Research Team -
Child health
Principal Investigators
Prof. NELSON Edmund Anthony Severn (Tony)
Dr. HUI Connie
Dr. YEUNG Karene
Research Staff
Ms. CHAN Oi Yi Cecil
Ms. DENG Han Bing Debbie
Ms. LAM Sze Chai Shirley
Ms. LEUNG Woon Wa Cecily
Ms. TAI Sin Ming
Ms. TAM Grace
Ms. YEUNG Ching Wun Christy
Post-graduate students
Ms. Khadka Shradda (PhD)
Ms. SUN Kexin (PhD)
Research Scope
An overview of research focus
The team strives to make a positive impact on the lives of Hong Kong children and their families by building the evidence base to inform policy changes that could prevent disease. These studies include randomized controlled trials to increase uptake of rotavirus and influenza vaccines, economic evaluations to demonstrate potential cost savings from increased vaccine and breastfeeding uptake, and studies aiming prevent obesity and promote healthy nutrition.
A list of research topics
Diarrhoeal and respiratory surveillance and disease burden
Rotavirus and influenza vaccines
Growth and nutrition
Prevention and treatment of childhood obesity and complications
Breastfeeding promotion
Early life exposures and child health
Economic evaluations and health technology assessments
Selected publications
Wang X, Hui LL, Cole TJ, Nelson EAS, Lam HS. Fitness of INTERGROWTH- 21st birth weight standard for Chinese- ethnicity babies. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed Epub ahead of print: [please include Day Month Year]. doi:10.1136/archdischild- 2022- 325066
Hui LL, Ho FK, Wright CM, Cole TJ, Lam HS, Deng HB, So HK, Ip P, Nelson EAS. World variation in head circumference for children from birth to 5 years and a comparison with the WHO standards. Arch Dis Child Epub ahead of print: doi:10.1136/archdischild-2022-324661
Hui LL, Yeung KHT, Chow KM, Poon LC, Ip PLS, Nelson EAS. Breastfeeding challenges and opportunities during COVID-19 in Hong Kong. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. 2022. DOI:10.1111/jpc.16238
Galagoda GCS, Perera J, de Silva R, Wickramasinghe HT, Dasanayake D, Bravo L, Ismail Z, Goh DYT, Nelson EAS. ASVAC2022 : 8th Asian Vaccine Conference. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics 2023, vol. 19, no. 1, 2165360 https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2023.2165360
Hui LL, Nelson EAS, Deng HB, Leung TY, Ho CH, Chong JSC, Fung GPG, Hui J, Lam HS. The view of Hong Kong parents on secondary use of dried blood spots in newborn screening program. BMC Med Ethics 2022;23:105. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-022-00839-z
Fernández Coves A, Yeung KHT, van der Putten IM, Nelson EAS. Teleconsultation adoption since COVID-19: comparison of barriers and facilitators in primary care settings in Hong Kong and the Netherlands. Health Policy 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2022.07.012
Alice Abou-Nader A, Heffelfinger JD, Amarasinghe A, Nelson EAS. Assessing perceptions of establishing a vaccine pooled procurement mechanism for the Western Pacific Region. PLOS Global Public Health August 12, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0000801
Hui LL, Nelson EAS, Lin SL, Zhao JV. The role of vitamin C in pneumonia and COVID-19 infection in adults with European ancestry: a Mendelian randomisation study. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2022-04. DOI: 10.1038/s41430-021-00993-4
de Haas TDJ, Yeung KHT, Hutubessy R, van der Putten IM, Nelson EAS. Programme costs for introducing age/gestation-based universal influenza vaccine schedules for young children and pregnant women in Hong Kong. Vaccine 2021;39(46):6762-80.
Dang TKN, Rivero Cabrera R, Yeung KHT, van der Putten IM, Nelson EAS. Feasibility of age- and gestation-based routine universal influenza vaccines schedules for children aged 6 months - 2 years and pregnant women. Vaccine 2021;39(46):6754-61.
Grants (On-going)
Study title: Increasing Rotavirus Vaccine Uptake: A Randomised Controlled Trial
Funding source: Food and Health Bureau - Health and Medical Research Fund
Study period: 5 Oct 2020 to 4 Apr 2023
Reference number: 19180202
Principal Investigator: Tony Nelson
Co-investigators: Karene Yeung, WH Tam, Genny Fung
Study title: Novel therapeutics for non-communicable Paediatric Diseases
Sub-project: Ketogenic Diet for Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Obese Adolescents: A Randomised Control Trial
Funding source: Food and Health Bureau - Commissioned Studies
Study period: 1 Aug 2021 to 31 Jul 2024
Reference number: PR-CUHK-3
Principal Investigator: TF Leung
Co-investigators: Tony Nelson (lead investigator of sub-project), Dorothy Chan, Joanna Tung, Connie Hui, Winnie Chu
Study title: Improving Influenza Vaccine Uptake in Pregnant Women: A Randomised Controlled Trial
Funding source: Food and Health Bureau - Health and Medical Research Fund
Study period: 1 Nov 2022 to 31 Oct 2024
Reference number: 21200932
Principal Investigator: Albert Li
Co-investigators: Tony Nelson, Karene Yeung, WH Tam, Chow Ka Ming, Connie Yip
Study title: Surveillance of Streptococcus Pneumoniae and Respiratory Viruses in Children Hospitalised for Acute Respiratory Illnesses in Hong Kong (2017-2019) to Assess the Ongoing Impact of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines
Funding source: Merck Sharp & Dohme (Asia) Ltd
Study period: 1 Apr 21 to 31 Mar 2023
Reference number: 170693841
Principal Investigator: Margaret Ip
Co-investigators: Tony Nelson
Grants (Recently completed)
Study title: Hong Kong Growth Study
Funding source: Food and Health Bureau - Commissioned Studies
Study period: 1 Feb 2019 to 31 Jan 2023
Reference number: GC-CUHK
Principal Investigator: Tony Nelson
Co-investigators: Thomas Chung, Patrick Ip, Simon Lam, YC Lo, Shirley Leung, Connie Hui
Study title: Mothers’ Barrier to Sustain Exclusive Breastfeeding in the First Six Months
Funding source: Food and Health Bureau - Commissioned Studies
Study period: 1 Jan 2021 to 31 Oct 2022
Reference number: Breastfeeding (Mothers' Barriers) CUHK
Principal Investigator: Tony Nelson
Co-investigators: Karene Yeung, Connie Hui, Chow Ka Ming, Esther Lau, Nigel Rollins
Study title: The Development and Evaluation of a Remote Exchange Clerkship Programme
Funding source: Courseware Development Grant Scheme (2019-22)
Study period: 1 May 2021 to 31 Jul 2022
Reference number: 4170818
Principal Investigator: Tony Nelson
Co-investigators: Simon Lam, Kate Chan, Connie Hui
Study title: Economic Evaluation on Breastfeeding Promotion in Hong Kong
Funding source: Food and Health Bureau - Health and Medical Research Fund
Study period: 1 Jun 2020 to 31 May 2022
Reference number: 07181226
Principal Investigator: Connie Hui
Co-investigators: Tony Nelson, Carlos Wong
Study title: Provision of Services to the Department of Health for Conducting Study of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Human Milk
Funding source: Department of Health, Hong Kong SAR
Study period: 29 Mar 2019 to 22 Apr 2022
Reference number: 136535299
Principal Investigator: Wong TW
Co-investigators: Tony Nelson
News of the team
Dutch Students Compare Healthcare Policy between Hong Kong and Home
CUHK and Maastricht University (Maastricht), both members of the Worldwide Universities Network, have had an exchange programme involving 14 master’s and PhD students since 2017.
https://www.oal.cuhk.edu.hk/202109-49-research-attachments/
CUHK-Designed Intervention Package Proves Effective to Increase Influenza Vaccine Uptake in Hong Kong Young Children
The team has conducted an intervention trial which proved that a four-component intervention package, designed by the team, could triple influenza vaccination uptake in children aged below 2 years.
Collaborations and opportunities to research students
Maastricht University
Master of Science in Healthcare Policy Innovation and Management within the Faculty of Health, Medicine & Life Sciences
The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Maastricht University are both members of the World University Network. In 2017, Inge van der Putten came to Hong Kong as part of the “Global Health Scholar Exchange Programme – PhD exchange” and studied “Inclusion and use of vaccines in Hong Kong's mixed Public-Private funding model of health care” during her 3-month stay. In collaboration with the Jockey Club School of Public Health’s Global Health Initiative, three Maastricht masters students Lisa Meels, Nina Meels and Simone Maassen studied factors affecting the underuse of Oral Rehydration Salts, access to vaccination in Hong Kong and decision-making process on the uptake of vaccines. In 2018, Loubelle Butalid and Vera Heijnert came to study factors affecting the doctor’s recommendation of the influenza vaccination and pricing and provision of the HPV vaccine in the region. In 2019, Sandra Dang and Romen Rivero Cabrera studied the feasibility of including influenza vaccines in routine schedules for young children and pregnant women. In 2020, Thomas de Haas costed these schedules. For 2021 Andrea Fernandez Coves studied “Factors for teleconsultation adoption in primary care: the role of physicians and the funding models of Hong Kong and the Netherlands” and Klara I. Szent-Iványi explored “What are the respective roles of National Regulatory Authorities, National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups, pharmaceutical companies and governments in vaccine licensure, and how do they affect vaccine access. In 2022, Ines Vieira da Costa undertook a study on speech therapy support for children with autism.
Asian Vaccine Conferences
Tony Nelson chairs the Steering Committee of Immunization Partners in Asia Pacific and has led the organizing team for recent conferences in Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar and Sir Lanka. The next 2023 conference is scheduled to be held in Philippines in November 2023.