School of Nursing
Doctor of Philosophy/Master of Philosophy Research Postgraduate Studies
You are most welcome to approach us for academic advice if you are interested in pursuing research studies. For general questions, please contact Prof. Wai Tong Chien (tel: 2766 5648; email: wai.tong.chien@polyu.edu.hk), Dr Enid Kwong (tel: 2766 6385; email: enid.kwong@polyu.edu.hk) or Ms Barbara Lee (tel: 2766 4279; email: barbara.lee@polyu.edu.hk). For specific areas, please contact the staff members listed below.
Main Research Areas Ageing and Health:
The key research focus of Ageing and Health Research Theme is around three areas: frailty, community and long-term care, and dementia care. Researchers in this group are dedicated to advancing nursing practices and education, nurturing nurse leaders for the future, and improving community and long-term care for the older population in Hong Kong.
• Dementia care; community gerontology; therapeutic interventions for older adults Contact: Dr Daphne Cheung (tel: 2766 4534; email: daphne.cheung@polyu.edu.hk)
• Long-term residential care for older people; pressure ulcer management; end of life care for older people; frailty
Contact: Dr Enid W.Y. Kwong (tel: 2766 6385; email: enid.kwong@polyu.edu.hk)
• Dementia care; long-term care issues; therapeutic interventions for older adults; quality standards in residential care settings and community care for the elderly
Contact: Prof. Claudia K.Y. Lai (tel: 2766 6544; email: claudia.lai@polyu.edu.hk)
• Pain assessment and management; exhaustion and fatigue management; exercise and tai chi interventions; fall and fear of fallings prevention; management of Frailty; patients nurses interactions
Contact: Dr Justina Y.W. Liu (tel: 2766 4097; email: justina.liu@polyu.edu.hk)
• Pain management; elderly care; enhance quality of living and quality of life for older persons; diet & health; drug issue in older persons; active aging
Family and Community Health:
The Family and Community Health Research Theme embraces an orientation towards health, focuses on the populations at health risk, and directs towards health promotion for all in the context of family, school and community. Research activities are developed around four areas: family and adolescent health, mental health, disaster nursing, and infection control.
• Medication management; physical health interventions in severe mental illness; psychosocial interventions; the use of concept mapping in measuring learning and satisfaction/adherence with antipsychotic treatment
Contact: Dr Daniel Bressington (tel: 2766 6408; email: dan.bressington@polyu.edu.hk)
• Family relationships; gender specific health issues; qualitative approaches; learning and teaching Contact: Dr Zenobia C.Y. Chan (tel: 2766 6426; email: zenobia.chan@polyu.edu.hk)
• Care of patients and their family caregivers in different health conditions (e.g. critical illnesses, family needs and mental health); care of clients with mental health issues in the community; nursing education; disaster nursing and resilience
Contact: Dr Vico C.L. Chiang (tel: 2766 6683; email: vico.chiang@polyu.edu.hk)
• Mental health promotion and education; patient and family needs assessment (mentally or critically ill), family intervention for patients with schizophrenia and dementia; internet-based education for adolescents with eating disorders; community-based mental health care
Contact: Prof. Wai Tong Chien (tel: 2766 5648; email: wai.tong.chien@polyu.edu.hk) • Occupational health
Contact: Dr Kin Cheung (tel: 2766 6773; email: kin.cheung@polyu.edu.hk) • Health innovation and technology
Contact: Dr Thomas K.S. Choi (tel: 3400 3214; email: thomasks.choi@polyu.edu.hk)
• Disaster nursing and disaster resilience; community health risks, needs and health promotion; infection control
Contact: Dr Olivia Fung (tel: 2766 6420; email: olivia.fung@polyu.edu.hk)
• Child & adolescent health; children with special health needs; school health nursing Contact: Dr Regina L.T. Lee (tel: 2766 6388; email: regina.lee@polyu.edu.hk) • Mental health promotion; eating disorders; self-help programmes
Contact: Dr Sau Fong Leung (tel: 2766 6395; email: sau.fong.leung@polyu.edu.hk)
• Women's health (infertility / family planning); family /spousal caregivers; promotion of healthy family and/or community; adolescents' health risk behaviors; promotion of healthy lifestyles; disaster nursing and resilience
• Community health; promotion of healthy lifestyles; modifications of health risk behaviors of children and adolescents; family health and parental education
Contact: Dr Yim Wah Mak (tel: 2766 6421; email: yw.mak@polyu.edu.hk)
• Antibiotic resistance; longitudinal studies for carriage of resistant bacteria; food microbiology Contact: Dr Margaret O'Donoghue (tel: 2766 4955; email: margaret.o.donoghue@polyu.edu.hk) • Community health nursing; health promotion and screening
Contact: Dr Alice K.Y. Wong (tel: 2766 4771; email: alice.ky.wong@polyu.edu.hk)
• Women’s health; physical activity and cardiometabolic health; lifestyle interventions to promote healthy family / community; population-based health behavior research
Contact: Dr Grace Xie (tel: 3400 3798; email: grace.yj.xie@polyu.edu.hk)
• Infection disease epidemiology; infection control in the community; time series modeling Contact: Dr Lin Yang (tel: 2766 6398; email: l.yang@polyu.edu.hk)
• Epidemiology and disease prevention; urological disorders and immunology; scientific evaluation of traditional chinese medicine (ganoderma lucidum, gua sha, etc.)
Contact: Dr John Yuen (tel: 2766 4130; email: john.yuen@polyu.edu.hk)
Transitional, Supportive & Palliative Care:
The research priority of Transitional, Supportive & Palliative Care Research Theme is on three areas: Symptom management in cancer, palliative care and life-limiting illnesses; Models of care delivery; and Traditional Chinese medicine and complementary therapies. The research theme aims to develop advanced nursing practices for clients with chronic diseases and to evaluate the efficacy and mechanism of complementary and alternative therapies including traditional interventions. This theme also focuses on models of care such as transitional care, case management to support clients having chronic diseases with complex needs who require cost-effective and holistic interventions. The effectiveness of care models, symptom management integrating alternative therapies into mainstream western medical treatment to enhance the quality of care is established through empirical studies.
• Caring practice; interprofessional education and practice; nursing education; narrative inquiry of health experience
Contact: Dr E. Angela Chan (tel: 2766 4131; email: e.angela.chan@polyu.edu.hk)
• Cancer, supportive and palliative care; instrument development and validation; chronic disease management; lifestyle health
Contact: Dr Choi-wan Chan (tel: 2766 4147; email: cw.chan@polyu.edu.hk) • Urinary incontinence; continence care; bladder health
• Psychosocial care of patients & families with cancer or chronic illness; cancer nursing Contact: Dr Shirley S.Y. Ching (tel: 2766 6393; email: shirley.ching@polyu.edu.hk) • Psychosocial issues of chronicity; end of life care
Contact: Dr Betty P.M. Chung (tel: 2766 6757; email: betty.chung@polyu.edu.hk)
• Chinese Medicine; depression; neurodegenerative diseases(Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's Disease); molecular mechanisms linking aging-related neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's Disease) and their risk factors
Contact: Dr Janice Ho (tel: 2766 6410; email: janice.ys.ho@polyu.edu.hk) • Physical activity; lifestyle epidemiology; analysis of ranking data
Contact: Dr Paul Lee (tel: 3400 8275; email: paul.h.lee@polyu.edu.hk)
• Complex symptom management; non-pharmacological interventions for managing cancer symptoms; chemotherapy-related nausea/vomiting; cancer-related fatigue; complementary therapies in cancer; acupuncture for cancer symptom management
Contact: Prof. Alex Molasiotis (tel. 27666396; email: alex.molasiotis@polyu.edu.hk )
• Complementary and alternative medicine; auriculotherapy; sleep studies; gerontology; infection control
Contact: Dr Lorna Suen (tel: 2766 7475; email: lorna.suen@polyu.edu.hk) • Care delivery models; transitional care; advanced nursing practice
Contact: Prof. Frances K.Y. Wong (tel: 2766 6419; email: frances.wong@polyu.edu.hk)
• Nursing education; clinical problem solving; curriculum review & development; therapeutic communication; maternal & child care
Contact: Dr Marian W.L. Wong (tel: 2766 6423; email: marian.wong@polyu.edu.hk)
• Maternal, child & adolescent health; illness and hospitalization impact on families; nursing education
Contact: Dr Sarah K.F. Kong-Wong (tel: 2766 6422; email: sarah.kong@polyu.edu.hk) • Coronary heart disease prevention and rehabilitation
General Information Entrance Requirements
You should normally possess a relevant bachelor’s degree with first or second class honours from a recognized institution. Requirements for those who do not have a degree from a recognized university at which the language of instruction in English are:
• An overall score of at least 6.5 (with score for the writing component at 6.0 or above) in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS); or
• For Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), 575 or above in paper-based test (with a score of at least 4 out of 6 in the Test of Written English); or 90 or above in internet-based test (with a writing score of 23 or above)
Normal Period of Study
The normal durations of full-time studies for PhD and MPhil programmes are 36 and 24 months respectively.
Tuition Fee
Please refer to the following table for the tuition fee.
Full-time Part-time
Annual tuition fee HK$42,100
(HK$84,200 for self-financed students who receive no stipend and no external funding support but some funding from School of Nursing)
HK$21,050
(HK$42,100 for self-financed students who receive no external funding support but some funding from School of Nursing)
Application Period
Please refer to the e-Prospectus for Research Postgraduate Studies, http://www.polyu.edu.hk/ro/e-prospectus/
Application Fee
A non-refundable fee of HK$150 will be charged for each application. Application Procedures
To apply for admission, please visit: http://www.polyu.edu.hk/rowas/ Enquiries
Research Office
Room Z404, 4/F, Block Z, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom, Kowloon
Hong Kong
Telephone: (852) 3400 3635 Fax: (852) 2355 7651 Email: roro@polyu.edu.hk
