Bulletin Spring‧Summer 1997

especially effective for patients suffering from an advanced stage of liver cancer. HK's First WHO Centre for Sports Medicine The University established the first World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Sports Medicin e and Health Promotion in December 1996. Housed in Union Hospital, it is the product of the joint efforts of the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, the Department of Community and Family Medicine, and the Department of Medicine. The officiating party touring the new centre 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. The centre will also 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 w i l l 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. Medical Exchange Agreements * The Department of Community and Family Medicine signed a two-year exchange agreement with the School of Public Health of Beijing Medical University (BMU) on 14th August 1996. Faculty members from both institutions will collaborate on 'Smoking and Health', a comparison study to be conducted in both Hong Kong and mainland China. Medical students from CUHK will be able to study and practise at BMU for three to four weeks, at the end of which they wil l submit a thesis on public health i n the PRC BMU experts in public health will also visit CUHK to assist in the establishment of Hong Kong's first Public Health School. * A three-year exchange agreement between the University's Faculty of Medicine and Beijing Hospital was signed on 24th October 1996. Chinese University Bulletin Spring • Summer 1997 50