Promoting Precision Medicine

Dr Cheung Ching-lung of the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy led a project to raise awareness about precision medicine among pharmacists and the public. Precision medicine uses genetic or other personal information so clinical management can be personalised. Dr Cheung organised six public lectures, two train-the-trainer workshops for pharmacists, a website and an app called AppointMed that links to international guidelines for drugs based on a patient’s genetic information. The project reached 670 Hong Kong residents and 63 pharmacists, and received strong positive feedback from participants.

Oral Care for the Elderly

Almost all people aged 65–74 surveyed in Hong Kong have experienced tooth decay but nearly half have left it untreated. The Faculty of Dentistry organised a project targeting some of the most vulnerable people in that group – those elderly in institutional care and those with dementia. Dr Katherine Leung Chiu-man and Professor Chu Chun-hung organised visits to eight elderly centres, four of which served people with Alzheimer’s, to provide oral-care knowledge to about 300 elderly, their caregivers and centre staff. The Hong Kong Alzheimer’s Disease Association collaborated on the project, which also provided free oral examinations and preventive treatments to participants.

A Temple in Nepal

Professor Wang Weijen of the Faculty of Architecture led a project to build a wooden temple in Nepal to promote traditional culture with timber construction and also to reactivate the indigenous architectural tradition, in the wake of the devastating 2015 earthquake there. Professor Wang collaborated with Nepalese architects and carpenters to design and construct a timber-framed tiered temple that was erected at the site of the World Wood Day Symposium in Kathmandu. He also organised a panel forum involving scholars from Tokyo University, HKU and local institutions in Kathmandu.

KE Excellence Award for

Animal Protection

Ms Amanda Whitfort of the Faculty of Law was awarded the 2016 KE Excellence Award for her influential contributions to animal welfare in Hong Kong. Her review of animal welfare legislation detailed the inadequacy of protection, generated widespread discussion, and spurred law reform to control the breeding and sale of pets in Hong Kong. It also resulted in a significant policy change in stray-animal management and the introduction of specialised training for police and prosecutors in presenting animal cruelty cases in court. Ms Whitfort has also been gathering evidence in favour of stricter penalties for illegal wildlife trade in Hong Kong.