{"id":240133,"date":"2026-09-29T21:52:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T13:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/?post_type=press&p=240133"},"modified":"2026-09-29T21:54:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T13:54:32","slug":"cuhk-led-inter-institutional-team-wins-ugc-teaching-award-2026-joint-university-eye-care-ambassador-training-scheme-pioneering-rest-framework-to-nurture-the-next-generation-of-healthcare-leaders","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/en\/press\/cuhk-led-inter-institutional-team-wins-ugc-teaching-award-2026-joint-university-eye-care-ambassador-training-scheme-pioneering-rest-framework-to-nurture-the-next-generation-of-healthcare-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"CUHK-led inter-institutional team wins UGC Teaching Award 2026 Joint-University Eye Care Ambassador Training Scheme Pioneering REST framework to nurture the next generation of healthcare leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","tags":[],"class_list":["post-240133","press","type-press","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"title_alt":"CUHK-led inter-institutional team wins UGC Teaching Award 2026 \r\nJoint-University Eye Care Ambassador Training Scheme\r\nPioneering REST framework to nurture the next generation of healthcare leaders","sub_title_alt":"","press_date":"20260929","keep":true,"details":"

An inter-institutional team led by Prof<\/strong>essor<\/strong> Kelvin Chong Kam-lung<\/strong>, Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), has been awarded the 2026 University Grants Committee (UGC) Teaching Award (Collaborative Teams). The honour recognises the team\u2019s outstanding success in establishing the \u201cEye Learn I.CARE: Joint-University Eye Care Ambassador Training Scheme\u201d, a visionary educational model supporting cross-disciplinary collaboration, service-learning and community engagement.<\/p>\r\n

Established in 2022, the CUHK-led initiative unites students and faculty from six UGC-funded universities across 14 academic disciplines. Guided by the REST Framework (Research, Education, Service and Technology) and the philosophy of \u201cLearning into Service, Service into Impact\u201d, the program integrates hands-on training, research, education, community service and technological innovation to create a forward-looking experiential learning model.<\/p>\r\n

Transforming community service into global academic impact<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

To date, the scheme has trained nearly 500 undergraduate Eye Care Ambassadors and 1,200 secondary school student volunteers, delivering over 1,600 hours of free eye examinations and eye health education to more than 5,000 members of the public, including older adults, underprivileged groups and individuals in rehabilitation from substance abuse.<\/p>\r\n

Beyond community reach, the program stands out for its academic rigor. Student ambassadors leverage advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence and virtual reality applications in assessing long COVID, thyroid eye, and dry eye diseases, to translate their community service experiences into internationally recognised research outcomes. Outstanding student projects have been selected to present at major international conferences, including the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) Congress, showcasing the potential of our students to progress from service-learning initiatives to the global academic stage.<\/p>\r\n

Leadership reflection<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Prof<\/strong>essor<\/strong> Chong <\/strong>said: \u201cWe are deeply grateful to the University Grants Committee for recognising our team and the programme. This honour belongs not only to our team, but also to our partner universities, community collaborators, mentors, and all students who have dedicated themselves to serving others. Over the past few years, we have witnessed students and teachers from different universities and disciplines work together to transform service experiences into meaningful scientific research and translate research outcomes back into society. Through this platform, undergraduate students have come to appreciate that the true value of professional knowledge lies in responding to societal needs and creating positive impact for the community. Looking ahead, we will continue to deepen inter-institutional and cross-professional collaboration, leverage emerging technologies to advance service-learning and educational innovation, and nurture a new generation of learners and future leaders equipped with both professional expertise and a strong sense of social responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Strong inter-institutional and cross-disciplinary collaboration<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

The award-winning cross-disciplinary team also includes Professor Arthur Tsang Wai-chung<\/strong>, Associate Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction at CUHK; Dr Sharron Leung Shuk-kam<\/strong>, Head of Nursing Education, School of Continuing Education, Hong Kong Baptist University; and Ms Stephany Tai Wing-lam<\/strong>, Research Assistant, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at CUHK, Programme alumni and Deputy Programme Manager.<\/p>\r\n

The team has successfully established a sustainable, scalable interdisciplinary education model with significant educational and social impact applicable across institutes and disciplines. The programme demonstrates how innovative teaching in higher education can effectively respond to societal needs while creating meaningful learning outcomes for undergraduate students.<\/p>","show_as_achievement":false,"achievement_category":[],"show_as_clarification":false,"show_as_announcement":false,"photos":[{"photo":240163,"caption":"CUHK-led inter-institutional team receives the UGC Teaching Award 2026\r\n\r\nFrom left: Dr Sharron Leung Shuk-kam, Head of Nursing Education, School of Continuing Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, and Professor Kelvin Chong Kam-lung, Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine, CUHK; Mr Tim Lui, Chairman of the University Grants Committee (UGC); Professor Arthur Tsang Wai-chung, Associate Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, CUHK, and Ms Stephany Tai Wing-lam, Research Assistant, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, CUHK, Programme alumni and Deputy Programme Manager"},{"photo":240162,"caption":"From left: Professor Arthur Tsang Wai-chung, Associate Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, CUHK; Ms Stephany Tai Wing-lam, Research Assistant, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, CUHK, Programme alumni and Deputy Programme Manager; Dr Sharron Leung Shuk-kam, Head of Nursing Education, School of Continuing Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, and Professor Kelvin Chong Kam-lung, Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine, CUHK."}],"attachments":null,"video_source":"","video_file":"","add_play_button":false,"video_caption":"","show_migration":false,"original_id":0,"photos_original":null,"attachments_original":null},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/240133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/240133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":240171,"href":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/240133\/revisions\/240171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}