I take great pleasure in congratulating staff, students and alumni of our Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) on this auspicious 40th anniversary celebration.
Ever since its founding in 1978, RS has become a highly recognized hub of nurturing professional occupational therapists and physiotherapists for Hong Kong, China and beyond. It has admirably committed itself to triangulate teaching, research and community engagement. We are proud of our competent professors whose innovative research has gained global recognition and won them international honours such as received grants from National Institutes of Health and various grants from Quality Education Fund, General Research Fund, and Health Services Research Fund; our distinguished scholars and students received patents from Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific region for their breakthroughs in scientific research including won harvest awards at Geneva Expo and invited to share reviews in Nature Reviews Neurology; our students have won various academic awards and competitions including numerous top awards in International Convention on Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology, recognized in Guinness World Records for largest Qiqong session. We also engage into community service via the on-campus Rehabilitation Clinic, the Olympic village during the Beijing Olympic Games, and the rural village in Sichuan after the earthquake. I am confident that RS will continue to play a significant role in the advancement of rehabilitation professions not only for Hong Kong but also for the world.
On this very special occasion, I would like to wish the 40th anniversary celebration of RS a fruitful and memorable event, and members of RS continued success in their future endeavors.
Timothy W. TONG, Ph.D.
President
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
It gives me great pleasure to congratulate the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences on behalf of its Departmental Advisory Committee, for all its achievements since its inception 40 years ago. The Department which was founded by Professor Christina Hui-Chan has been a stalwart institution for training physical therapists in Hong Kong. It has always strived to provide the opportunity for its students to maximize their potential to achieve for the common good of the community in Hong Kong and elsewhere. Over the past 40 years, it has successfully trained over 2,800 physiotherapists and 2,000 occupational therapists , some of whom have occupied key positions in the healthcare sectors. The number of illustrious alumni from this Department is a solid testament to its enviable track record. It continues to attract the top students to its undergraduate programs. For the past five years, more than 200 undergraduates were successfully trained from this Department annually. It also attracts postgraduate students to its taught and research programs in physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Over the past 10 years, it has trained 800 graduates in its taught Masters program, produced more than 150 postgraduate research students with PhDs or MPhils, and awarded over $70M in external funding for its research activities. Just like any established institution, there are challenges including competition to attract top students and faculty, and with it, crucial resources. I am confident that the Department will rise to the challenge based on its solid foundation and support from its alumni. Amongst recent examples of its tenacity to achieve is the successful bid to formulate the “Rehabilitation Programme Plan” for the Labour and Welfare Bureau in the coming decade as the main Consultant, and securing a donation of $12 million for its academic activities. With all these strategic plans in mind, I wish to extend my best wishes to the Department for its continued path to success over the next 40 years.
Prof. SL Ho
Chairman
Department Advisory Committee
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Prof. Sophia CHAN
Secretary for Food and Health Bureau
Food and Health Bureau, HKSAR
My congratulations to the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University on its 40th anniversary.
The Department has a distinguished past as a pioneer in the provision of local professional training to occupational therapists and physiotherapists in Hong Kong. Built on its solid foundation, the Department has continued to make remarkable contributions to the nourishment of local professionals in meeting the city’s evolving healthcare needs. I applaud the Department for successfully fostering the integration of the best of western medical sciences and eastern therapies in its teaching, research and services for the benefit of our community.
In celebration of its 40th anniversary, I would like to express my gratitude to all teaching and supporting staff and wish the Department continued success in the years to come.
Mr FONG Ngai
Deputy Secretary for Food and Health (Health) 3
Food and Health Bureau, HKSAR
I am delighted to extend my warm congratulations to the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University on its 40th Anniversary.
Facing the challenge of ageing population, rehabilitation services are of tremendous importance to help prevent permanent disability, empower patients to reintegrate into the community, and enhance their quality of life.
Over the past four decades, the Department has been providing a strong foundation to nurture numerous proficient and dedicated occupational therapists and physiotherapist. It also provides unique postgraduate learning opportunities to people who would like to pursuit professional advancement in rehabilitation services. Apart from its excellence in teaching, the Department has also gained international recognition for its research achievements in rehabilitation sciences, neuroscience and neurological rehabilitation, orthopaedic and sports rehabilitation, and geriatric rehabilitation.
Meanwhile, the Department is a valuable partner to Hospital Authority (HA) in safeguarding the health of Hong Kong citizens. HA provides clinical placement opportunities to students of occupational therapy and physiotherapy, and more than 80% fresh graduates join HA to embark on a career in allied health. They are precious assets to HA and to the public healthcare system to foster the well-being of the general public.
We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Department, and wish the Department every success in the years to come.
Professor John LEONG Chi-yan
Chairman
Hospital Authority
Mr David LEUNG, JP
Commissioner for Rehabilitation
Labour and Welfare Bureau, HKSAR
I wish to convey my warmest congratulations to the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University on the occasion of its 40th anniversary.
For the past four decades, the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences has made a valuable contribution to the professional development of the occupational therapy and physiotherapy disciplines in Hong Kong. Striding into 2018, with the contribution from passionate and motivated professional teaching staff, the Department dedicates to providing not only teaching to our health professionals in both disciplines but also research degree at MPhil and PhD levels for students from different parts of the world aiming at preparing them to contribute to the discovery and application of knowledge to these two professions. Occupational therapists and physiotherapists play a very important professional role in enhancing the occupational safety and health of the working population in Hong Kong, especially in contributing to rehabilitation of injured workers and facilitating their early return to work.
The Labour Department takes the opportunity to wish the Department continuing success in the future endeavours and the many more brilliant milestones to come.
Mr CHAN Ka Shun, Carlson, JP
Commissioner for Labour
Labour Department, HKSAR
I am pleased to offer my warmest congratulations to the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
The 40th anniversary is a time for reflecting on the past and looking ahead to the future. Over the past four decades, the RS, home to physiotherapy and occupational therapy education in Hong Kong, has trained thousands of competent physiotherapists (PTs) and occupational therapists (OTs) who have helped so many people in the course of rehabilitation. Based on the solid foundation of the University, the RS has developed into a robust department committed to excelling in professional education, researches, and clinical services. The RS has also established very strong platforms for cross-sectoral collaboration to assist different needy groups in the community.
Being our close working partner, the RS has, in collaboration with us under the Training Sponsorship Scheme, launched a two-year entry-level Master in Physiotherapy Programme and a two-year entry-level Master in Occupational Therapy Programme since January 2012. It has contributed immensely to the social welfare sector in provision of a large number of well-trained PTs and OTs after graduation.
I keenly look forward to witnessing the continuous achievements of the RS along its mission of social commitment and its vision to become a world leader in education and research in rehabilitation sciences. I would also like to convey my warmest wish for every success of the RS’ celebration of its milestone of the 40th anniversary.
Ms Carol YIP
Director of Social Welfare
Labour and Welfare Bureau, HKSAR
It is a great pleasure for me, on behalf of the Hong Kong Occupational Therapy Association, to extend my heartiest congratulations to The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Department of Rehabilitation Sciences on Its 40th Birthday.
It was not easy for an educational institution to maintain and sustain a perseverance in the realization of a vision (which is “To become a world leader in education and research in rehabilitation sciences, thereby positively impacting on the lives of people with or without disabilities”) over a long period of forty years; yet because of the endeavors made by past as well as current generations of heads, staff members and students, with unfailing support from the University, the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences has been able to progressively and successfully actualize Its dream. These endeavors’ accumulative effect on the people’s functional health can be witnessed today. I earnestly hope that in the years to come the Department can garner more wisdom, enthusiasm and expertise from a broad spectrum of related people to help perpetuate its contributions to our Society in the medical and health care arena!
Once again, wishing the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University another surge of bright and prosperous development!
Mr Samuel CHAN
Chairman
Hong Kong Occupational Therapy Association
On behalf of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association, I would like to send our heartfelt congratulations to the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to mark its 40th Anniversary.
Having been the sole provider of entry-level physiotherapy education, the Department has dedicated itself to the training of students to become competent physiotherapists who serve the public. The various postgraduate programs provided by of the Department have also enabled working physiotherapists to advance their education in different specialty areas. Apart from its excellence in curriculum development and teaching, the Department’s research achievements are equally impressive. The research work done has not only led to generation of new knowledge, but has also made important contributions to the promotion of evidence-based practice in physiotherapy. These are certainly no trivial accomplishments, which could not be realized without the dedicated staff. With their persistent efforts, the Department is now recognized as one of the best physiotherapy schools in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
The Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association has always had a very close working relationship with the Department in promotion of the physiotherapy profession, quality assurance of education programs, and conference organization. We hope the Department and our Association can continue to work hand in hand to the betterment of the physiotherapy profession in the future.
I am confident that with the strong leadership and devoted faculty and staff, the Department will achieve new heights in all spheres in the years to come.
Prof. Marco PANG
President
Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association