KE Spotlight - Community Engagement - HKU Knowledge Exchange

HKU School of Public Health launches new version of Hedley Environmental Index

The HKU School of Public Health launched the fourth updated version of the Hedley Environmental Index (HEI). The new HEI is based on the latest scientific evidence for health risks and referenced to the World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines with a new approach to aggregate air pollutants. The mobile app offers features including individual profile, real-time air quality, and a map of air quality. A new HEI website comprises new features and modifications including a new aggregating method for the air quality index, Hong Kong map of real-time air quality, rolling clocks of avoidable harm and economic cost to the community, calendar of high pollution days, historical data and education section.

Knowledge Exchange Awards 2017

The annual Faculty Knowledge Exchange (KE) Awards recognise each Faculty’s outstanding KE accomplishment that has made demonstrable economic, social or cultural impacts to benefit the community, business/industry, or partner organisations. Results of the 2017 Faculty KE Awards are now available.

HKU receives largest single donation to date from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for the establishment of a Centre for Clinical Innovation and Discovery and an Institute of Cancer Care

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has pledged to donate $1.244 billion to HKU for the establishment of a Centre for Clinical Innovation and Discovery (CCID) and an Institute of Cancer Care (ICC) at Grantham Hospital (GH) by the Faculty of Medicine. This will be the largest single donation received by the University to date. The CCID and ICC will be the first purpose-built cancer-specific research and service centre in the city and serve as platforms for the translation of innovation and discoveries in science and in models of care for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and palliation, and for the development of a new holistic cancer care paradigm for Hong Kong.

HKU graduates' start-up team develops new bone substitute

Novus, a start-up company formed by an HKU Faculty of Medicine PhD graduate with two fellow PhD students and a winning team of the HKU DreamCatchers 100K Entrepreneurship, developed a new bone substitute which can be applied in a variety of bone-related surgical procedures and will soon be tested in animal total hip replacement. The company will partner with CityU's School of Veterinary Medicine to sponsor NGO Paws Guardian free surgeries for stray dogs.

HKU study reveals traditional blood thinner drug is associated with a higher risk of osteoporotic fracture compared to newer drug

The HKU Faculty of Medicine analysed 8,152 atrial fibrillation patients who had attended public hospitals in Hong Kong from 2010 to 2014. The study revealed for the first time that when comparing the traditional drug warfarin to the newer drug dabigatran, warfarin was significantly associated with higher risk of osteoporotic fracture, which may increase the morbidity and mortality among the elderly, compared to dabigatran.

HKU research team identifies mutation in H7N9 virus which enhances human infection

The research team from the State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases of HKU and the HKU Department of Microbiology have identified a mutation in the H7N9 virus which gives it a greater ability to infect humans while continuing to circulate effectively in poultry. Professor Chen Honglin who headed the research said this study provided an important biomarker for monitoring the emergence and transmission of avian influenza viruses in humans and preventing human-to-human infection. The mutation can also serve as a novel target of anti-influenza drug development.

HKU Faculty of Medicine presents "Big Shots" photo exhibition in celebration of 130 years of medicine in Hong Kong

The HKU Faculty of Medicine hosted an opening ceremony for the "Big Shots" Photo Exhibition, as part of the yearlong celebrations to mark "130 Years of Medicine in Hong Kong". The exhibition consists of two sections: World of Doctors to feature the works of renowned photographer Ducky Tse on the challenges and moments in the lives of 29 Faculty professors, alumni and students; and Doctors’ World, a collection of photographs taken by 32 alumni and curated by Professor Richard Yu and Dr Leo KK Wong. The exhibition will be open to the public from now until March 29 at the Exhibition Gallery of the Hong Kong Central Library. After that it will be staged at the Jockey Club Creative Arts Centrefrom May 4 to May 30. Part of the works will be exhibited at six other locations throughout Hong Kong between April 1 and May 27.