KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER THE REVIEW2020 Expert Input The University is home to some of the world’s top researchers in infectious diseases. Not only have they been working tirelessly to provide new insights on the virus that causes COVID-19, they have also been sharing their expert advice with governments and international organisations. For example, the Dean of Medicine, Professor Gabriel Leung, Helen and Francis Zimmern Professor in Population Health, and Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, Henry Fok Professor in Infectious Diseases, were invited to join the World Health Organization’s (WHO) mission to Mainland China in February to gain insights on the pandemic. The two professors were also appointed members of the Chinese National Experts Group and, with Professor Keiji Fukuda, appointed to the Hong Kong government’s four-member expert advisory group on COVID-19. Professor Leung also co-convenes the WHO research group on the epidemiology of COVID-19 and has been sought for advice by the governments of Canada, Chile, Malta, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and the UK, as well as the Asia Development Bank and the Bank of International Settlements. Other contributions include Professor Yuen paying more than 10 visits to sites of COVID-19 outbreaks in Hong Kong with the Hospital Authority (HA); Professor Malik Peiris, Tam Wah-Ching Professor in Medical Science, and Professor Leo Poon Lit-man helping the HA establish evidence-based patient discharge criteria; and Professor Ivan Hung Fan-ngai, Ru Chien and Helen Lieh Professor in Health Sciences Pedagogy, helping set up the admission, monitoring and discharge protocols for the community treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo for COVID-19 patients. These and many other HKUMed scholars have also fielded hundreds of interviews with local and international media hungry for a better understanding of the outbreak. They have featured in more than 10,000 news clips since January in outlets such as the BBC, CNN, CCTV, NHK, Al Jazeera, The New York Times , The Economist , Der Spiegeland The Straits Times . Meanwhile, the Annie Lab of the Journalism and Media Studies Centre has also contributed to knowledge by helping debunk fake news and rumours circulating in the community. The student-led lab is part of International Fact-Checking Network’s #CoronaVirusFacts Alliance, which includes major news agencies and outlets from around the world. Tips on Staying Safe People everywhere have been trying to understand how to protect themselves and their loved ones from the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. HKU has been serving that need with materials targeted at all age groups and delivered across multiple platforms. HKUMed produced a series of bilingual ‘healthographics’ that provide a snapshot of key information and advice, such as how to practise social distancing and the meaning of ‘effective reproduction number’. They also invited the public to submit questions that were answered by its professors in short videos, in a series called #askHKUMed. Games and stickers for children and adults were also developed. Selected healthographics have been translated into nine other languages in collaboration with the School of Modern Languages and Cultures. These initiatives were carried on the Faculty’s website as well as HKU’s Fight COVID-19 website ( fightcovid19. hku.hk ) (see next page). They were also disseminated through HKUMed’s Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, WeChat and YouTube accounts. Since January, these postings and news updates from the Faculty have generated 37 million impressions across all platforms. A Better Mask Masks have been shown to be effective in reducing transmission of viruses such as the one that causes COVID-19 (see page 22). But disposable masks, which are commonly used in Hong Kong and elsewhere, pose a burden on the environment. A project by HKU students is helping address that burden. Undergraduates Zhang Junwei and Lo Yan-tung of the Department of Civil Engineering, working under the supervision of Professor Chuyang Tang and Dr Hao Guo, have successfully developed reusable face masks with novel air filters. The filters are made using nanotechnology and their fibres are tiny enough to remove fine particulates, Professor Gabriel Leung (third from right) is one of the four experts in the expert advisory group to provide professional advice to the Chief Executive and the HKSAR Government in fighting COVID-19. (Courtesy of HKSAR Information Services Department) Professor Yuen Kwok-yung paying a visit to the wet markets in Hung Hom and To Kwa Wan to carry out inspection and offer advice on anti-epidemic measures. (Courtesy of HKSAR Information Services Department) HKUMed produced easily sharable ‘healthographics’ to provide the general public with a snapshot of key information and advice. OUTREACH Faculties across the University have been disseminating their know-how, reaching out, and creating targeted programmes to help those in need, such as school students. 30 | 31
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODI4MTQ=