Speakers

Acting Chief Executive Officer, Cochrane

Biography

Dr. Karla Soares-Weiser is a global leader and currently Acting CEO of Cochrane, the world’s most trusted producer of scientific evidence. She has served as Cochrane’s Editor-in-Chief since 2019, driving transformative changes in evidence synthesis to deliver timely, high-quality, and actionable insights for millions worldwide, including policymakers and governments. With over three decades of expertise spanning research, academia, and leadership, Dr. Soares-Weiser is deeply committed to addressing urgent health challenges and inequities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. A board-certified psychiatrist with a Master’s in Mental Health Epidemiology and a Doctorate in Evidence-Based Health Care, Dr. Soares-Weiser excels in building partnerships, shaping global strategies, and delivering impactful solutions at the intersection of healthcare, innovation, and equity.

President, Tencent Healthcare

Biography

Alex dedicates his career to harnessing technological innovations to promote global health equity and accessibility for underserved communities.

Currently, as the head of Tencent Healthcare, he drives AI-powered digital transformation initiatives within the healthcare sector, overseeing Tencent Healthcare Mini-Program that integrates online and offline medical services, deploys AI-driven self-service tools, and collaborates with healthcare institutions to enhance patient care across the entire journey—from prevention and diagnosis to treatment and chronic disease management. Concurrently, Alex leads Tencent’s AI for Life Sciences Lab, where his team pioneers advanced AI models for drug discovery and multi-omics analysis; and leads Tencent’s Inclusive Health Lab where his team develops AI-enabled software systems to support breast/cervical cancer and congenital heart disease screening in resource-limited settings.

Beyond his corporate roles, Alex contributes to global health as a member of the World Health Organization’s Digital Health Technical Advisory Group, where he advises on ethical AI and digital health policies. He also shares his expertise as an honorary professor at the University of Hong Kong, teaching a master course on health innovation and strategies.

Prior to his tenure at Tencent, Alex served as Deputy Director for Health Innovation and Partnership at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, devising strategies to scale affordable health products and solutions in LMICs. Earlier, as an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company in the U.S. and Hong Kong, he counseled Fortune 500 companies and governments on optimizing healthcare systems and adopting transformative strategies and technologies.

He read medicine (BHB/MBChB) at University of Auckland and practiced at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland, followed by Postgraduate Diploma in Health Informatics from the University of Otago, and Master of Public Health (MPH) from Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Vice-Director of Research / Professor, The Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Biography

Previously the School Director (August 2014 – July 2020), Professor Chair Sek Ying is now the Vice-Director of Research and the Head of Graduate Division of the Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). She is the Director of the CUHK Medical Centre. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a Co-Chair of International Council of Nurses (ICN) Advanced Practice Nursing Network (APNN). She was appointed by the Hong Kong government as a member of the HMRF Grant Review Board; a co-opted member of the Advisory Committee for Regulatory Standards for Private Healthcare Facilities, Department of Health; a member of the Chinese Medicine Development Blueprint Subcommittee, Chinese Medicine Development Committee, Health Bureau; and a member of the Working Group on Advanced and Specialised Nursing Practice, Nursing Council of Hong Kong. She is currently the Immediate Past President of the Hong Kong Academy of Nursing & Midwifery, the Founding President and Council Member of the Hong Kong College of Cardiac Nursing, and an honorary advisor or consultant for many professional organisations, including the Advisory Board of the School of Nursing at Tung Wah College, and the Management Board of the School of Nursing at Union Hospital. At CUHK, she is also a Fellow of the CW Chu College.

Professor Chair received her PhD in Nursing from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Centre, Denver, USA. Her research interests focus on cardiovascular and critical care nursing. She has published over 230 peer-refereed journal papers and was widely invited to speak at international conferences. She has been named among the World’s Top 2% Scientists by Standard University for 2021, 2022 and 2023. She was honoured with many prestigious awards including Cardiac Nursing Awards 2007 (First Prize of Excellence or Innovation in Acute or Critical Care, and Third Prize of Excellence or Innovation in Cardiac Intervention or Surgery) by the British Journal of Cardiac Nursing and British Association for Nursing in Cardiovascular Care, Award of Excellence in Social Engagement 2013 and University Education Award 2016 by CUHK, and Gold Merit Awards 2016 and 2018 by the Hong Kong Academy of Nursing. Most recently, Professor Chair was awarded the Chief Executive’s Commendation for Community Service 2022 in recognition of her outstanding community contributions. She is also an Editorial Board Member of Asian Nursing Research, Journal of Research in Nursing and International Journal of Nursing Sciences.

Assistant Professor, The Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Biography

Professor Connie Chong is an Assistant Professor at the Nethersole School of Nursing, within the Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She holds registration as a nurse and has garnered extensive clinical experience in both medicine and paediatrics. Her research is primarily anchored in contextual behavioural science (CBS), with a particular emphasis on applying and evaluating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for family caregivers of children who have special needs and chronic conditions. Professor Chong has garnered recognition through her publications, invited presentations, research awards, and competitive grants from the Food and Health Bureau, the Innovation and Technology Fund, and the University Grants Committee, positioning her as a leading local academic in applying CBS research frameworks to caregiving contexts.

Recently, Professor Chong has expanded her research focus to include the application of machine learning and natural language processing techniques in CBS-related psychotherapies. Her innovative endeavours have led to the development of Pai.ACTTM, a pioneering mobile application featuring the world’s first patented integration of deep-learning algorithms with ACT. This app is specifically tailored for family caregivers of children with special needs, offering tiered emotional support through an AI chatbot that delivers personalised ACT therapeutic dialogues based on the user’s psychological needs and escalates to live online counselling as necessary. Pai.ACTTM has achieved various non-provisional patents and has been highlighted in numerous media reports. The invention was awarded a gold medal at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva and a silver medal at the 2024 Silicon Valley International Inventions Exhibition in the United States.

Associate Professor, The Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Biography

Professor Suzanne Lo is an Associate Professor of the Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is a registered nurse possessing ample experience in community care. She received her Ph.D. in Health from the Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Her doctoral research work focused on examining the effectiveness of self-management programmes for community-dwelling stroke survivors.

Professor Lo is well-experienced in conducting randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews. The results of her studies were published in international peer-reviewed journals including Stroke, Disability and Rehabilitation, BMC Neurology, Annals of Behavioural Medicine, and the International Journal of Nursing Studies. She is the principal investigator of several funded research projects in areas related to stroke self-management, home-based ballet-inspired workouts, community reintegration, work ability of stroke survivors, and promoting social inclusion towards people with physical disabilities. Her research also examines the effects of health-promoting interventions that involve partnerships between healthcare professionals and lay and peer volunteers. She is a co-investigator of several funded research projects in areas such as nurse staffing levels and multidisciplinary stroke care.

Professor Lo established the Hayley Hand Care Company Limited in 2024. It is the first social enterprise in Hong Kong to provide humanistic and scientific hand care for the betterment of people with hand spasticity. The social enterprise also promotes employment among golden-aged women by employing and training them to assist in service delivery.

Professor Lo teaches both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. She is a co-applicant of several teaching grants for developing technology-enhanced learning modules about managing intravenous therapies in children for nursing students as well as inter-professional collaborative practice for gerontology students.

Professor, The Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Biography

Professor Winnie So is a Professor of the Nethersole School of Nursing at the Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and an Honorary Professor of Tianjin Medical University & Cancer Institute and Hospital. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing, an editorial board member of Cancer Nursing and Cancer Care Research Online, and an international advisory board member of The Lancet Oncology.

Professor So’s research interests focus on cancer and palliative care, especially in relation to cancer prevention and early detection of cancer, supportive care needs, symptom experience, and quality of life of cancer patients. As a scholar and scientist in cancer care, Professor So’s research substantively influenced knowledge generation which has manifested as evidence-based interventions for reducing cancer burden and enhancing quality cancer care. Recently, the Integrative Multicomponent Programme for promoting south Asians’ Cancer screening upTake (IMPACT) developed by Professor So and colleagues was recognised by the World Health Organization Western Pacific Innovative Challenges as an innovative solution for various health challenges in the region. She has obtained HK$46 million to support her research and knowledge transfer projects. She has published more than 230 papers in international peer reviewed journals with h-index of 35 and delivered more than 160 keynote/plenary/invited presentations/lectures at national/international conferences, workshops, research institutes and universities. Professor So was recognised as one of the World’s Top 2% Scientists in 2022 and 2023 by Stanford University. The impact of her research is far-reaching and cited in nursing and health-related journals.

Currently, Professor So is the President of the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care (ISNCC) and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She was the President of the Asian Oncology Nursing Society from 2016 to 2019, a member of the Board of Directors (Communication Portfolio) of ISNCC from 2012 to 2016, and a Council Member of the Hong Kong College of Education and Research in Nursing from 2015 to 2017.

Associate Professor, The Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Biography

Professor Suzanne Lo is an Associate Professor of the Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is a registered nurse possessing ample experience in community care. She received her Ph.D. in Health from the Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Her doctoral research work focused on examining the effectiveness of self-management programmes for community-dwelling stroke survivors.

Professor Lo is well-experienced in conducting randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews. The results of her studies were published in international peer-reviewed journals including Stroke, Disability and Rehabilitation, BMC Neurology, Annals of Behavioural Medicine, and the International Journal of Nursing Studies. She is the principal investigator of several funded research projects in areas related to stroke self-management, home-based ballet-inspired workouts, community reintegration, work ability of stroke survivors, and promoting social inclusion towards people with physical disabilities. Her research also examines the effects of health-promoting interventions that involve partnerships between healthcare professionals and lay and peer volunteers. She is a co-investigator of several funded research projects in areas such as nurse staffing levels and multidisciplinary stroke care.

Professor Lo established the Hayley Hand Care Company Limited in 2024. It is the first social enterprise in Hong Kong to provide humanistic and scientific hand care for the betterment of people with hand spasticity. The social enterprise also promotes employment among golden-aged women by employing and training them to assist in service delivery.

Professor Lo teaches both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. She is a co-applicant of several teaching grants for developing technology-enhanced learning modules about managing intravenous therapies in children for nursing students as well as inter-professional collaborative practice for gerontology students.

Eighth Pan-Pacific Nursing Conference cum
Second Cochrane Hong Kong Symposium

Keynote Speakers

Professor Susan MICHIE

Dr Alexander MT NG

Dr Karla SOARES-WEISER

Plenary Speakers

Professor Yaolong CHEN

Professor Qin LIU

Professor Gojiro NAKAGAMI

Professor Helen YL CHAN

Dr Connie YY CHONG

Dr Suzanne HS LO

Round Table Speakers

Professor Claire THURGATE

Professor Sek Ying CHAIR

Pre-conference Workshops Speakers

Professor Ying LAU

Professor Winnie KW SO

Dr Suzanne HS LO

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Eighth Pan-Pacific Nursing Conference cumSecond Cochrane Hong Kong Symposium

Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Plenary Speakers

Round Table Speakers

Pre-conference Workshops Speakers

Follow Us

Contact Us

Eighth Pan-Pacific Nursing Conference cum
Second Cochrane Hong Kong Symposium