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1. MPH concentration and graduation year Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Class of 2019. 2. Job title and Community Outreach Works My day job is not related to public health (Researcher for corporate intelligence and due diligence), though I am actively looking to plunge back into the field of public health. My weekend/ afterwork involvement is more interesting – I’m enjoying the responsibility of being the President of the HKU Public Health Alumni society and looking for weekend volunteering opportunities. 3.Tell us your story! How did you become interested in public health, and how does public health relate to your current line of work? I’ve always been interested in the evidence and basic science of different fields, and a “big picture” type of person. It was while I was still training as a social worker that I came to understand how health (mental and physical) impacted on every aspect of a person’s subjective experience. I saw that interdisciplinary background and knowledge was valuable in public health and from there, the what’s, the why’s, and the how’s grabbed my attention – I’ve been down the rabbit hole ever since. 4.How have you applied what you have learned within the MPH program to your line of work? While I don’t work in the field, the lessons on how to think, evaluate evidence and present information stuck with me. It shows in my work process as being meticulous and structured. It’s also applicable in preventing biases you are dealing with inter-connected data sources and trying to create an automated aggregator of open-source information. 5.What advice would you give to current MPH students who will be entering the workplace for the first time? Look for a lifestyle that you want to build for yourself and structure your job search around that. Network to know what opportunities are out there and whether your expectations are founded. 6.Any other words of wisdom to share? I’ve found that cultivating empathy, and actively seeking to test stereotypes that I’ve learnt have led to the most fulfilling personal and professional developments in my life – take time to listen to understand, not just to reply. Also, I’d like to make a shameless plug for the Alumni Society – do write in and let us know what you’re interested in! Know a fellow HKU SPH student or alumni with an interesting story? Let us know! Email sphalumni@hku.hk to nominate your MPH peer for the next 'Meet Our Students and Alumni' blog series.

In light of the current coronavirus outbreak, HKU Master of Public Health Information Session (Feb), originally scheduled for this Saturday (29 February), will be postponed to 18:00-19:30, 4 March (Wednesday) and be hosted online as webinar. There will be time reserved for answering questions from webinar attendees. Please register in advance for this webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. For enquiries, please contact us at mphsph@hku.hk or 3917 6802. We look forward to seeing you.

Tuesday, 21 January 2020 HKUMed WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control releases real-time nowcast on the likely extent of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, domestic and international spread with the forecast for chunyun. For details, please refer to https://sph.hku.hk/en/news/press-releases/2020/nowcasting-and-forecasting-the-wuhan-2019-ncov-outbreak. Professor Gabriel Leung, HKU Dean of Medicine (left) and Professor Joseph Wu, Professor, School of Public Health (right) present real-time nowcast and forecast on the extent of the Wuhan CoV outbreak, domestic and international spread.

Applications for September 2020 intake is now open! Information sessions are scheduled for January, February and March 2020, during which our Deputy Director (Education), Dr. Janice Johnston, will share information about admissions, financial aid and key aspects of student life. Please spread the word among your friends and colleagues! Online Registration: https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y&ueid=68548 (18 January) https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y&ueid=68549 (29 February) https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y&ueid=68550 (28 March)

Want to explore more about the life sciences/biotech industries in HK and Mainland China? Eager to gain first-hand, valuable insights through one-on-one meetings? Join the Hong Kong Life Sciences Society Mentorship Scheme to network and set goals for your career in the industries! The Scheme is open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students who are studying life sciences or a related academic discipline. Learn more about the scheme at: https://www.hklss.org/programs-and-events/mentorship

Over the past two weeks, the HKU School of Public Health has been hosting a series of orientation activities to help students hit the ground running on the first day in MPH. Workshops and consultative sessions were offered to give students a clear picture of our curriculum and the career opportunities accessible to MPH graduates.

On 7 August, an Alumni Panel Discussion & Networking event was held with emerging public health leaders who are also alumni of #HKU School of Public Health sharing their career aspirations and insights with current students and alumni. Everyone enjoyed the evening by networking and mingling with professionals in different fields! #publichealth #hkusph #hku

The School of Public Health participated in the Hospital Authority (HA) Convention 2019 held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 14-15 May 2019. The booth hosted by the School was well-visited by Prof John Leong, Chairman of HA, Dr P Y Leung, Chief Executive of HA and health care professionals, who had shown great interest in learning more about our education and training programmes. We would like to thank 13 MPH students who had volunteered to be our Student Representatives and devoted time and effort to share their study experiences with health care practitioners and the public.

Here are some photos our MPH student Caitlin Yeung took at the Prince Mahidol Award Conference (PMAC) 2019, in which she attended as the sponsored student accompany for Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General Emeritus of the World Health Organization. These are pictures Caitlin took with Dr Chan, Mr Naveen Rao, Managing Director of the Rockefeller Foundation, Prof Michael Reich of the Harvard TH Chen School of Public Health and Mr Tim Evans, Senior Director of the World Bank. Below are a few words Caitlin would like to share with you about her experience: This year, I was fortunate enough to be the sponsored student accompany for Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General Emeritus of the World Health Organization, to the Prince Mahidol Award Conference (PMAC) 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. PMAC is an annual policy-related international conference co-hosted by 20 international global health agencies, including the Thai Ministry of Health, World Health Organization, The World Bank and The Rockefeller Foundation. The theme this year was “The Political Economy of NCDs: A Whole of Society Approach”. Apart from her current duties of promoting development and health reform in China as a member of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and President of Boao Global Health Forum, Dr. Chan is also passionate about educating young people and building capacity for the next generation. In the months leading up to the conference, Dr. Chan repeatedly took time out of her busy schedule to chat and meet up with me, to share her insights, wisdom and political acumen she gained over her career as Director General of WHO, Director of Health in Hong Kong and her current work in China. We discussed the various landmark documents related to the conference from her tenure at the WHO, which allowed me to witness how global political attention NCDs has increased significantly over recent years. She also taught me how to write briefs for her speeches at the opening plenary and dinner dialogue on global health, and organize her schedule for the conference. Moreover, she answered many of my burning questions related to her work in WHO, and her views on China’s Belt and Road Initiative and direction on health reform. PMAC was definitely an eye-opening experience. Dr. Chan personally introduced me to many of her old friends, all of whom are pioneers and navigators at the forefront of global health. From attending the plenaries and side sessions, I gained a deeper understanding on how wide-ranging perspectives and concerns are drawn together at the top level to steer the direction of global policies, and listened to the experiences of people from all corners of the world on implementing these global policies to make an impact at the local level. From Dr. Chan’s dinner dialogue on Global Health, I witnessed her charisma and communication skills that convinces people from different walks of life to see things from her point of view. I also had the opportunity to visit Siriraj Hospital, the oldest and largest hospital in Thailand, where I observed how they provide personalized holistic care in diabetes with a multidisciplinary approach. Through engaging in thought-provoking discussions with people working at different levels, from global agencies such as the United Nations and top-tier academic institutions to local non-profit organizations, I learnt from their successes in the fight against NCDs and listened to the vexing challenges that will still need continuous efforts in the years to come. Furthermore, Dr. Chan took the time out during the conference to individually discuss what I learnt and share her views on the topics covered in the conference with me. Her teachings will stay with me for a lifetime, and I am forever grateful. Attending PMAC with Dr. Chan truly broadened my horizons, and allowed me to see the endless ways I could make an impact to health in my community and beyond. As she told me once during a conversation, “We need a whole of society approach: no matter which platform you are in, you can perform within your platform to make a difference.” Although I am still at the very early stages of my career, I will continue to strive to look at the big global picture, and work within my platform to try and make a difference in my community.

Our MPH students had the privilege to meet Prof Barry Bloom from Harvard in an exclusive sharing session. Prof Barry Bloom has been a pioneer in infectious disease research and vaccine science and was Dean of Harvard School of Public Health from 1999 to 2009. He spent over 35 years as principal investigator researching the immune response to tuberculosis in his Harvard lab and his scientific contributions have made him a trusted adviser in public health policy worldwide. We thank Prof Bloom for his generous sharing with our students.