NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (Primary)
NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (Joint)
Research Areas
Social-ecological determinants of health
Ethnographic epidemiology of urban and community health
Mixed methods assessments of health behaviours and systems
Theories and practices of community-based participatory research
Health disparity and inequity in disadvantaged populations
Ethical and public health implications of genomic and personalised medicine
Teaching Areas
Qualitative research
Mixed methods research
Social epidemiology / Social determinants of health
Community-based participatory research
Global and public health ethics
Academic/Professional Qualifications
Certificate, Medical Ethics, Imperial College of London, UK
MSc, Biostatistics, Columbia University, US
PhD, Health Studies (Applied Psychology), New York University, US
BA, Psychology (Major) and Philosophy (Minor), Yonsei University, South Korea
Awards/Honours
Visiting Fellow, The Ethox Centre, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford (2015)
Visiting Fellow, Institute of Public Health and Public Health Genomic Foundation, University of Cambridge (2012)
Teachers of the Year Award, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong (2013, 2012)
Key Member, World Health Organization (WHO) Network for HIV and Health in the Western Pacific Region (2011)
Faculty Affiliate, Global Health Research Center of Asia, Columbia University (2010)
Annual Publication Award, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University (2010)
US NIH National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparity Award, US National Health Institutes (2008)
US NIMH International Elective Award, US National Institute of Health (2008)
Career History
Assistant Professor, Division of Health System, Policy and Management and Division of Behavioural Health and Health Promotion, School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong (2011-2017)
Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, School of Sociology and Population Study, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China (2009-2010)
US NIMH Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute (2007-2010)
Senior Research Associate, Institute for International Research on Youth at Risk, National Development and Research Institutes (NDRI) (2002-2007)
Administrative Leadership
Director of Research, CUHK Centre for Bioethics, Chinese University of Hong Kong (2014-2017)
Associate Director, Centre for Health Behaviours Research, School of Public Health and Primary Care, Chinese University of Hong Kong (2011-2015)
Executive Committee, International Society for Study of Sexuality, Culture and Society (2007-2010)
Professional/Consulting Activities
Associate Editor, Journal of Mixed Methods Research
Associate Editor, PLOS ONE (Qualitative Research, Social Epidemiology, and Public Health Ethics)
Honorary Research Advisor (Research Methodology), CERT-CUHK-Oxford University Centre for Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response, Chinese University of Hong Kong
Member, Mixed-Methods International Research Association; International Association of Bioethics; International Society for Urban Health; American Psychological Association; American Public Health Association
Selected Publications (Corresponding Author)
The role of child problem behaviours in autism spectrum symptoms and parenting stress: a primary school-based study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2018.
Service provision of non-invasive prenatal testing for Down syndrome in public and private healthcare sectors: a qualitative study with obstetric providers. BMC Health Services Research, 2018, 18: 731.
Interpretations of autonomous decision-making in antenatal genetic screening among women in China, Hong Kong and Pakistan. European Journal of Human Genetics, 2018, 26:495-504.
Obstetric professionals’ perceptions of non-invasive prenatal testing for Down syndrome: clinical usefulness compared with existing tests and ethical implications. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2017, 17:285.
Decision-making for non-invasive prenatal testing for Down syndrome: Hong Kong Chinese women’s preferences for individual versus relational autonomy. Clinical Genetics, 2016, 89:550-556.
Ethical concerns in the implementation of DNA sequencing-based non-invasive prenatal testing for fetal aneuploidy among obstetric professionals in Hong Kong. American Journal of Bioethics Empirical Bioethics, 2015, 6:81-93.
“Do it yourself” in the parent-professional partnership for the assessment and diagnosis of children with autism spectrum conditions in Hong Kong: qualitative study. Autism, 2014, 18:832–844.
Motivations for undertaking a DNA sequencing-based non-invasive prenatal testing for fetal aneuploidy: qualitative study with early adopter patients in Hong Kong. PLOS ONE, 2013, 8:e81794.
