Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) President Prof. Paul Lam Kwan-sing shared the University’s latest developments with the media in a gathering today (7 July). The University is planning to add a number of key teaching and research facilities, including a laboratory for medical laboratory science and a physiotherapy clinic, to nurture medical laboratory technologists and physiotherapy professionals to address the urgent demand for medical professionals in Hong Kong.

There has been a persistent shortage of medical laboratory professionals in Hong Kong in recent years. HKMU is going to launch a “Master of Science in Medical Laboratory Science” programme and a full-time “Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Medical Laboratory Science’ programme in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The University was granted HK$40 million last year from the Education Bureau's “Enhancement and Start-up Grant Scheme for Self-financing Post-secondary Education”, which served as a start-up grant for the launch of the programme.

Prof. Lam revealed that the University’s new approximately 7,000-square-foot laboratory dedicated to medical laboratory science will be equipped with advanced professional medical laboratory equipment. The existing 4,000-square-foot laboratory facilities in the campus for biological and chemical analysis will also be used for the teaching of medical laboratory science. Students will obtain clinical experience in public and private medical laboratories during their practicum. The programme is designed to meet the accreditation requirements of the Medical Laboratory Technologists Board. Students will obtain the corresponding professional qualifications upon completion of the programme, which will provide 60 new medical laboratory professionals in Hong Kong each year.

The University is also preparing to launch a physiotherapy clinic, which will be operated on a non-profit basis. Physiotherapy undergraduates will have clinical practice under the supervision of experienced physiotherapists to apply what they have learned. “The physiotherapy clinic will integrate learning and teaching, clinical practice and the provision of services to the community,” said Prof. Lam. “The clinic will provide high-quality physiotherapy services to provide a better quality of life for HKMU members and the wider community.”

Since taking office 14 months ago, Prof. Lam has led the University to implement a series of measures to enhance learning and teaching. These include changing the five credit unit system to a three credit unit system to provide students with more flexibility in subject selection, establishing the School of Open Learning last September to enshrine university-level open education, and further enhancing the quality of HKMU teaching staff.

The University has also actively promoted the research development, focused on knowledge transfer, and prioritized nine strategic research areas. It created a “Research Impact Fund” to pool resources to support relevant research and development, benefitting society with research results.

At the end of the gathering, Prof. Lam remarked that after the retitling of the University, last month the Council approved the adoption of the new University motto “勵學致遠 敬慎日新” (Transcendence through Erudition and Renewal). He explained that “勵學致遠” emphasizes steadfast learning and its long-term accomplishments, while “敬慎日新”  focuses on the determined and continuous renewal of one’s character and virtue.

The motto matches the mission of the University and reflects its core values and strategic goals. Prof. Lam added, “HKMU is committed to nurturing its students’ all-round development and equipping them with valuable skills and mature thinking to help them realize their full potential and soar high.”

For details of the new motto, please refer to https://www.hkmu.edu.hk/about-hkmu/university-motto/