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About the School of Public Health

Overview

Established in 2004, the School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has a long and distinguished history in public health education and high impact research. In 2009, the former Department of Community Medicine and the Behavioural Sciences Unit were consolidated within the School of Public Health, together with colleagues from public health virology. In 2016, the academic arm of the erstwhile Institute of Human Performance was also incorporated into the School.

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The School and its predecessors have an internationally recognised track record of innovative and ground-breaking research in public health locally and globally, and enjoy a leading reputation in postgraduate education and professional training in the region. It contributes substantially to the undergraduate medical, nursing, pharmacy, biomedical sciences and chinese medicine curricula of the Medical Faculty at HKU. Adding to the School’s education offerings are also our Master of Public Health programme, the first in the region and the only academic programme in Hong Kong fully accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), as well as the Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Global Health and Development programme.

Structure

The School houses more than 35 professoriate staff, organised in a matrix of six academic divisions:

  • Behavioural Sciences

  • Community Medicine and Public Health Practice

  • Epidemiology and Biostatistics

  • Health Economics, Policy and Management

  • Kinesiology

  • Public Health Laboratory Sciences

and two cross-cutting research clusters:

  • Influenza and other infections of public health significance

  • Non-communicable diseases in global health

Leading Research Hub in Public Health

Building on the success of our previous public health fora, this year’s forum entitled “Major Health Challenges of the 21st Century” comprises four plenary sessions, focusing on some most pressing public health challenges around infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, environmental insults and health inequalities. Local and international scholars who are at the forefront of public health research, practice and education will share their insights and inspirations. A Poster Session will be held concurrently, showcasing the work of our next-generation public health professionals.

With world leading research in infectious diseases as well as on non-communicable diseases, the School has made significant contributions through its research and advocacy to improve the health of populations and individuals, both locally and globally. The School is a leading research hub in public health on coronavirus, influenza and other emerging viruses, control of non-communicable and infectious diseases, tobacco control, air pollution, psycho-oncology, behavioural sciences, exercise science, life-course epidemiology, population mental health, health economics, and health services planning and management. Our work has informed international, national and local public health policies.

Public Health Forum 2022

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