/F, Laboratory Block, 21 Sassoon Road,
Pokfulam
Information
Ms Doris Lau, Department of Orthopaedics and
Traumatology
T: 2255 4581 E: lws835a@ha.org.hk
W: www.hku.hk/ortho/
International Research Symposium
“Continuing Threats from Pandemic and
Seasonal Influenza”
August 16, 2012
Venue
Pao Yue Kong Auditorium, G/F,
Hong Kong Academy of Medicine Jockey Club Building,
99 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen
Information
Ms Phoebe Chow, Centre of Influenza Research
T: 2819 9866 F: 2816 5258 E: aoeflu@hku.hk
International Association of Gerontology
and Geriatrics (IAGG) Master Class on
Ageing
August 29 – 31, 2012
Venue
Mrs Chen Yang Foo Oi Telemedicine Centre,
2/F, William MW Mong Block, 21 Sassoon Road,
Pokfulam
Information
Ms Phoebe Chow, Research Centre of Heart, Brain,
Hormone and Healthy Aging
T: 2819 9866 F: 2816 5258 E: hbha@hku.hk
W: www.med.hku.hk/hbha/
SEPTEMBER
Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses (ATCN)
Provider Course
September 21 – 22, 2012
Venue
Surgical Skills Centre, Department of Surgery
10/F, Laboratory Block, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam
Information
Course Administrator, Department of Surgery
T: 2819 9691 / 2819 9692 F: 2818 9249
El: hkussc@hku.hk
W: www3.hku.hk/surgery/atcn.php
All rights reserved 2012