My name is Harrison and I graduated from HKU Food & Nutritional Sciences program in the Class of 2021. I currently engage in a dual career – working in the banking industry, as well as running a healthcare social enterprise dedicated to managing and treating chronic diseases like eczema.
I studied nutrition because of my personal journey in overcoming a 10-year-long struggle with eczema through the power of lifestyle medicine, and I wish to share this domain knowledge with the global population at scale. I didn't want to recover, be happy for a few months and forget about it. Part of my circumstantial genetic predisposition can be transformed into a gift to serve others similarly in need. The MPH program is a logical advancement to learn how to develop interventions at a global scale. My passion lies in the use of lifestyle medicine to manage chronic health conditions through modifiable behavioral risk factors, in conjunction or in lieu of mere pharmaceutical medications as sole therapy.
In my application for the MPH program I had shared the same vision, and I feel grateful to have been recognized by the School of Public Health to receive the UGC Targeted TPg Fellowship. It reinforces my belief in engaging public health and the continuous mindset to learn and improve, particularly from domain experts and healthcare professionals from the curriculum.
I enjoy the diversity of classmates which prevent groupthink in classwork, a common hidden problem in undergraduate studies. For example, my group mates are often diversified among cultural backgrounds, professional fields (medical, nursing, education, business), and years of working experience. This diversity prompts us to approach public health problems we didn’t think of before and nurtures our critical thinking ability.
In terms of technical knowledge, I enjoy the course design where there is a healthy balance of theoretical academic research and real-world discussions (e.g. current affairs of the pandemic, guest speakers from local and international NGOs). I also personally find the ‘applied’ courses productive, from financial accounting, health economics, to health policy design and production.
Graduating from the MPH (HEPM) program will equip me with established and state of the art theoretical and empirical models in engaging public health problems, and that I can push the needle further to close the gap between literature and real world application through advocacy and operating a socially-responsible business.
If you’re reading this and considering the program, I’d recommend it at the level that you’re ready and willing to invest in yourself. In a Master’s program, no one will spoon-feed you with knowledge. If you don’t speak on Zoom, if you don’t engage assignments with effort, your degree duration (1 year for full-time or 2 years for part-time) will fly by at the blink of an eye. Join, but join with your dedication to engage in the domain to grasp the full value of the program!
