The 3rd International E-Symposium for Communication in Health Care by HKU Research and Impact Initiative on Communication in Healthcare

Research and Impact Initiative on Communication in Healthcare (HKU RIICH) at the Faculty of Arts, the University of Hong Kong will hold the 3rd International E-Symposium for Communication in Health Care entitled “Advancing Frontiers of Health Communication Research, Education and Practice during the Pandemic” via Zoom on 1 and 2 March, 2021.

Effective health communication is more essential than ever during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Ever-changing health information, conflicting views and advice, coupled with uncertainty and anxiety among the world’s populations have challenged many well-established and effective health communication practices. Medical and healthcare professionals face the daily reality of difficult conversations about death and dying, the need to establish rapport with patients and families remotely, and significant burnout, among other challenges.

Communication with chronically ill patients and those with acute diseases other than COVID-19 is also disrupted due to the wide-spread restrictions on access to medical facilities and services. Medical educators confront new challenges in providing students with clinical exposure in live clinical contexts to achieve graduate competencies. Some medical students were fast-tracked to graduation to join the frontline in this unprecedented fight. These are just a sample of the many issues brought to the fore by the pandemic. Meanwhile, other clinical issues related to effective health communication that existed pre-pandemic remained.

Associate Professor Dr. Olga Zayts-Spence, Director of the Research and Impact Initiative on Communication in Healthcare says: “Medical research has been, understandably, prioritized in the first year of the pandemic, however, it has now become evident that other impacts of the pandemic, such as social, educational or mental health impacts, also have severe and long-lasting effect and call for immediate attention. Effective health communication across social domains is a key factor in addressing and ameliorating these negative impacts. At HKU RIICH we are committed to conducting impactful interdisciplinary research that can make a difference.”

HKU RIICH is a founding member of the International Consortium for Communication in Health Care (IC4CH). The consortium’s mission is to translate cutting-edge communication research into best practice and training for safe and compassionate health care. Other key members of the consortium include Australian National University (Australia), Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), University College London (UK), Lancaster University (UK), Queensland University of Technology (Australia).

The 2-day event will bring together international academics and practitioners from across relevant disciplines of health communication, linguistics, social sciences, medical education and medicine to share their ongoing research and practical insights to address the challenges of health communication in the current times and lessons going forward.

Date: March 1 to 2, 2021 (Monday, Tuesday)

Time:

Day 1: 9.00 am to 7.00 pm (HKT)

Day 2: 9.00 am to 6.15 pm (HKT)

Via Zoom, please find the details of the Symposium and the registration at: tinyurl.com/14iitvh8

For further details of RIICH please visit: https://www.hkuriich.org/, or contact Dr. Olga Zayts-Spence, zayts@hku.hk.

For media enquiries or individual interview requests, please contact Ms Grace Cheung, Development and Communications Team, Faculty of Arts, Tel: (852) 3917 4633 / email: gracewyc@hku.hk.

港大歷史學者成第一位榮獲國際著名書獎 “Grace Abbott Book Prize” 的日本研究學者

日本研究系助理教授鮑蘭雅博士 (Dr. Janet Borland) 以《Earthquake Children: Building Resilience from the Ruins of Tokyo》(麻薩諸塞州劍橋: 哈佛大學亞洲中心，2020) 榮獲2020年度「格麗斯雅博書獎(Grace Abbott Book Prize)」。

該獎項每年由兒童及青年歷史學會(Society for the History of Children and Youth)頒發給有關兒童、童年、及青少年歷史的最佳英語著作。鮑博士透過網上會議出席於愛爾蘭高威舉行的雙年會議之頒獎儀式。她是第一位榮獲此國際著名書獎的日本研究學者。

「日本人面對災難之復原力是從他們固有的沉著性格而來」一直是主流的想法。鮑博士的著作正正挑戰該想法。她指日本當代備災文化是由1923年摧毀東京的關東大地震後，日本人對備災工作不斷的學習和演練而成。

「1923年，在東京的廢墟裡，兒童絕對沒有被忽視。地震後四星期內，他們回到臨時學校，並以在地震中的經歷和對未來的希望為題寫文章和畫圖畫。」鮑博士解釋說。「日本專家意識到，兒童坦率的聲音能在正從災難中復原的社會扮演重要角色。因此，兒童和他們的創作皆獲重視，並為各種紀念、教育學、和政治目的成為希望的先驅、復原力的標誌、和感恩的使者。」

「鮑博士發掘了地震前後精彩的檔案資料，從而展示兒童在日本發展其獨特的災難防備方法之過程中擔當關鍵角色，」獎項委員會說，「這書提供了一個模範例子，展示出歷史學者如何把兒童創作的資料分析和囊括到他們的著作中。」

國際獎項委員稱他們對鮑博士「廣闊而富創意的檔案資料使用、以及她對兒童各種各樣有關災難的創作 (包括敘述、圖畫和詩詞)之細緻分析」感到「尤其印象深刻」。

獎項委員會亦稱讚「此書行文優美、清楚易明，而且關於研究方法的討論有助理解。」他們一致認同該兩優點「令這書對多個領域的學者和學生都有價值。」

「對於獲頒Grace Abbott Book Prize 我深感榮幸，」鮑博士說，「我最大的願望是《Earthquake Children》能繼續吸引廣大讀者，並幫助突顯歷史上以及將來兒童在推動災難防備中扮演的重要角色。」

這獎項為鮑博士以她第一本著作獲得的第二個獎項。2020年7月，《Earthquake Children》獲香港人文學院 (Hong Kong Academy of the Humanities) 頒授「第一本書獎」(First Book Prize)。

鮑博士獲美國科羅拉多大學波德分校邀請，將於7月11至12日在「2021自然危害工作坊」(Natural Hazards Workshop)分享她的著作。她是於主要為資深社會科學學者的領域中唯一一位展示書作的日本歷史學者。此工作坊齊集危害和災難研究者，更包括來自聯邦緊急事務管理局 (Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) )和美國地質調查局(United States Geological Survey (USGS))的聯邦和州份官員。這些組織在美國帶領並推進災難研究和防備。

鮑蘭雅是屢獲獎項的現代日本歷史學者。她集中研究人類、大自然、及建設環境之間的基礎關係。鮑博士在香港大學積極融合她的研究、教學、和知識交流活動。她的研究為先教學理念啟發她開拓「青年領袖日本遊」(Young Leaders Tour of Japan)。此獨特的遊學團由三菱商事支持，為港大學生親身體驗宮城和福島在2011年東日本大震災、海嘯、及核子危機後的重建和復原而設。她分別在2021年度及2018年度獲香港大學頒授「學院知識交流獎」及「傑出教學獎(個人)」，以表揚她的成就。

有關兩項書獎之詳情，請瀏覽以下網頁：
https://www.shcy.org/news-announcements/janet-borland-wins-2020-grace-abbott-book-prize/
https://www.humanities.hk/news/borland-wins-first-book-prize-2020

有關鮑博士及《Earthquake Children》之詳情，請瀏覽以下網頁：
https://bulletin.hku.hk/books/children-of-the-quake/

傳媒查詢，請聯絡文學院執行主任葉小姐(電話: 3917 4984 / 電郵: natalie.yip@hku.hk)

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The 3rd International E-Symposium for Communication in Health Care by HKU Research and Impact Initiative on Communication in Healthcare

2021-02-22