• Award
• Expressions Summer 2022

Graduate School Award Presentation

Four Students Being Recognised

The Graduate School of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) held the Award Presentation Ceremony on 15 December 2021 at Rayson Huang Theatre, HKU. Four students from the Faculty of Dentistry were being recognised.

HKU Foundation Postgraduate Fellowships

• Dr Jun KANG
  Research field: Regenerative Endodontics
• Dr Vijetha VISHWANATH
  Research field: Regenerative Endodontics

Outstanding Research Postgraduate Student 2019-20

• Dr Mohammed Nadeem BIJLE

HKU Presidential PhD Scholar Programme 2021-22

• Ms Elaine Kar Man CHOONG

Dr Vijetha Vishwanath

Traditional dental treatments are mechanically driven and there is a large drive towards making these therapies more biologically oriented. Using state-of-the-art regenerative techniques, scientists are attempting to regenerate dental tissues and millions of dollars are spent on research in this area. However, there has been no significant clinical translation. In view of this, the project led by Dr Vijetha Vishwanath aimed to tackle some of the key problems in the regeneration of dental tissues using multifunctional nanomaterials which led her to the award of HKU Foundation Postgraduate Fellowships.

Dr Vishwanath is grateful for the recognition, she said “This is an excellent morale-booster that will encourage me to continue doing my best work and is one of the most significant events of my student career.” She also extended her thankfulness to her primary supervisor Dr Prasanna Neelakantan, Clinical Assistant Professor in Endodontics, and Co-supervisor Professor Zhang Chengfei, Clinical Professor in Endodontics for being supportive and providing a wonderful environment for critical thinking which motivated her to achieve her best.

Moving forward, she would like to become academician-par excellence and to be a clinician-scientist.

Elaine Choong

Evaluated through four main criteria: academic excellence; research ability and potential; communication and interpersonal skills; and leadership abilities by a selection panel, Ms Elaine Choong received the HKU Presidential PhD Scholarship. Concurrently, she also awarded with Hong Kong PhD Fellowship by Research Grants Council HK. “It is an honour and it communicates to me that my hard work and dedication are valued and motivates me to continue to make improvement,” she said.

With the motto “Don’t be afraid of being different”, Ms Choong enjoys jumping out from her dental circle and connecting with individuals from other disciplines. She participated in various programmes or activities such as the Model United Nations, the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations and global health conferences etc. “These experiences are invaluable in shaping my thought processes and widening my perspectives. It kept me open to all sorts of possibilities I may not have thought possible. I believe it is necessary for me to learn from and work with professionals from other fields if I’d like to extend the impact of my work,” she added.

She is grateful to her supervisors Professor Edward Lo, Chair Professor in Dental Public Health, and Dr Katherine Leung, Clinical Associate Professor in Prosthodontics, the Faculty of Dentistry and HKU for giving her guidance and nominating her for the award. In addition, she expressed her gratitude to her family members and all her teachers for their support.

Ms Choong aspired to become one of the many distinguished scholars within the Faculty and HKU who translate research from bench to bedside. “I look forward to a future where I can use the skills and competencies that I have developed to advance knowledge through research and make a difference in the community, especially among the geriatric population,” she concluded.