The Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health (MPhil-PhD in Public Health) Programme is research-focused and designed to equip students with an interdisciplinary outlook and independent research capabilities in public and population health, along with community-oriented primary care.
The MPhil and PhD programmes are articulated. Students can transfer between the two degree paths with approval from the Graduate Division, i.e., transition from the MPhil programme to the first, pre-candidacy part of the PhD programme, or vice versa, depending on their academic progress and interests.
Conducted in English, the programme features a wide range of specialisation options and has attracted talented students from Hong Kong, Mainland China, and around the world. Our students benefit from a supportive, interdisciplinary environment that encourages collaborative learning and innovation.
For enquires, please send an email to phtraining@cuhk.edu.hk
Admission
If you are passionate about advancing public health research and making a positive impact on communities, we invite you to join our dynamic programme.
Application Deadlines:
Main Round: 1 December every year (for admission in the following academic year)
Clearing Round: 31 March every year (for admission in the following academic year; applications will only be considered subject to the availability of places)
How to Apply
Step 1:To submit an initial application to RGC.
Step 2: To submit full application to CUHK.
Please visit the Graduate School webpage about the application procedures and admissions requirements.
Studentship and Scholarship
CUHK Postgraduate Studentships (Scholarship/Stipend)
The CUHK Postgraduate Studentship is available for full-time research postgraduate students throughout normative study period in 3 or 4 years which is to be decided by the Graduate School. The monthly stipend ranges from HK$19,100 for pre-candidacy (PGS-1) to HK$19,660 for post-candidacy (PGS-2).
For details, please visit: https://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/index.html#award for more
Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) from the RGC
Apart from the CUHK regular scholarship, the HKSAR Government offers the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship to full-time PhD students. It offers HK$28,400 per month to the awardees and a conference and research-related travel allowance at HK$14,200 per year. A tuition waiver will be provided to HKPFS awardees during their whole normative study period. Also it provides an award for lodging in the first year of study of HKPFS awardees. The awardees will have guaranteed on-campus accommodation during the normative study period and their on-campus hostel fee will be waived in the first year of study. HKPFS awardees with a normative study period of 4 years, CUHK provides stipend and conference travel allowance at HKPFS level for the fourth year of study.
For details, please visit: https://www.gs.cuhk.edu.hk/admissions/scholarships-fees/hkpfs
Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) & Annual Summer Workshop
We have been admitting HKPFS awardees to pursue PhD since the year of 2010. Please join our HKPFS Summer Workshop for early preparation. Click here to register for the Summer Workshop in August 2025.
Academic Strengths
Diverse fields of specialisation
- Non-communicable Disease and Aging
- Environmental Health and Infectious Diseases
- Global Health Policy, Health System & Healthcare Delivery
- Mental Well-Being, Social & Health Behavior, Addiction
- Bioinformatics, Machine Learning and Big Data
- Family Medicine and Primary Health Care
Academic exchange and exposure:
Our PhD students have an excellent track record, publishing in high-impact journals such as The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Nature Communications, and Journal of Hazardous Materials. Many have gone on to become professors, researchers, and healthcare professionals in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and overseas. Click here to learn more about our students’ publications with a high impact factor. They also have opportunities to conduct supervised research exchanges at prestigious universities worldwide, including
- Karolinska Institutet
- Utrecht University
- University of Oxford
- Yale University
- Brown University
- University of California Berkeley
- University of Toronto
- University of Sydney
This international exposure enriches their academic experience and expands their professional networks.
Strong faculty
Our academics are renowned experts in their respective fields, dedicated to training the next generation of public health leaders.
- Prof. EK Yeoh – Systems for Health
- Prof. Emily Chan – Disaster and Global Health
- Prof. Joseph Lau – Behavioural Health
- Prof. SS Lee – Infectious diseases
- Prof. Shelly Tse – Occupational and environmental health, cancer epidemiology
- Prof. Martin Wong – Prevention and screening of chronic disease
- Prof. Samuel Wong – Interventional studies for common mental health problems in primary care and Multimorbidity in Primary Care
- Prof. Benny Zee – Clinical trials methodology including pharmaceutical statistics, Public Health issues including infectious disease modelling, Bioinformatics including microarray data analysis, image processing and diagnostic methods
PhD Students and Supervisors
Updated in September 2025
| English Name | Supervisors |
|---|---|
| Full-time PhD students | |
| AWNG SHAR, Mahkawnghta | Prof. Hein Min Tun |
| BELAY, Alemayehu Sayih | Prof. Samuel Wong Prof. Jean Kim |
| CHEN, Yujing | Prof. Jake Chung Prof. Kin-Fai Ho |
| CHEN, Yuzhou | Prof. Hein Min Tun |
| CHEUNG, Hoi Cheung (Doug) | Prof. Johnson Wang |
| DORGBETOR, Cyprian Issahaku | Prof. Jean Kim |
| DING, Liwen | Prof. Johnson Wang |
| HUANG, Guanwen | Prof. Hein Min Tun Prof. Jincun Zhao |
| HUANG, Minhao | Prof. Marc Chong |
| HUANG, Ying | Prof. Joey Yang |
| HUANG, Zhengwei (William) | Prof. Dong Dong Prof. April Wu Prof. EK Yeoh Prof. Menghan Shen |
| ISHIHARA, Yuki | Prof. Dong Dong Prof. Gary Chung Prof. Daisy Zhang |
| JIANG, Xiaoting | Prof. Eliza Wong |
| JIANG, Zhishan | Prof. Gary Chung Prof. Eric Lee |
| JIN, Chenyu | Prof. Jason Huang Prof. Martin Wong Prof. Chaire Zhong |
| LEE, Cheuk Ling (Cassie) | Prof. Benjamin Yip |
| LEUNG, Kin-Fung Jasen | Prof. Eliza Wong |
| LI, Hang | Prof. Hein Min Tun |
| LI, Yingxin | Prof. Kin Fai Ho |
| LI, Zhaojun (Jayden) | Prof. Jason Huang Prof. Martin Wong Prof. Chaire Zhong |
| LIU, Chuchu (Melinda) | Prof. Jean Kim |
| LIU, Xin | Prof. Hein Min Tun |
| LIU, Caiqi | Prof. Maggie Wang Prof. Zhongfang Wang |
| LIU, Yufei | Prof. Shelly Tse |
| LOK, Veeleah Yi Chun | Prof. Jean Kim Prof. Roger Chung |
| LONG, Tianwei | Prof. Dong Dong Prof. Jin Chen |
| LOU, Jingzhi | Prof. Maggie Wang |
| LYU, Jiajun | Prof. Shelly Tse |
| NG, Sze Nok (Charlotte) | Prof. Eric Lee Prof. Benjamin Yip |
| NIU, Yilin | Prof. Maggie Wang |
| PAN, Lihua | Prof. Nelson Yeung |
| SHAO, Taihang | Prof. Eliza Wong |
| SONG, Peiqi (Flora) | Prof. Samuel Wong Prof. Sherry Yang |
| SUN, Yinghui | Prof. Phoenix Mo |
| SZE-TO, Man Sum Michelle | Prof. Kin Fai Ho |
| TEO, Shu Ting | Prof. Chris Mok |
| TSOI, Ting Fong Margaret | Prof. Kin-On Kwok |
| WANG, Huan (Betty) | Prof. Eliza Wong Prof. Daisy Zhang |
| WANG, Shuyi | Prof. Joey Yang |
| WANG, Yuhe | Prof. Sherry Yang |
| WEN, Wanqi | Prof. April Wu |
| WENG, Xueqiong (Sherry) | Prof. Shelly Tse Prof. Wenzhen Li |
| WONG, Chun Wai Agassi | Prof. Sherry Yang Prof. Samuel Wong |
| WU, Xueqi | Prof. Hein Min Tun |
| XU, Yahui | Prof. Joey Yang |
| YANG, Jiexi (Jessie) | Prof. Nelson Yeung |
| YANG, Gailin | Prof. Hein Min Tun Prof. Nan QI |
| YANG, Xiaochen | Prof. Eliza Wong |
| YANG, Zehuan (Toby) | Prof. Jason Huang Prof. Martin Wong Prof. Chaire Zhong |
| YAU, Tsz Yui (Sarah) | Prof. EK Yeoh Prof. CT Hung |
| YIP, Fu Faustina | Prof. Dong Dong Prof. Kailu Wang |
| YU, On Tai Ken | Prof. Samuel Wong |
| YU, Shanshan | Prof. Kin Fai Ho |
| YU, Siyue | Prof. Eliza Wong |
| YUE, Qianying | Prof. Marc Chong Prof. April Wu |
| ZHANG, Rui | Prof. Candy Wong Prof. SS Lee |
| ZHANG, Tianhang | Prof. Kin Fai Ho |
| ZHANG, Yusong | Prof. Dong Dong Prof. Samuel Wong |
| ZHANG, Zhihui | Prof. Maggie Wang |
| ZHENG, Hong | Prof. Maggie Wang |
| Part-time PhD students | |
| BAT, Kwok Kwan (Baker) | Prof. Martin Wong Prof. Kelvin Tsoi |
| CHAN, Kai Yi (Kylie) | Prof. Sherry Yang Prof. Phoenix Mo Prof. Nelson Yeung |
| CHENG, Sha Ron (Shaz) | Prof. Roger Chung Prof. Jean Kim |
| CHOW, Chun Kin (Isaac) | Prof. Chris Mok |
| CHOW, Ka Wong Sharon | Prof. Emily Chan Prof. Kevin Hung |
| DUBOIS, Caroline | Prof. Emily Chan Prof. Samuel Wong |
| FONG, Pak Yiu (Hugo) | Prof. Regina Sit |
| HE, Yunxin | Prof. Kin-On Kwok |
| IP, Tsun Kwan Mary | Prof. Phoenix Mo |
| LI, Tik Sze Joyce | Prof. Benjamin Yip |
| LI, Xinxin | Prof. Benny Zee |
| LO, Hin Man Hermione | Prof. Regina Sit |
| SZE, Yuk Ping (Katherine) | Prof. Jean Kim |
| TANG, Tak Ka (Cyrus) | Prof. Ben Yip |
| TING, Ka Tsun | Prof. Samuel Wong |
| WONG, Tsz Fung (Elvin) | Prof. Eric Lee Prof. Phoenix Mo |
| WU, Chung Ming Timothy | Prof. Samuel Wong Prof. W.T. Chien |
| WU, Zheng | Prof. Dong Dong |
| YU, Fuk Yuen (Ben) | Prof. Johnson Wang |
| Part-time MPhil student | |
| LAI, Ngo Tin | Prof. Sherry Yang |
Accomplishments of our PhD graduates
Many of our PhD graduates are currently employed in academia, research, and healthcare-related sectors, including positions as faculty members at local and international institutions.
Dr. Francisco LAI
PhD in Public Health
Besides the facilitation of access to a wide variety of data during my study, I was given great flexibility on the choice of research topics…In recognition of my scholarly contributions, I received the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship 2018/19 as well as the CUHK 2019 Outstanding Students Award.
Dr. Lirong CAO
PhD in Public Health
I feel so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to pursue my PhD at CUHK. All the professors, schoolmates and colleagues are very professional, friendly and generous in giving help…They have supported, and modelled me into the best scholar and leader I could be, and truly care about who you are and who you become.
Dr. Yawen WANG
PhD in Public Health
Purusing a PhD in the JC School of Public Health and Primary Care has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me. The unwavering support and guidance from my superivisors and professors have played a critical role in propelling my research forward.
Dr. Steven POON
PhD in Public Health
JCSPHPC does an excellent job of offering quality postgraduate education programme over the years, with well-rounded courses, expert guidance from academic staff, resourceful research environment and overseas exchange opportunities. The learning experiences at JCSPHPC were fruitful for developing my career in public health field.
Dr. Huwen WANG
PhD in Public Health
Studying PhD at CUHK’s JC School of Public Health and Primary Care has been an incredible experience. With supportive supervisor and an innovative, collaborative research environement, I have gained valuable insights into producing high-quality research work. I highly recommend the programme to potential students who seek to enhance their research capabilities.