Academic Staff Joins Dental Family
Assistant Professor in Dental Materials Science
BE (CNU), MSc (Colorado), PhD (UNSW)
As a mechanical engineer in the field of nanomaterials and nanotechnology, Dr Cho was selected as a recipient of 2020 International Association for Dental Research STAR Network Academy Fellowship in the final year of his PhD studies and led him to pursue a career in the research-intensive dental school. “HKU Faculty of Dentistry is known for its world-renowned academic members and highly motivated students. The Faculty’s effective research environment and culture attracted me the most,” Dr Cho said. With his multi-international experience in academia and industry, he believes he can create more positive synergies for the Faculty, especially in the dental materials and biotechnology sectors.
As a teacher, he has been delivering the Introduction of Dental Materials Science in the course, Basic Science for Dentistry for Bachelor of Dental Surgery Year One students in which they learn to choose the right materials for the patients.
As a researcher, he aims to develop new multifunction biocomposites and multiphasic bioactive implants by employing advanced nanotechnology and 3D/4D-bioprinting, which can contribute to the dental and maxillofacial bone reconstruction along with lightweight high-strength mechanophysical characteristics and the coordinated healing activities for hard and soft tissues repair. In addition, he focuses on developing new resin-based dental composites which exhibit good mechanical and biological performance compared to conventional dental composite materials.
Apart from his abovementioned responsibilities, he would like to build more efficient and complex research teams to manage large and complex projects (multi-area or -scale) and fully utilize the Faculty’s excellent and innovative research facilities such as Clinical Research Centre and Central Research Laboratories.
In the future, “I wish we can collaborate with a wide range of expertise in HKU to create synergies for the Faculty’s improvement and generate innovative ideas using my strong industrial experience as a mechanical design and research engineer in the field of R&D and Manufacturing,” said Dr Cho.
Dr Cho, Dan Kiho - Assistant Professor in Dental Materials Science
Clinical Practitioner in Restorative Dental Sciences
BDS (WHU, China), MDS (Pros, SJTU, China), MDS (ImplDent, HKU, HK)
Dr Ding, after obtaining her undergraduate degree and first master degree in Prosthodontics in Mainland China, pursued Master of Dental Surgery in Implant Dentistry at HKU Faculty of Dentistry. “I was excited to be exposed and immersed in a different training system,” she said.
Upon graduating from HKU in 2020, she took up the position of Clinical Practitioner in Cariology with the Faculty of Dentistry where she was given various opportunities to be involved in academic research, public health services and clinical teaching. “As a young clinician and researcher, I believe it is important to seek one’s passions beyond the dental chair and handpieces. There are no other places in Hong Kong more fitting than this Faculty to pursue my dream,” Dr Ding smiled.
With a big heart, she enjoys one of her major roles – to provide dental check-up to and practice preventive dentistry on over 100,000 pre-school children in Hong Kong. “This is a meaningful project that helps arrest early childhood caries, educate the children, parents and teachers on preventive dentistry and benefit the community at large,” she added.
As an outgoing and cheerful young lady, she likes to exercise and hopes to achieve work-life-balance. She aspires to convey the importance of a healthy and positive lifestyle to her students, colleagues and patients as she believes this is the key to providing quality dental service. “This Faculty and city have so much to offer and in return, I wish to contribute using my skill sets and spread positivity.”
Dr Cho, Dan Kiho - Clinical Practitioner in Restorative Dental Sciences
Assistant Professor in Microbiology
PhD (University of Chinese Academy of Sciences)
Dr Huang is a computational biologist with a mixed specialty in microbiology and computer science. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology from Xinjiang Normal University and a Master’s degree in Hydrobiology at Shanghai Normal University.
During his master’s study, he met the most important supervisor in his life, Professor Xu, while studying under the exchange programme at Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Science. Motivated by Professor Xu, Dr Huang explored the world of microbiomes. “I systematically studied molecular, ecology, microbiome, and bioinformatics, and further pursued my PhD degree at the University of Chinese Academy of Science,” he said. In his PhD thesis, he focused on the method development of microbiome-based diagnosis and prediction of oral diseases.
Before joining the Faculty, Dr Huang worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Diego, USA. Although his educational background might be different from most of the academic staff in the Faculty, he believes his expertise is applicable to dental research and clinical translational research. “I hope to collaborate with the world’s renowned dentists in the Faculty and work on different scientific research, such as applying oral microbiome technique to solve real challenges in clinical practice,” he expressed.
Currently, he is proposing to establish a microbiome-based technical platform and demonstrate its capability in diagnosing or predicting a series of oral diseases, such as periodontitis, dental caries and oral cancer, by collaborating with clinicians in the Faculty. “Microbiome-directed or probiotic-assisted dental treatment will also be proposed for oral disease due to microbial dysbiosis induced by poor dental hygiene,” Dr Huang added.
Additionally, he believes data analysis skills are valued in the era of big data and dental research. “I’m designing a course on a computer programming language for data analysis or microbiome data analysis, such as Python and R, for research postgraduate students. Still, we have to look into students’ enthusiasm for learning this skill set,” he revealed.
Dr Huang, Shi - Assistant Professor in Microbiology
Senior Clinical Practitioner in Paediatric Dentistry
BDS (NUS), MDS (HK), MPaedDentRCS (Edin)
After obtaining an undergraduate degree from the National University of Singapore and the Master of Dental Surgery in Paediatric Dentistry at HKU Faculty of Dentistry, Dr Lai practiced as a paediatric dentist at National Dental Centre Singapore.
To join her family based in Hong Kong, Dr Lai decided to move here and look for new opportunities. Serendipity led her to apply for a job opening in Paediatric Dentistry of the Faculty, which turned out to be a perfect fit for her. “It is an invaluable opportunity to serve in my alma mater and foray into teaching,” Dr Lai smiled.
Dr Lai takes pleasure in Paediatric Dentistry and has been working with child patients. As an experienced clinician, she hopes to share her clinical experience with dental students and motivate them to treat children confidently. She is currently teaching different years of BDS and MDS students, and you may often see her around clinics and Simulation Laboratory.
Apart from being a dentist, Dr Lai is also a caring mum. She enjoys spending time with her daughter after work. Besides, she loves cooking, traveling and hiking during holidays.
Dr Sarah Lai Hiu Fong - Senior Clinical Practitioner in Paediatric Dentistry
Clinical Assistant Professor in Prosthodontics
BDS (Malaya), MClinDent (London), MProsRCS (Edinburgh), AM (Malaysia), Fellowship of Advanced Periodontology & Implantology (Genova)
After obtaining his BDS degree from the University of Malaya in 2006, Dr Lim studied the Master of Clinical Dentistry and had full-time specialist training in Prosthodontics at the Dental Institute of Guy’s Hospital, King’s College London. He was also awarded a fellowship in Advanced Periodontology and Implantology from the University of Gevona in 2016 and the IDCMR Scholarship to study an exchange programme in Prosthodontics at Mahidol University in 2019.
Before joining the Faculty of Dentistry, he worked as an Associate Professor in Prosthodontics at University Teknologi MARA. With his fruitful experience in Prosthodontics, he longs to further expand his academic career in the Faculty. “I aspired to work with the HKU Faculty of Dentistry, which offers a challenging career where I can enhance my knowledge, and skills and reach the pinnacle in the teaching, clinical practice, and research field with sheer determination, dedication and hard work,” Dr Lim expressed.
As an experienced prosthodontist, Dr Lim is particularly interested in aesthetic dentistry. He was the former President of the Malaysian Association of Aesthetic Dentistry and an affiliate of the Asian Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry and the Malaysian Association for Prosthodontics. Moving toward a new path in Hong Kong, he is currently working as a course director for indirect restoration and MOOC on aesthetic dentistry.
Besides teaching, Dr Lim relishes academic research and learning. “I find myself still keen to advance my research skills and knowledge in the field of Dentistry. Therefore, I am planning to pursue a PhD at the Faculty in the near future,” he said.
Dr Lim Tong Wah - Clinical Assistant Professor in Prosthodontics
Clinical Assistant Professor in Applied Oral Science & Community Dental Care
BDS (SYSU), MDS (SYSU), PhD (HKU)
Graduated with a Master of Dental Surgery degree in Oral Implantology, Dr Qiao developed his research interest in both implant dentistry and dental biomaterials. He obtained his PhD degree from the Faculty of Dentistry in 2019 and had overseas training at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Musculoskeletal Research, before joining the HKU Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology as a postdoctoral fellow.
As an emerging researcher in the field of dental / biomaterials science, Dr Qiao was selected as a recipient of the 2018 International Association for Dental Research Lion Award and World Biomaterials Congress trainee award. With his ardent interest in dental and orthopedic biomaterials, he decided to expand his academic career and become a clinical assistant professor in the Faculty. “HKU Faculty of Dentistry is an ideal place for me to be a clinician-scientist and translate basic research into clinical practice,” Dr Qiao said.
In his research, he focuses on the development of novel dental/orthopedic biomaterials and the underlying mechanism contributing to bone tissue regeneration. Recently, Dr Qiao is particularly interested in how our immune and neural systems respond to biomaterials in the regulation of new bone formation. “I am privileged to be able to study the sophisticated design of human body,” Dr Qiao said. “However, I need to be constantly reminded to stay humble as God’s wisdom in the creation can never be fully understood.”
Meanwhile, Dr Qiao will contribute to teaching across the Faculty, especially in Implant Dentistry. In the future, he wishes to have interdisciplinary studies in dental biomaterials. “I hope to have more opportunities to collaborate with clinicians and scientists in different disciplines to understand more about the relation of biomaterials and our bodies,” Dr Qiao shared.
Dr Qiao, Will Wei - Clinical Assistant Professor in Applied Oral Science & Community Dental Care
Clinical Practitioner in Restorative Dental Sciences
BDS, MDS (Central South); PhD (HK)
Dr Yang studied for her BDS and MDS degree in Mainland China and obtained her PhD degree at the HKU Faculty of Dentistry. Currently, she joined the Faculty and has been working on dental community projects. “I have been passionate about dental care services provided for the vulnerable population since I was pursuing my PhD degree,” she said.
Besides working as a Clinical Practitioner, Dr Yang is also a caring mum. “After becoming a mother, I found that many pre-school children in Hong Kong had untreated tooth decay and their parents had no idea to help with their kids,” she revealed. It motivated her to join the Faculty and work on the prevention of dental caries and oral health promotion among young children.
As a big-hearted dentist, she enjoys providing onsite dental check-ups and silver diamine fluoride treatments to kindergarten children. In the future, she will continue to take part in the dental community project for pre-school children and go beyond. “I hope to provide dental care service for children with special needs by combing my knowledge, skills and experience in special care dentistry with my passion for serving the community,” she said.
Dr Yang, Stella Xinchen - Clinical Practitioner in Restorative Dental Sciences