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The Inauguration Ceremony of CERT-CUHK-Oxford University Centre for Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response (CCOUC), sponsored by China Emergency Relief Training (CERT) was held today at Cho Yiu Conference Hall, University Administration Building, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). It was organized by the School of Public Health and Primary Care (SPHPC), CUHK as part of the celebration activities of the 10th Anniversary of SPHPC and the 30th Anniversary of CUHK Faculty of Medicine. Over 200 local and international guests witnessed this historic milestone in the history of Public Health in Hong Kong.

Prof. Andrew HAMILTON, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford (OU); Prof. Joseph SUNG, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK and Dr. David WONG, Director of CERT officiated at the Ceremony; witnessed by collaborators and friends. A tripartite MOU was signed between Oxford University, CUHK and CERT, followed by an unveiling ceremony, which signified the commitment of all parties to the creation of CCOUC and its future contribution to research and training to alleviate the impact of disasters on health.

Commenting on the joint launch of the CCOUC, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Prof. Andrew HAMILTON said, ‘I am delighted that the two universities are working closely together across international borders to address a critical humanitarian need. The recent tragic events in Japan, in which so many lost their lives following the earthquake and resulting tsunami, underscore the need to do everything we can to prepare for natural disasters and respond effectively. I applaud CERT for its foresight in funding CCOUC.’

Prof. Joseph SUNG, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK remarked at the Ceremony that CCOUC will serve as a platform for research, education and knowledge transfer to community counterparts in the area of disaster and humanitarian responses in the Asia Pacific Region and beyond.  He thanked Dr David Wong of CERT for his generosity, and reiterated the wish of CUHK and Oxford University to develop further collaborations.

CCOUC will be based in the School of Public Health and Primary Care in the Medical Faculty and led by Prof. Emily CHAN. In addition to providing teaching to new and existing public health courses, CCOUC is committed to four main research areas: (i) disaster preparedness; (ii) disaster epidemiology, health needs assessments and impact studies, (iii) programme effectiveness, best practice guidelines and disaster response policy & (iv) medical humanitarianism, bioethics and social justice.

With the support from CERT and OU, CCOUC aims to build capacity in teaching and research in the area of disaster responses, and will continue to provide training services to health care practitioners to equip them with knowledge and skill to facilitate effective and efficient medical care and immediate assistance to the local community as well as vulnerable groups.

About China Emergency Relief Training (CERT)

CERT provides disaster emergency medical training to doctors, nurses, paramedics, police and other emergency relief workers to enable them to deliver effective and efficient medical care to communities affected by natural disaster or any large scale traumatic event.