Major Research Areas

Molecular and clinical psychopharmacology:
Study of neurotransmitter receptors and their interactions with psychoactive compounds at the molecular level; study of mechanism of actions of antidepressant and antipsychotic compounds at the clinical level.

Contact Person
Professor S.W. Tang
Email: mswtang@hkucc.hku.hk

Clinical health psychology :
Psychosocial oncology; liver transplantation; youth mental health problems, suicide, and early intervention; women's health; weight and eating problems; applications of cognitive behavioural therapy in psychiatric disorders, including panic disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia; development of pain assessment instruments; psychosocial impact of chronic illnesses, including diabetes mellitus, thalassaemia major; early intervention and detection of dementia; psychological issues and interventions in organ transplantation; applications of indigenous and western approaches in psychotherapy.

Contact Persons
Professor P.W.H. Lee or Dr A. Lee
Email: hrmclwh@hku.hk or amlee@hkucc.hku.hk

Psychotherapy and human sexuality :
Applicability and adaptation of psychotherapy and sex therapy in Chinese and Hong Kong culture; psychotherapeutic processes in Chinese and their relation with statistical, mathematical or physical models; sexual beliefs, attitudes, behavior and practices of Chinese in different regions of China; methods and effects of sex education and psychotherapy training.

Contact Person
Professor M.L. Ng
Email: hrmcnml@hku.hk

Cognitive neuropsychiatry :
Elucidation of abnormal psychological processes with cognitive science and neuropsychology methods: evolution of psychotic symptoms, illness awareness, executive function, attention impairments, motor system dysfunction, semantic memory impairments, characterization of neurocognitive impairments; development of new assessment paradigms; use of neurocognitive markers in prognostic and intervention prediction; prospect of cognitive remediation; neurocomputational modelling: use of information technology and computer models in the study of thought processes and their disturbances.

Contact Person
Dr E. Chen
Email: eyhchen@hku.hk

Psychotic disorders studies and intervention (PSI) programme :
Neurocognitive function: neurocognitive impairments; definition of recovery pattern and factors affecting neurocognitive outcome; use of neurocognitive markers in prognostic and intervention prediction; prospect of cognitive remediation.

Psychopathology: natural history of symptoms and abnormal experiences, prodromal states; experiential issues and knowledge of illness: subjective aspects of psychosis integration of illness experience, recovery, quality of life, recovery experience of care giving, stigmatization; Intervention: psychopharmacology of antipsychotics and other medications, cognitive and motor side effects, pharmacogenetics, development and prediction of treatment resistance; suicide prevention; psychoeducational group therapy.

Contact Person
Dr E. Chen
Email: eyhchen@hku.hk

Ethics and law :
Interface between law, ethics and medicine, especially within psychiatry: capacity of patients to give consent to treatment; decision-making about maintenance treatment in psychotic patients; diagnosis disclosure in dementia; health care advance directives; genetic discrimination in schizophrenia; methods and effects of medical education on ethical and legal aspects, professionalism and role modeling.

Contact Person
Dr J. Wong
Email: jgwswong@hku.hk

Women's health :
Understanding and promotion of women's physical and mental health through a holistic approach that integrates knowledge and research methodologies in health psychology and social medicine: development of locally valid research and clinical instruments for assessing various areas of women's health; study of premenstrual and menstrual distress among Chinese women; psychocultural context of menopause; psychological intervention for patients with gynecological cancers; disordered eating and body image problems among pregnant women; decision-making processes in obstetrics and gynecological settings; culture, gender, health.

Contact Person
Dr A. Lee
Email: amlee@hkucc.hku.hk

Brain imaging :
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of complex brain disorders involving mood, speech, cognition and behavioural systems, to explore potential multiple links to various psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, autism and hyperactivity) by analysis of brain voxels.

Contact Persons
Dr S.E. Chua
Email: sechua@hkucc.hku.hk

Dr G.M. McAlonan 
Email: mcalonan@hkucc.hku.hk

Child psychiatry :
Executive functions and motivation in children and young adults with regard to school performance; language deficits and training of autistic children; psychophysiology of attentional and hyperactive disorder in childhood; family studies of children with psychiatric disorders.

Contact Persons
Dr T.P. Ho
Tel: 2855 3095

Professor S.W. Tang
Email: micatang@yahoo.com

Sleep disorders:
Epidemiology, clinical presentation, etiology and treatment of major sleep disorders; measurement of sleepiness; sleep apnea.

Contact Person
Dr K.F. Chung
Email: kfchung@hku.hk

General psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation :
Public perception of mental illness; psychiatric stigma; electroconvulsive therapy.

Contact Person
Dr K.F. Chung
Email: kfchung@hku.hk