Managing tobacco dependency, Hong Kong
Dr Sophia Chan, Under Secretary for Food and Health in Hong Kong, has shown true commitment and passion to defeating NCDs. Before joining the Government, Dr Chan was a Professor in Nursing and Director of Research in Hong Kong University School of Nursing. She specialised in health promotion with a particular focus on the management of tobacco dependency. Dr Chan was pivotal in the development of a programme of research to test nurses’ interventions to change smokers’ behaviours and to protect children from second hand smoke.
This led to the country’s first smoking cessation counselling programme which assists all health professionals in managing tobacco treatment interventions in China. She started the ‘Women against tobacco taskforce’ to help Chinese women quit smoking. Part of her success can be attributed to the relations that she has established with WHO, government agencies and various health promotion coalitions. [i]
References
[i] Chan, S.S.-C. Professor in Nursing and Director of Research School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong.
[cited 2016 13 December]; Available from: http://www.nurse.cmu.ac.th/inter2012/Document/SophiaChan_bio.pdf