Our People

BA (Calif., Berkeley), MSc (Brown), MPH (Col.), PhD (Sing.), FACE

Email: suzanneho@cuhk.edu.hk

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• Founding Director, Centre for Research and Promotion of Women's Health

Biography

Suzanne C Ho is Emeritus Professor of Public Health, and Founding Director of the Centre of Research and Promotion of Women’s Health of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Head of Epidemiology Division from 2007-2009, Professor Ho is also the Founding Director of the Postgraduate Programmes of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and served as Programme Director from 1990 to 2010.

Professor Ho’s major research interests are in women’s health (particularly mid-life women), nutritional epidemiology, aging, and breast cancer. She has obtained many competitive grants from the government as well as international research funds for studies in the above-mentioned areas. Her publications have totaled 21 books/book chapters, and over 263 scientific publications in refereed journals. In addition, Professor Ho is actively involved in and has contributed to over 66 publications from Multi-center Studies. She has served as the Principal Supervisor of 13 PhD candidates and over 65 MPhil/MPH/MSc students and External Examiner of over 20 Mphil/PhD candidates.

• Women’s health – health of midlife women, soy protein and isoflavones intake and women’s health, cardiovascular health, body composition, life-style determinants

• Osteoporosis – bone mass and bone loss in different age groups and their determinants

• Breast cancer – predictors of breast cancer survival, diet and breast cancer risks and survival, behavioral changes among breast cancer survivors.

• Nutritional epidemiology – nutritional intake in population groups, dietary intake and effects on health, particularly chronic diseases

• Aging – epidemiology of aging, morbidity outcomes, and longitudinal study on mortality

Selected Publications

1. Chung GKK, Yu RHY, Ho SSY, Woo J, Chung RY, Yeoh EK, Ho SC*. Prospective association of obesity patterns with subclinical carotid plaque development in early postmenopausal Chinese women. Obesity. 2020 Jul;28(7):1342-1350.

2. Lei YY, Ho SC, Cheng A, Kwok C, Cheung KL, He YQ, Lee R, Yeo W. The association between soy isoflavone intake and menopausal symptoms after breast cancer diagnosis: a prospective longitudinal cohort study on Chinese breast cancer patients. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2020;181(1):167-180.

3. Styrkarsdottir U, Stefansson OA, Gunnarsdottir K, Thorleifsson G, Lund SH, Stefansdottir L, Juliusson K, Agustsdottir AB, Zink F, Halldorsson GH, Ivarsdottir EV, Benonisdottir S, Jonsson H, Gylfason A, Norland K, Trajanoska K, Boer CG, Southam L, Leung JCS, Tang NLS, Kwok TCY, Lee JSW, Ho SC, Byrjalsen I, Center JR, Lee SH, Koh JM, Lohmander LS, Ho-Pham LT, Nguyen TV, Eisman JA, Woo J, Leung PC, Loughlin J, Zeggini E, Christiansen C, Rivadeneira F, van Meurs J, Uitterlinden AG, Mogensen B, Jonsson H, Ingvarsson T, Sigurdsson G, Benediktsson R, Sulem P, Jonsdottir I, Masson G, Holm H, Norddahl GL, Thorsteinsdottir U, Gudbjartsson DF, Stefansson K. GWAS of bone size yields twelve loci that also affect height, BMD, osteoarthritis or fractures. Nat Commun. 2019;10(1):2358.

4. Lei YY, Ho SC, Cheng A, Kwok C, Lee CI, Cheung KL, Lee R, Loong HHF, He YQ, Yeo W. Adherence to the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research Guideline Is Associated With Better Health-Related Quality of Life Among Chinese Patients With Breast Cancer. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2018;16(3):275-285.

5. Ho SC, Liang ZZ, Yu RHY, Sham A. Association of life events and depressive symptoms among early postmenopausal Chinese women in Hong Kong. Menopause 2017;24(2):180-186.

6. Styrkarsdottir U, Thorleifsson G, Gudjonsson SA, Sigurdsson A, Center JR, Lee SH, Nguyen TV, Kwok TCY, Lee JSW, Ho SC, Woo J, Leung PC, Kim BJ, Rafnar T, LA Kiemeney, Ingvarsson T, Koh JM, Tang NLS, Eisman JA, Christiansen C, Sigurdsson G, Thorsteinsdottir U, Stefansson K. Sequence variants in the PTCH1 gene associate with spine bone mineral density and osteoporotic fractures. Nat Commun. 2016;7:10129.

7. Li B, Wang L, Lu MS, Mo XF, Lin FY, Ho SC*, Zhang CX. Passive smoking and breast cancer risk among non-smoking women: a case-control study in China. PLoS One. 2015;10(4):e0125894.

8. Liu ZM, Ho SC*, Chen YM, Ho S, To K, Tomlinson B, Woo J. Whole soy, but not purified daidzein, had a favorable effect on improvement of cardiovascular risks: a 6-month randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled trial in equol-producing postmenopausal women. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2014;58(4):709-17

9. Xie Y, Ho SC. Prenotification had no additional effect on the response rate and survey quality: a randomized trial. J Clin Epidemiol. 2013;66(12):1422-6.

10. Parr CL, Batty GD, Lam HT, Barzi F, Fang XH, Ho SC, Jee SH, Ansary-Moghaddam A, Jamrozik K (deceased), Ueshima H, Woodward M and Huxley RR on behalf of the Asia Pacific Cohort Studies Collaboration. Obesity, overweight and cancer mortality in the Asia-Pacific Cohort Studies Collaboration: pooled analyses of 424 519 participants. Lancet Oncol. 2010;11(8):741-752

11. Cooper R, Kuh D, Hardy R and the Mortality Review Group on behalf of the FALCon and HALCyon study teams. Ho SC (Member of Mortality Review Group). Objectively measured of physical capability levels and mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Brit Med J 2010;341:c4467.

12. Liu ZM, Chen YM, Ho SC*, Ho YP, Woo J. Effects of soy protein and isoflavones on glycemic control and insulin sensitivity: a 6-mo double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in postmenopausal Chinese women with prediabetes or untreated early diabetes. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010;91(5):1394-401
    * Corresponding Author

Last Updated: 11 August 2020