The Young Fellows Chapter (YFC) of the Academy has been officially established, with the aims to facilitate communication between the Academy Council and young Fellows, promote engagement of the young Fellows, and encourage collaboration with other College groups. The YFC governing council comprises representatives from different Colleges. More information about the Chapter and its activities will be available on the YFC page of the Academy’s website later.

CMS Visiting Scholar Programme
HKJC ILCM is inviting applications for the 7^th CMS Visiting Scholar Programme. Applications are welcome from Academy Fellows and other healthcare professionals who have graduated from the IMS instructor courses (i.e. IMS Simulation as a Teaching Tool: Instructor Course, or IMS Advanced Debriefing Course) or HKJC ILCM Comprehensive Simulation Educator Course. For details and application, please visit HKJC ILCM website at www.hkjcilcm.hk.

Application deadline: 31 August 2017

A Research on an Innovative Technology to Enhance Landslide Early Warning
Since late 2016, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Disaster Preparedness and Response Institute (HKJCDPRI) has been collaborating with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) on a research project aiming to develop a prototype mobile App for Landslide Information System (LIS). It is hoped that the LIS can improve the planning of access and evacuation routes for emergency responders during intense rainstorms.

For more details on this research, please visit here.

Interested in researches related to disasters and need some funding? For more details and application, please email to [email protected]

OPPORTUNITY! Want a career break and enjoy a fellowship experience with sponsorship up to HK$180,000?
The HKJCDPRI Overseas Training Fellowship for Emergency Medicine (EM) / Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for disaster situations is now open for application for all healthcare professionals and paramedics.

The maximum amount of sponsorship is HK$180,000. The fellow can either attend a training course or a placement, or do both at the same or different period. The total fellowship period is from two weeks to a maximum of twelve months.

Need some ideas to make your decision? A list of examples have been prepared for you!

The Coventry University in the UK is offering some short modules from October 2017 to March 2018 under its MSc in Emergency Planning and Management and MSc in Disaster Management. Topics included are: 1) Risk, Crisis, and Continuity Management; 2) Incident Command; and 3) Disaster and Emergency Planning. Please visit our course list for details and more courses for your consideration.

For details and application, please visit: http://www.hkjcdpri.org.hk/overseas-training-fellowship-for-EM-EMS

The term of office of the five elected Council members will expire at the conclusion of this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). Election process has started, and results will be announced at the AGM to be held in December 2017. Completed nomination form must reach the Academy office before 5 pm on 15 September 2017.

• Notice of Election
• Nomination Form

Date: 1 November 2017 (Wednesday)
Venue: Hong Kong Golf Club – Fanling (Eden Course)
Details about the golf tournament will be announced in due course.

July 2017 Issue: List of 2017 appointed Justices of the Peace
The correct list of Fellows appointed as Justices of Peace (JP) is as below:

Dr. CHEUNG Tak-hong, JP (The Hong Kong College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)
Dr. HO Pak-leung, JP (The Hong Kong College of Pathologists)
Prof. TAM Kwong-hang, JP (The College of Surgeons of Hong Kong)

Demand notes for the 2017 subscriptions have been sent to Fellows in December 2016. Fellows who have not settled their subscription before 30 June should have received a demand note for subscription and surcharge. Please settle the payment as soon as possible.

Reminders:

1. All payments must be received by the Academy before 30 September.
According to Bylaw 6.4:
If a member's fee or any other moneys due by a member to the Academy is not received by the Academy within 9 months after such payment falls due, despite two written reminders by the Academy to pay, the member shall automatically forfeit his membership.

2. It is Council's policy that late subscriptions received by the Academy after 30 June will be subject to a surcharge of 5% on the subscription amount.

3. For Fellows who have authorised payment via bank transfer/credit card, payments will be deducted from their bank accounts or credit card automatically.

4. Fellows aged over 70, or have reached 70 before the beginning of the next subscription year, do not need to pay any subscription and will not receive a debit note.

5. Fellows residing outside Hong Kong or have reached the age of 65 and have retired from all remunerative practice/job/business must submit written applications for reduced rates before 31 December if they wish to enjoy the reduced rates next year. For details, please visit http://www.hkam.org.hk/fellows_area/reduced_rate.pdf.

e-Receipt

A new function "e-Receipt" in the iCMECPD website is now available.  Fellows who have settled the payment for 2017 subscription can login to iCMECPD (User's Corner→Receipt for Annual Subscription) to view and print their Annual Subscription receipts online. To reduce environmental impact, printed copies may only be sent upon request starting next year.

Please note that the CME/CPD Principles & Guidelines for the cycle 2017-19 will remain unchanged, i.e. no more than 75 points can be awarded for passive participation in a 3-year cycle. Fellows are strongly advised to maintain a balanced CME/CPD profile with a mix of different activities, in order to capture the full benefit of different types of CME/CPD activities.

The document, Principles & Guidelines 2017-19, is available online here on the Academy website.

(Note: Individual Colleges will have their own set of guidelines based on what have been agreed at the Academy level. There may be specific rules or requirements that the Colleges determine to be relevant for their specialties.)

The Academy sometimes gets error messages when sending messages to Fellows' registered emails, which may be caused by full mailboxes, invalid addresses, etc. A valid email address is an essential detail for Fellows to gain access to iCMECPD account and view the CME/CPD profile. In order to help us maintain an up-to-date database, please keep us informed whenever there are changes to your email address, mailing address or contact number by logging into your account of iCMECPD (http://www.icmecpd.hk). Please also be reminded to keep your registered emails active by ensuring there is sufficient mailbox capacity.

The Academy has been approached from time to time by the Hong Kong Police Force and other government departments, The Medical Council of Hong Kong, The Dental Council of Hong Kong, as well as legal firms, for assistance in identifying Fellows who could be expert witness. In this regard, the Academy has invited Fellows who are interested in being expert witness to submit information to the Secretariat since 2010. A List was compiled and has been made available to many enquirers upon formal request since then. The role of the Academy is a coordinator, and Fellows selected to assist in particular cases would be contacted directly by the parties concerned. The Academy will not be involved in any of those cases. Fellows who wish to have their names added to this List may now complete and return the reply form to the Academy before 31 August 2017.

(Note: Those included in the List should be able to conduct themselves fairly and professionally, and be able to produce an impartial expert report of adequate quality.)

• Expert Witness - Reply Form

To further enhance the online services for CME/CPD, the Academy has developed a mobile application for capturing attendance - iCMECPD App. It is now available at Apple's App Store and Google's Play. Fellows may download the App by scanning the respective QR code below (or search "icmecpd" from App Store/Google Play) and install it in their smartphone with operating system in iOS (8.0 or above) or Android (4.3 or above).

Starting from 2017, Fellows may capture their attendance by using the App to scan the QR code for CME/CPD activities held by the Academy/Colleges at the HKAM Jockey Club Building. The Academy has started liaising with organisers on pilot runs of the App for their activities to be held so that they will gradually use this paperless online accreditation application and attendance capture process from 2017 onward. In addition, briefing sessions will be conducted for organisers to further promote the App and the system.

Install the iCMECPD App to Get a Special Gift
Fellows who have installed and logged into the iCMECPD App can get a special gift from the Academy at the CME/CPD counter during our upcoming events. Come to our events to get the gift!

iCMECPD App

Hong Kong Medical Journal is pleased to announce the completion of the HKAMedTrack system <http://www.hkamedtrack.org/hkmj>, an online manuscript submission and peer review system developed by the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine. The system is a web-based tool designed for manuscript submission, review, and tracking. HKAMedTrack system will result in greater efficiency and convenience, and faster turnaround times for authors, reviewers, and editors throughout the submission and refereeing process. It will streamline the review process and decrease the time from submission to the initial decision on publication. Please visit the website which will provide step-by-step guide for authors to submit a paper.

HKMJ Impact Factor
The most recent (2016) Impact Factor for Hong Kong Medical Journal is 1.111, according to the 2016 Journal Citation Reports released by Thomson Reuters in 2017. The Editorial Board would like to thank the authors and reviewers for their continuous support.

Highlights of the August 2017 issue:

Editorial
Clinical practice of caesarean section revisited: present and future
Original Articles
Medium-term results of ceramic-on-polyethylene Zweymüller-Plus total hip arthroplasty The high survival rate of the cementless Zweymüller-Plus system with ceramic-on-polyethylene bearing at mid-term follow-up makes this total hip arthroplasty system reliable for patients with various hip joint diseases.
Secular trends in caesarean section rates over 20 years in a regional obstetric unit in Hong Kong Pregnancy with previous caesarean section (CS) was the principal contributing factor to rising CS trend. A significant increase in CS rate was observed in those with breech presentation, multiple pregnancy, and preterm labour.
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation: initial experience in Hong Kong Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is safe and feasible in patients with symptomatic severe aortic valve stenosis and high surgical risk; clinical outcome was very promising for up to 1 year in patients who underwent TAVI.

Volume 23 Issue 3 Supplement 2, 2017 Health and Health Services Research Fund Research Dissemination Reports Dissemination reports are concise informative reports of health-related research supported by funds administered by the Food and Health Bureau, for example, the Health and Health Services Research Fund (which was consolidated into the Health and Medical Research Fund in December 2011). In this edition, 11 dissemination reports of projects related to tobacco control, neurology, respiratory diseases, traditional Chinese medicine, and reproductive system and childbirth are presented. In particular, four projects are highlighted due to their potentially significant findings, impact on healthcare delivery and practice, and/or contribution to health policy formulation in Hong Kong.

The Academy Council hosted a dinner with representatives of various medical organisations in Hong Kong. The Council Dinner provided a good networking opportunity for Council Members to strengthen the relationship with counterparts in the medical profession.

51^st Singapore-Malaysia Congress of Medicine, 21-23 July 2017

President Prof. C.S. Lau and Council Members attended the Congress, entitled “Moving Forward, Staying Ahead” organised by the Academy of Medicine, Singapore (AMS). The Academy’s delegates participated in various scientific sessions as speakers and panelists to share their invaluable insights.

At the Induction Comitia of the AMS, Prof. C.S. Lau addressed the new fellows and appraised the great achievement of the AMS, which celebrated its 60^th anniversary in 2017. Prof. Lau and several College Presidents were conferred the Fellowship of the AMS. All the Academy’s delegates were also invited to join a gala dinner in celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of the AMS.

Online reservation is available now! You can scan the QR code or visit https://www.hkamonline.hk/yumcha to book a table and enjoy our vast range of Cantonese dim sum at the Academy.

Fellows could now enjoy exclusive 20% off Mid-Autumn mooncakes and hampers, which are offered by Island Shangri-La this year.

Fellows can place order(s) by completing and returning an order form to the hotel directly. Offer valid till stocks last. Please download the order form for details, and call 2820 8319 for enquiries.

Present your valid HKAM Fellowship card to enjoy 20% off on buffet, a la carte menu and holiday brunch.  Click here for details.

A wide range of well-designed, quality Academy gifts and accessories are available at the Academy Lounge. You may also place an order by completing and returning an order form to the Secretariat.

• Order Form

The Academy Lounge is a nicely decorated place with cosy atmosphere ideal for social occasions. The Lounge offers a menu of gourmet appetizers and drink specials, as well as BBQ menus.

Summer Mocktails    NEW!
Selected mocktails are available at the Academy Lounge during July-October. Click here for the mocktails menu.

The Academy of Experts (AoE) will run several Expert Witness Training Programme in Hong Kong in November 2017. The Academy is a supporting organisation for this programme. Fellows can enjoy special rates. Please click here for further details. All the registrations should be sent directly to the organiser by fax at (852) 3010 1269. For enquiry, please contact AoE directly at [email protected].

Please note the following announcement from the Drug Office of Department of Health:

• Nivolumab and pembrolizumab: reports of organ transplant rejection
• Bendamustine: increased mortality observed in recent clinical studies in off-label use; monitor for opportunistic infections and hepatitis B reactivation
• EMA's final opinion confirms restrictions on use of linear gadolinium agents in body scans
• XGEVA (denosumab) Solution for Injection 120mg/vial Risk of Multiple Vertebral Fractures (MVF) following treatment discontinuation

The eHealth News is published to help people understand better the latest eHR development. The most recent issue of eHealth News 《醫健通訊》 has been published and is available at the Electronic Health Record (eHR) Office website:

• eHealth News (English | Chinese)