• Research Highlights

Programme 1

AI-Enhanced Global and Personal Health Protection

This programme aims to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) with state-of-the-art biotechnology and digital influencer platforms to address two major threats to global health: vaccine hesitancy, and highly infectious pathogens such as pandemic influenza and Ebola. Both were identified as being among the 10 top global health threats by the World Health Organization in 2019. Researchers will develop and implement innovative AI solutions to alleviate the health and economic burden posed by vaccine hesitancy and high-threat infectious pathogens, nationally and around the world.

The expected academic and translational or commercial outputs include but are not limited to extension of the international Vaccine Confidence Project (a project led by our collaborator – the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in response to hesitancy and misinformation on vaccination programmes) to provide authoritative vaccine information to low- and middle-income countries.

Scientific Leadership

  • Professor Joseph Wu

    Lead Scientist

  • Dr Alexander Ng

    Co-Investigator
    Vice President, Tencent Healthcare

  • Dr Elad Yom-Tov

    Co-Investigator
    Senior Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research Israel

  • Professor Gabriel M. Leung

    Co-Principal Investigator

  • Professor Heidi Larson

    Co-Principal Investigator
    Professor of Anthropology, Risk and Decision Science, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

  • Professor Kathy Leung

    Co-Investigator
    Assistant Professor, Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong

  • Professor Mark Jit

    Co-Investigator
    Professor of Vaccine Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
    Visiting Professor, School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong

  • Dr Michael Ni

    Co-Investigator
    Clinical Associate Professor, Division of Community Medicine and Public Health Practice, School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong

  • Dr Pauline Paterson

    Co-Investigator
    Assistant Professor, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

  • Dr Tommy Lam

    Co-Investigator

Other Project Members

  • Dr Horace Choi

    Honorary Research Assistant Professor

  • Dr Hanxiao Kong

    Honorary Post-doctoral Fellow

  • Dr Leesa Lin

    Consultant

Projects

Persistence of poliovirus antibodies following primary series with and without a 5th IPV booster dose at school-entry age in Hong Kong

This research project aims to measure seroprotection against poliovirus infection among Hong Kong children aged 1.5-10.5 years old. Participants who have received DTaP-IPV vaccine according to the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme are eligible. During the study, participants will be required to provide 15 mL blood sample for antibody testing, and complete a survey by their parent/guardian. Upon completing blood collection and survey, each participant will be awarded a supermarket coupon with a face value of HK$800 as acknowledgement for the support towards the project.

More details: https://www.poliostudy.sph.hku.hk/

Impact of a conversational AI service (chatbot) on COVID-19 vaccine confidence and uptake

The primary objective of this project is to develop and evaluate a conversational AI service (chatbot) on popular communication platforms as an AI-interface for users to obtain accurate and personalised vaccine information and to assess the veracity of vaccine information in East/Southeast Asia particularly Hong Kong, Singapore, and Bangkok.

More details: https://vaccineconfidencefund.org/vcf-grants-awarded/

Featured Publications

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