Newsletter No. 101

CU MEMBERS WIN HONOURS • Vice-Chancellor Prof. Arthur K. C. L i has been appointed a non-executive director of Glaxo Wellcome from 1st January 1997. Prof. Li is the first Asian to be appointed to the post. Based in the UK, Glaxo Wellcome is the world's largest pharmaceutical company with branches in some 70 countries and over 54,000 staff. A research-based company, it has the greatest share of the world market for prescription medicine. Each year it allocates £1.2 billion to research and development in the UK, US, Japan, Italy, Canada, Switzerland, France, Spain, and Singapore. • Prof. Rance R L. Lee, professor of sociology and head of Chung Chi College, was made an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) on the Queen's New Year Honours List announced on 31st December 1996. The list, numbering 110, marks the last in the territory before the end of British rule. Prof. Lee is one of the first locally trained sociologists in Hong Kong. He has been actively involved in the establishment of social research centres at the University. Accounting Link New Year Talk T he CU Accounting L i nk of the University's School of Accountancy organized a dinner talk on 6th January at the Royal Garden Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui East. Over 70 accounting professionals and faculty members shared their views regarding the fresh challenges facing the accounting profession in the next century. Alumnus Mr. Andy S. C. Lee spoke on 'Vision of the Accounting Profession in the 21st Century'. Mr. Lee is deputy finance director of the Hospital Authority, council member of the Hong Kong Society of Accountants, and Accountant of the Year 1996. Mr. Tim Lui, President of the Hong Kong Society of Accountants, was the guest of honour. Prof. Simon S. M. Ho, Director of the School, also gave a brief report on the recent developments of the School and encouraged members of the Link to render more support to the School's academic and student activities. Established in January 1996, the CU Accounting Link is a network comprising some 400 CUHK accounting and non- accounting graduates working in the field of accountancy, former staff members, and individuals from the local industry and accounting professions. Through this network members are updated regularly on the development of the School of Accountancy, and are able to give their advice and support. Chung Chi Students Get a Glimpse of Life in Taiwan C hung Chi students paid a visit to Taipei following a visit by students from National Taiwan University to the college last August. The exchange, supported by the Chung Chi College Board of Trustees, is a part of a student visitor programme between the two institutions. Accompanied by Prof. Raymond Yeung, the 10 students discussed aspects of Chinese society in the two regions with their counterparts in National Taiwan University. They also visited relevant organizations to further their understanding of Taiwanese society. The students' reports and the highlights of their eight-day visit will be on exhibition in the lower lounge of the chapel and Chung Chi Tang from 22nd to 31st January. CUHKHELPSSETUPHK'S Fi rst WHOCENTREFOR SPORTS MEDICINE T he University established the first World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Sports Medicine and Health Promotion last month. Housed in Union Hospital, it is the product of the j o i nt efforts of the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, the Department of Community and Family Medicine, and the Department of Medicine. The centre aims at raising awareness of the benefits of exercise as well as helping members of the public to assess their body strength and develop their own fitness programmes. There are experts at the centre to treat sports injuries and develop exercise programmes. Centre director Prof. K. M. Chan dispels the myth that sports are only for athletes by pointing out that everyone should play some sport, for even moderate-intensity exercise done two to three times a week can do the body much good. The centre w i ll collaborate with WHO to promote health and prevent diseases in the Asia Pacific region through education and research in sports medicine. It is equipped with a Sports Medicine Resource Centre which has an exhaustive collection of educational materials. Plans are also in the pipeline to train sports medicine experts. It is hoped that the centre will facilitate interinstitutional and multi-disciplinary research on sports science, sports injuries, epidemiology and advanced technology, molecular biology and soft tissues, sport rehabilitation and isokinetic technology. The officiating party tour around the new centre The Chinese University Press New Book The following book will be sold at a 20 per cent discount to staff members at the University Bookshop, John Fulton Centre. Atlas of Disease Mortalities in Hong Kong for the Three Five-year Periods in 1979-93 Edited by Owen Llewelyn Lloyd, Wong Tze-wai, Yu Tak-sun, Wong Siu-lan, Sham Lai-kuen, Fung Tung, and Luo Fu-tian, this is the first pictorial presentatior of the relationships between disease mortalities and the environment of Hong Kong. Questions such as 'To what extent is the health of Hong Kong residents being affected by where they have lived in the city?' and 'Are residents in certain districts more likely to suffer from certain diseases than others, and if so, why?' are investigated and data are collected using advanced techniques for geographical mapping. The resulting maps and tables give an accurate picture of the age-distribution of the population, deaths, and the standardized ratios of deaths by area over three periods, 1979-83, 1984—88, and 1989- 93. It can be seen that during these periods, districts in Hong Kong varied widely and consistently in death rates due to different diseases. For some diseases, the patterns persisted throughout the 15 years; for others, they eventually faded. By combining knowledge of Hong Kong communities and their living environments with findings from international studies of diseases prevalent locally, the authors discuss the probable contributions of genetics and environment to these disease patterns. ISBN 962-201-732-0, 288 pages, hardcover, HK$825