Opening of the 7^th Pan-Pacific Nursing Conference (from left):  Dr. Mary Foong, Principal Nursing Officer, Department of Health; Mr. John Li, Chairman, Board of Governors, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Charity Foundation; Professor Wai-tong Chien, Director and Professor of the Nethersole School of Nursing; Dr. the Honourable Che-hung Leong; Professor Mai-har Sham and Prof. Tai-fai Fok, Pro-Vice-Chancellors/Vice-Presidents of CUHK; Dr. Joseph Lee, President of Wofoo Social Enterprises; Mr. Lawrence Poon, Chief Manager (Nursing)/Chief Nurse Executive, Hospital Authority

The Nethersole School of Nursing (the School), Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) hosted the 7th Pan-Pacific Nursing Conference on 28 and 29 May, and the pre-conference workshops on 26 and 27 May in a virtual mode. The conference with more than 600 health and social care delegates worldwide attending is also one of the key activities to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the School this year.

The School organised the inaugural Pan-Pacific Nursing Conference in 1999. Since then, the conference has become a regular event in the international nursing conference calendar to address major regional or global health issues or challenges. The theme of this year’s conference was “From Evidence to Impact: Co-designing Care for Future”. It aimed to bring together multi-disciplinary healthcare providers, policy-makers, educators, and researchers worldwide to expand the impact of research evidence to improve health and social care and their outcomes across local and global contexts. The Asian and Pacific Alliance for Nursing Education and 15 universities from China, Australia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States were the supporting organisations of this conference, which was funded by the Professional Services Advancement Support Scheme of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)

Officiating guests at the opening ceremony included Professor Sophia Chan, JP, Secretary for Food and Health, the HKSAR Government; Professor Tai-fai Fok, SBS, JP, Pro-Vice-Chancellor/Vice-President of CUHK; Professor Mai-har Sham, Pro-Vice-Chancellor/Vice-President of CUHK; Dr. the Honourable Che-hung Leong, GBM, GBS, OBE, JP; Mr. John Li, MH, AE, Chairman, Board of Governors, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Charity Foundation; Dr. Mary Foong, Principal Nursing Officer, Department of Health, the HKSAR Government; Mr. Lawrence Poon, Chief Manager (Nursing)/Chief Nurse Executive, Hospital Authority; Dr. Joseph Lee, GBS, OStJ, JP, President of Wofoo Social Enterprises; and Professor Wai-tong Chien, Director and Professor of the School. 

Following the ceremony, Professor Barbara Riegel, Edith Clemmer Steinbright Professor of Gerontology, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania delivered a keynote address on “Co-designing care to improve self-care”. Her presentation inspired participants to develop new understandings of self-care maintenance and the relevant monitoring and management of chronic illnesses. Another keynote speaker Professor Laurie Badzek, Dean and Professor, College of Nursing, The Pennsylvania State University gave her views on the theme “Global Genomics Nursing Alliance: Journey to the roadmap and beyond” on the second day of the conference. In her speech, she highlighted the importance of global efforts to bring the benefits of genomics to everyday nursing practice.

More than 30 renowned international healthcare experts were invited as speakers for a variety of scientific sessions during and before the conference, including four pre-conference workshops, three plenary sessions, and one round-table discussion session, as well as five symposiums on genetics and genomics development in nursing, chronic illness care, stroke care, cancer and palliative care, and mental healthcare. A total of 233 scientific abstracts relating to the conference theme and sub-themes were accepted for oral or e-poster presentations during the conference. 

In common with many cities worldwide, Hong Kong is now facing major healthcare challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing burdens of chronic illnesses. Through this conference and its scientific sessions, the speakers and participants were actively engaged in dynamic discussions in various theme areas, which include acute and critical care, aged care and chronic illness management, cancer and palliative care, mental health issues, genomics, symptom management, healthcare system and its policy and leadership, and innovative healthcare practices, to translate interdisciplinary research into practice, thereby providing incisive propositions for the future development of the medical care industry.

For more information about the conference, please visit: http://7thpanpacificconf.nur.cuhk.edu.hk.