Research Projects
Health Policy and Regulatory Governance of Egg Freezing for Non-Medical Purposes

The development of oocyte cryopreservation techniques has radically transformed the landscape of fertility management. In the late 1980s, the invention of egg freezing procedure was initially developed as an experimental procedure, primarily for medical purposes. Its main goal was to enable women at risk of premature ovarian failure to retain the possibility of genetic motherhood in the future against the potential adverse outcomes of medical treatments, such as chemotherapy. Following the advent of vitrification, a process known as “rapid freezing” improved the efficacy of oocyte harvesting and cryopreservation procedure, which allows for long-term storage and can later be utilized through assisted reproductive technologies to assist individuals in conceiving when they choose to do so. This capability extends reproductive options and provides new opportunities for family planning for women to store their eggs for non-medical reasons. Incoming students are expected to research the health policy, social, ethical, and/or legal issues of egg freezing for non-medical purposes.

Dr OMY Ngan, Medical Ethics and Humanities Unit

Dr. Olivia Ngan has multidisciplinary training in neuroscience, bioethics, and public health. Her research passion lies in reproductive health, public health genomics, rare diseases, and empirical bioethics. She is deeply interested in unraveling ethical dilemmas linked to the practical implementation of technologies in genomic medicine and healthcare services, focusing on reproductive technologies, prenatal screening and diagnosis, and newborn screening.

Biography
HKU Scholars Hub
ORCID
olivian1@hku.hk

For more information or to express interest for this project, please email the supervisor or the specified contact point in the project description.  Interested candidates are advised to enclose with your email:

1. your CV,
2. a brief description of your research interest and experience, and
3. two reference letters (not required for HKUMed UG students seeking MRes[Med]/URIS projects).

Information on the research programme, funding support and admission documentations could be referenced online at the Research Postgraduate Admissions website. General admission enquiries should be directed to rpgmed@hku.hk.

HKUMed MBBS students interested in the Master of Research in Medicine (MRes[Med]) programme may visit the programme website for more information.  

HKUMed UG students interested in the Undergraduate Research Internship Scheme (URIS) may visit the scheme’s website for more information.