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The HKU Exercise is Medicine on Campus (EIM@HKU) Project Team was the recipient of 2018 Professional Services Team Award. The Team was nominated by Dr Duncan Macfarlane, Acting Director, Centre for Sports and Exercise.
The EIM@HKU Project Team demonstrated outstanding dedication, teamwork and creativity in providing quality professional services to promote well-being to colleagues, students and stakeholders. The Team’s effort in making the EIM@HKU project a great success has helped enhance the University’s reputation as a healthy campus.
The EIM@HKU Project Team comprised the Centre for Sports and Exercise (CSE), University Health Service (UHS) and the Global Office.
One of the key components of EIM@HKU was the UHS-CSE Medical Referral Programme which started with CSE receiving referrals from UHS physiotherapists for functional-rehabilitation exercise programmes. In 2018, the Team took a fresh look and expanded the Programme to cover physician referrals to better address and reduce the incidence of physical inactivity related diseases on campus. This has enabled medical and exercise professionals to work together to benefit the HKU community.
To further promote a healthy campus, team leaders of EIM@HKU sought collaboration with HKU Global Office to jointly organise the HKU “Around the World” Walking Challenge during the EIM Month in May 2018. The Challenge aimed to engage colleagues, students, retirees and alumni to walk for good health and accumulate the number of steps equivalent to walking around the globe once (approximately 66 million steps). Participation and enthusiasm far exceeded expectations and eventually 1,500 HKU-related participants from 17 countries amassed a record of 463,447,412 steps equivalent to walking over seven times around the world! The initiative not only promoted good health, but also cultivated collective spirit among HKU people and raised the University’s profile internationally.
The Team’s hard work across numerous initiatives won HKU the accolade of being the first campus in Hong Kong (and first in Asia) to be awarded the prestigious international Gold Level "Exercise is Medicine on Campus" recognition from the American College of Sports Medicine.
The Team was committed to developing new ideas to promote a healthy campus. The EIM@HKU project succeeded with the spirit of collaboration and partnership, setting an impressive example that when units join forces with a common goal, excellent results can be achieved.
*Video and Photo credit to Communications and Public Affairs Office