Bulletin Spring‧Summer 1999

syndromes. Specific diseases have also been targeted for study. These include stroke, ischaemic heart disease, diabetes, dementia, depression, osteoporosis, tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Parkinson's Disease, arthritis, NSAID-related peptic ulceration, and falls. The se r v i ce - r e l a t ed and socioeconomic dimensions of ageing w i ll also be investigated. These include care in nursing homes, long term care, outreach suppo rt to n u r s i ng homes, d i s c r i m i n a t i on aga i nst the elderly , and other issues. The Hong Ko ng Jockey Club has d o n a t e d H K $ 3 0 m i l l i o n towards the setting up o f a d eme n t ia centre in Sh a t in Hospital, which is expected to be completed in mid 1999. The Jockey Club w i l l also sponsor the running costs of the centre in the first three years of its existence. When the University's School of Public Health becomes operational in 2001, the Centre for Ge r on t o l ogy and Ge r i a t r i cs w i l l be a f f i l i a t ed to the School and a multidisciplinary MSc course i n c l i n i c al ge r on t o l ogy w i l l then be launched in collaboration with other affiliated units. The dementia centre is to be housed inside the Shatin Hopital. Sports Medicine — A Unique Field of Medicine Sports medicine is a very broad speciality covering, besides the prevention of sports injury, treatment and rehabilitation, the cultivation of active living as a defence against urban illnesses. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 'active living'— the cu l t i va t i on of physical activity in daily life — as a way to health maintenance, as well as the maintenance of balance, agility, and aerobic capacity. 1999 has been designated by the UN to be the International Year of Older Persons. To commemorate the year, the Centre for Sports Medicine and Health Promotion at CUHK, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Sports Institute, held a major conference on 'active ageing' from late April to early May, the first of the centre's many projects to promote exercise for health. A WHO-Designated Health Centre In December 1996, the World Health Organization designated the Hong Kong Centre for Sports Medicine and Sports Science of the University its collaborating centre for the promotion of sports medicine and health. Located at Yan On Hospital, the centre is one of two such centres in Asia, a clear indication that it has gained international recognition for its role as leader in sports medicine in the region. Supervisor of the centre Prof. K .M. Chan pointed out that the University has always Medical Teaching and Research at CUHK 11

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