Calendar 2001–02

Faculty and Departmental Research/Consultancy Units 119 China through the development of new food products and new technology in food processing. The activities of the laboratory are focused on the modernization of procedures for processing traditional Chinese food items, and the use of integrative biotechnology in developing health food products. Research projects underway include the evaluation of the medicinal and nutritional value of mushrooms; development of mushroom-based health food items; quality control in the canning of mushrooms; cloning of DNA associated with shrimp-derived allergens; application of molecular biology to mushroom breeding; evaluation of mushrooms as a source for commercial flavourants; development of microbial products for use in the food industries; upgrading of food industry wastes into added-value products; genetically engineering plants for improved food quality; and the use of plants as bioreactors to produce specialty products. Shatin Community Clinic for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer Tel.: 2632 1015 Fax.: 2637 6274 E-mail: archang@cuhk.edu.hk The clinic was established in 1995 to gather accurate data on the incidence of abnormal cervical smears and cervical cancer in Hong Kong and to promote research through the application of automation and new technologies in the examination of cervical smears and other cytological specimens. Currently, an AutoPap primary screening instrument, the only one in China, is used for evaluating Pap smears. The clinic also promotes Pap smear screening among local women by offering free Pap tests to all eligible women five days a week from 11.00 hours to 19.00 hours. The clinic is funded by generous donations from the Hong Kong Cancer Fund and is located on the Lower Ground Floor and 5th Floor, Cancer Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital. The Social and Public Health Psychiatry Unit Tel.: 2632 3639 Fax.: 2637 7884 The Social and Public Health Psychiatry Unit was established in March 1999 with a view to promoting research that is relevant to the sociocultural and public health aspects of a variety of mental and behavioural disorders that accompany social change, such as depression, neurasthenia, substance abuse and suicide, in Chinese society. These include, among others, the epidemiology of mental disorders, primary care psychiatry, women’s health, stigma, access to care, health policy development, and the interactions between biology and local culture.