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Upcoming
2022-23 Research Platform
HKSAN x HKU Department of Ophthalmology
The 2022-23 Research Platform, organised by a collaboration between HKSAN and HKU Department of Ophthalmology, is dedicated to developing a methodical approach to training medical students key research skills in neuroscience, ophthalmology, and more. Participants will be matched with principal investigators with the goal of producing quality research for presentation in the APNSC-HKSAN 2023 and/or publication. The topics, timeline and other information on this Research Platform can be found on this website.
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Past activities
2022 Summer Research Series
Neuroeconomics:
Exploring the Brain Science of Decision Making
By HKSAN Department of Scientific Research (RES)
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Have you ever wondered what is the intersection between biology, psychology and economics? Neuroeconomics is an increasingly growing field studying the neuroscience and computational principles behind how we make economic decisions. By investigating the principles of the computations driving decision making, and how these computations are implemented in the brain, neuroeconomics offers unique insight in revealing how these computations explain behavioral, affective, and cognitive features of the human mind.
In this Summer Research Series Webinar, HKSAN is honored to invite Dr. Bolton Chau, from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences in PolyU, to share his experience and knowledge of neuroscience in an introductory level in our webinar “Exploring the Brain Science of Decision Making.” Conducting his research using a combination of neuroimaging, behavioral testing and computational modeling techniques, Dr. Chau’s studies have successfully shown that (1) in two-option decisions, the lateral orbitofrontal cortex of the PFC is important for learning and guiding optimal decisions and; (2) in multiple-option decisions, how a signal in the ventromedial PFC is related to suboptimal decisions.
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2022 Summer Research Series
The Era of Avatar:
Autonomous task learning for Motor Brain Machine Interfaces
By HKSAN Department of Scientific Research (RES)
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“The brain is a robot-computer perfectly designed to fabricate any reality we program it to construct.”
A fundamental aspect of biological behavior is the ability to learn and to adapt to the environment. The brain has developed remarkable mechanisms to achieve this ability. As part of the overall effort to permit the brain to control neuroprosthetic devices via brain-machine interfaces (BMI), it is critical to model and or recreate such adaptive mechanisms.
Previous experiments have demonstrated the feasibility of brain control on neuroprosthesis without actual limb action, where subjects need to adjust brain activity to learn the operation on a BMI system based on visual feedback. However, current systems are still far from being ready for routine clinical use due to the limits of the actions, extensive training, frequent recalibration, and no generalization over new tasks. The ideal BMI is supposed to accomplish complex movement tasks with fast training, high accuracy, and stability over time. More importantly, BMIs are expected to have the smart learning ability to adapt and develop new movements autonomously.
For this year’s Summer Research Series, HKSAN is proud to invite Professor Yiwen Wang, from the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering and the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) to share her recent research "Autonomous task learning for Motor Brain Machine Interfaces". Her findings suggested that BMI can be further modified for more complex adaptations.
BRAIN 2022
Co-hosted with CU Medicine
BRAIN 2022 is a multidisciplinary neuroscience conference jointly organized by the Divisions of Neurology, Neuropathology, and Neurosurgery of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). With great pleasure, the Hong Kong Student Association of Neuroscience (HKSAN) will hold a Satellite Symposium under the theme of ‘Cognitive Neuroscience’.
We aim to identify the latest research and development under neuropsychology and increase students’ engagement in discussing fascinating neuroscience questions through this Satellite Symposium. We fundamentally hope to expose students to the frontier of neurological and psychological research.
The event encompasses a Roundtable Discussion with two prominent neuroscientists. Professor Sophie Scott is a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London (UCL). Professor Jacque Ip is an Assistant Professor from the School of Biomedical Sciences at CUHK.
We welcome all undergraduate, postgraduate, and secondary school students in Hong Kong and overseas interested in neuroscience and all delegates at BRAIN 2022 to participate in this event. Details are as follow:
Pre-conference Satellite Symposium
Date : 24th February 2022 (Thu)
Time : 14:30 - 16:00 HKT
Format : Online (webcast)
Theme : Cognitive Neuroscience
Main Conference
Date: 25th February 2022 (Fri)
Time: 08:00-18:30 HKT
Format : Online (webcast)
Date: 26th February 2022 (Sat)
Time: 08:00-15:30 HKT
Format : Online (webcast)
2021 Summer Research Series:
“Light up the Brain: From NASA to Neurostimulation”
By HKSAN Department of Scientific Research (RES)
“Stimulating the brain with electricity sounds like science fiction but is indeed becoming our reality.”
NASA has used near-infrared technology in space for a long time. According to the NASA Technical Reports,“the application of light therapy with the use of NASA LEDs will significantly improve the medical care that is available to astronauts on long-term space missions.”
The NASA LEDs stimulate the basic energy processes in the mitochondria of each cell and facilitate the healing of wounds and muscle and bone atrophy. While near-infrared therapy used to be used for muscle and bond, this technology has been applied for neurocognitive intervention in recent years. Research findings have shown positive effects on neuropsychological disorders such as traumatic brain injury, dementia, and depression.
For this year’s Summer Research Series, HKSAN is proud to invite the honourable Professor Agnes Chan, Director of the Research Center for Neuropsychological Well-Being at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) to share her recent research on the effect of non-invasive photoneuromodulation on older adults. Her findings suggested that this method can facilitate cognitive processing and improve the cognitive problems of older adults.
View her report on Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-93228-2
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2021 Summer Research Series:
Human Library on Rare Neurological Diseases
By HKSAN Department of Scientific Research (RES)
Co-hosted with Rare Disease Hong Kong (RDHK)
To kickstart our diversity initiative to be more inclusive in neuroscience research and medicine, we will be inviting two patients with Pompe Disease and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) from Rare Disease Hong Kong (RDHK) for an interactive Human Library Workshop on Rare Neurological Diseases.
Students from medical or relevant academic backgrounds are invited to join a session of intimate patient sharing and discussion of the disease particulars. *Selected participants will be able to conduct a clinical examination of the patient under consent.*
The session details are as follows:
Date: August 22nd, 2021 (Sunday)
Time: 14:30 - 17:00
Venue: Seminar Room 3, G/F, HK Jockey Club Building for Interdisciplinary Research, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU
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Our Guest Clinician, Dr Carlin Chang from Queen Mary Hospital, will be on-site to introduce the disease and guide students.
Target Audience: Medical students in clinical and preclinical years, students interested in rare neurological diseases.
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As part of our goal to support students interested in developing a career within the Neuroscientific field, we will be organising a series of local career talks focusing on neuroscience-related medical and surgical specialties.
Do you ever wonder if you have what it takes to pursue the career of a psychiatrist? We are excited to announce that we have invited Dr May Lam, Vice-President (Censor/Education) of the Hong Kong College of Psychiatrist and Dr Evelyn Wong, Associate Consultant of the Department of Psychiatry in North District Hospital, to tell you everything you want to know about the specialty. Throughout the 1.5 hour session, we will cover the admission process, training and career prospect of a psychiatrist, followed by a Q&A session.
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Local Career Webinar Series:
Psychiatry
by Department of Clinical Experience
As part of our goal to support students interested in developing a career within the Neuroscientific field, we will be organising a series of local career talks focusing on neuroscience-related medical and surgical specialties.
Have you ever imagined yourself operating on the most intricate part of the human body? Neurosurgery is a challenging and brainy career to explore! We are excited to announce that we have invited Dr Kwong-yui Yam, Specialty Board Chairperson of Neurosurgery of the Hong Kong College of Surgeons and Dr Peter Woo, Associate Consultant of the Department of Neurosurgery in Kwong Wah Hospital, to tell you everything you want to know about the specialty. Throughout the 1.5 hour session, we will cover the admission process, training and career prospect of a psychiatrist, followed by a Q&A session.
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Local Career Webinar Series: Neurosurgery
by Department of Clinical Experience
BRAIN-ALGGN 2021 Pre-conference Event
in collaboration with Division of Neurology, Neuropathology & Division of Neurosurgery of The Chinese University of Hong Kong
BRAIN-ALGGN 2021 is a multidisciplinary neuroscience conference jointly organised by the Division of Neurology, Neuropathology and Division of Neurosurgery of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. With great pleasure, the Hong Kong Student Association of Neuroscience will hold a Pre-Conference Event under the theme of ‘Proactive Student Engagement in Neuroscience’.
The event encompasses a Keynote Speech by Prof Nicholas Rawlins on the topic "Proactive Student Engagement in Neuroscience" and two Panel Discussions with 10 panellists who are prominent young researchers, doctors and students with multifaceted experiences in neuroscience. The topics of the Panel Discussions will be "Challenges and Solutions in Neuroscience Research Among Young Researchers" and "Global Advocacy of Neuroscience: Experience from Professionals and Students" respectively.
We welcome medical students from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and The University of Hong Kong (HKU), undergraduate and postgraduate students in Hong Kong with an interest in neuroscience, young researchers in neuroscience, and all delegates at BRAIN-ALGGN 2021 to participate in this event. Details are as follow:
Date: 14th January 2021 (Thu)
Time: 14:00 - 17:30 HKT
Format: Online (webcast)
Theme: Proactive Student Engagement in Neuroscience
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Winter Research Webinar Series:
Stroke
by Department of Scientific Research
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How has stroke management evolved in the field of neurosurgery? Want to learn more about the ongoing research on stroke thrombectomy? Join us on Thursday to get a glimpse of this life-saving operation!
We are fortunate to have invited Dr Anderson TSANG Chun On, Clinical Assistant Professor of Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, LKS Faculty of Medicine of HKU to talk about stroke thrombectomy. Details are as follow:
Date: 17th December 2020 (Thu)
Time: 18:00 - 19:30 HKT
Format: Online (webcast)
Theme: Driving change with research: the story of stroke thrombectomy
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Local Career Webinar Series: Neurology
by Department of Clinical Experience
As part of our goal to support students interested in developing a career within the Neuroscientific field, we will be organising a series of local career talks focusing on neuroscience-related medical and surgical specialties.
Have you ever been interested in becoming a Neurologist? Want to learn more about the career pathway and future prospects, available training programs, plus tips for job interviews? Well look no further!
We are fortunate to have invited Dr Fong, the Speciality Board Chairman of Neurology under the Hong Kong College of Physicians to give us a talk regarding Neurology Residency Training. During this evening session, we will aim to share information regarding residency program applications, what they look for in a prospective applicant, as well as what neurology residency training is like here in Hong Kong. We are also fortunate to be joined by Dr Annie Mew, who has recently completed her fellowship Neurology exit examination, and will share her experiences with regarding residency training in Neurology.
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HK-MoCA Student Training Workshop 2020
Supported by the Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, CUHK, the Hong Kong Student Association of Neuroscience is holding the HKMoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment Hong Kong Version) Student Training Workshop 2020.
The Hong Kong ageing population is causing a rapid rise in the number of people who suffer from dementia. Since the Hospital Authority and more non-government organisations are using HK-MoCA and HK-MoCA 5-Min Protocol to screening persons with cognitive impairment, the demand for professional skills in using these two screening tools is also increasing.This Workshop will train social and healthcare professionals skills in standardised administration and scoring of HK-MoCA, so that students would be able to utilise their knowledge and skills during their clinical studies after the Workshop.
Date: 24 November 2020
Time: 8pm-10pm
Platform: Zoom
All members of HKSAN would be given priority to join. Non-members who are undergraduates of local universities would be eligible too, at a limited quota. The deadline for registration is 20 November 2020 5pm. Late registration would not be accommodated.
A certificate would be issued to participants upon full participation and completion of an evaluation form at the end of the event.
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We understand medical school can be daunting, and we are here for you. The 2-day sharing sessions will provide a guide into making the most out of your university life and academics.
How to make good use of the pre-clinical years under COVID-19? Where can I find research, clinical, and public health opportunities? What kind of clinical year student and doctor do I want to become in the future? How can I benefit from joining HKSAN membership and activities? If you find yourself asking these questions, come to our tea gathering.
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The sessions will be held on 5/9 and 6/9, and please note the specific slots tailored for year 1, DY2, and year 2-3 medical students respectively. Hope to see you there, and let's chat over a nice warm cup of tea or coffee!
Tea gathering:
Sharing from your seniors
Jointly organised by our Department of Scientific Research and Department of Clinical Experience, the 3 webinars will give you an insight into the research advancements and career life of some popular neuroscience specialties.
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The 3 webinars will be held on 25/8, 2/9 and 3/9. We are very glad to have invited Dr Owen KO, Dr Yat CHOW and Dr Hei Ming LAI to be our speakers. Don't miss this chance to ask them questions!
