Message from Director of the Centre

Genomics and genetics are the basis for improving the prediction, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases, thus integrating into all facets of health care.  Genomic information can significantly impact health outcomes, quality and safety. At the front-line of care, nurses have a pivotal role in incorporating genomic and genetic discoveries into practice leading to better disease prevention and health improvement. It is therefore important for nurses to have essential knowledge and skills in these fields, and be knowledgeable about their implications to global health care.

The Asia-Pacific Genomic and Genetic Nursing Centre established at the Nethersole School of Nursing, CUHK is the first initiative in Hong Kong promoting nurses/nursing to incorporate genomic and genetic technologies into health care and integrating them into nursing practice in Hong Kong, mainland China and the Asia-Pacific region.

With this Centre, we are committed to making major contributions in the areas of research, education, consultancy services, and knowledge transfer in genomics and genetics. Specifically, our expected contributions may at least include:

• integrating genomic and genetic components into nursing curricula at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels;
• building nurses’ capacities in using genomic and genetic information, technologies and services to assure high quality of care;
• providing consultancy services on the integration of genomics and genetics into nursing and health care;
• informing policy makers with new insights into issues in improving health quality in the areas of genomics and genetics; and
• initiating regional and international collaborations to expand the reach and impact of integrating genomics and genetics into health care within and across disciplines.

In other words, the Centre is expected to serve as a hub for fostering the scientific and professional growth of nurses in genomics and genetics, and facilitating their integration of such information and technologies into nursing education, research and practice, in order to inform health policy and optimise health care outcomes.

Global concerted efforts are crucial to achieving wider and greater impacts of genomics and genetics on health outcomes and quality. Our centre will collaborate with different genomics nursing initiatives and alliances such as the Global Genomics Nursing Alliance (G2NA) to facilitate nursing profession to realise their full potentials for improving health care for all mankind, and to incorporate them into nursing practice.

We look forward to working collaboratively with societies or networks of nurses from around the world to achieve this shared mission.

 

Professor CHIEN Wai Tong
Director
Asia-Pacific Genomic and Genetic Nursing Centre
The Nethersole School of Nursing
Faculty of Medicine
The Chinese University of Hong Kong