Prof. Crystal Chan, Research Assistant Professor at the JC School of Public Health and Primary Care (JCSPHPC), Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), together with her team, has been honoured with the Best Poster Presentation Award at the International Social Prescribing Conference 2026 in Kyoto, Japan.
The award-winning poster, titled “Preliminary Findings from an Equity-oriented Social Prescribing Intervention: Community Health Worker Training in Housing-precarious Migrant Communities in Hong Kong”, focuses on the team’s efforts and study in exercising social prescribing through the training and deployment of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in Hong Kong.
Building on the evidence that addressing social determinants of health, such as socioeconomic status, social connectivity, housing and education, is key to improving health outcomes, social prescribing is a means of connecting patients to a range of non-clinical services in the community to address the underlying causes of patients’ health and well-being issues, as opposed to simply treating symptoms.
Funded by the ZeShan Foundation and Kerry Group, Prof. Chan’s team partnered with the Caritas Youth and Community Service on the Hub 13 project. The team evaluated a 30-hour multicultural CHW upskilling training programme designed to equip trainees with the skills to administer basic health screenings and interpret clinical results for migrant residents of inadequate housing.
Findings showed that the programme enhanced general helpfulness and life satisfaction among local Chinese and migrant trainee groups, supporting a task-shifting approach in which CHWs extend social prescribing beyond clinical settings into the community, and help build community capacity across diverse populations.
JCSPHPC congratulates Prof. Chan and her team on their success and extends our gratitude for their commitment to advancing community-based primary care in Hong Kong.
About International Social Prescribing Conference 2026 (ISPC 2026)
ISPC 2026 brings together an international community of researchers, clinical practitioners, community leaders, NGO officers, policymakers, and many others committed to advancing social prescribing in theory and practice. This conference provides a platform to share and discuss the latest research findings, innovative practices, and real-world experiences related to social prescribing across different cultural and community contexts. (Learn more)