Research Projects
Enhancing psychological wellbeing and the patient-caregiver relationship through dyadic mindfulness: A randomized controlled trial in people with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers

The Dyadic Mindfulness for Parkinson's Disease project is a randomized waitlist-controlled trial designed to enhance psychological well-being and strengthen relationships for Chinese individuals with Parkinson's disease and their caregivers. This 8-week intervention features weekly 90-minute dyadic mindfulness sessions to improve emotional regulation and overall well-being.

Using a mixed-methods approach, the study evaluates outcomes such as negative emotions, patient-caregiver relationships, mindfulness, health-related quality of life, gut microbiome, PD symptoms, and caregiving burden at baseline, post-intervention, and 4-month follow-up. It employs generalized estimating equations, intention-to-treat analysis, and in-depth interviews with 25 dyads to assess experiences and intervention effectiveness, aiming to transform chronic disease care.

Professor YY Kwok, School of Nursing

Prof. Jojo Kwok is an Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing and the Associate Director at the Centre on Behavioral Health, The University of Hong Kong. She is a registered nurse and a certified yoga instructor in Hong Kong, holding a BNurs (First Class Honours), MPH and PhD degrees from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Prof. Kwok's research portfolio centers around neurology care, behavioral science and rehabilitation medicine, focusing on nurse-led, compassionate-based care models for movement disorders. Her pioneering research has been published in top-rank journals in clinical neurology, gerontology and behavioral medicine, such as JAMA Neurology, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, and npj Parkinson's Disease. Her scholarly works have gained international attention and have been featured in regional and international news media outlets such as Reuters and Radio Television Hong Kong. The impact of her research is evident, with her publications cited in international guidelines such as the 2021 and 2024 Lancet Seminar on Parkinson's disease, and she was listed in the top 2% of the world's most cited scientists in 2023 by Stanford University. With her dedication to advancing health and social care services for aging populations, Prof. Kwok successfully obtained a substantial donation (HK$12.87M; US$1.6M) to support her leadership in developing and implementing a territory-wide, community-based compassionate care model for managing Parkinson's disease.

In recognition to her research achievement and contribution to the nursing profession, Prof. Kwok has been recognized as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 2024, and an Emerging Nurse Researcher/Scholar Award from the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International in 2023. She has also received an Early Career Award from the Hong Kong Society of Behavioral Health in 2022, an Outstanding New Researcher Award in 2021, an Early Career Award and a Meritorious Scientific Abstract Award in 2018 from the International Society of Behavioral Medicine (ISBM). She has been appointed as an external reviewer for national competitive research grants such as the Dutch Research Council and the Austrian Science Fund. Additionally, Prof. Kwok serves as a council member and education and training committee member of the Hong Kong Parkinson's Disease Foundation, contributing to PD-specific education and training for patients, caregivers, and allied health professionals.

Furthering her research expertise, Prof. Kwok is also a Research Scholar (Visiting) at the Osher Center for Integrative Health, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. She is actively engaged in international collaboration on mechanistic and effectiveness investigation of integrative care and mind-body modalities, complementing her primary work on nurse-led, compassionate-based care models for movement disorders.

Prof. Kwok is currently accepting PhD applications, please reach out for more information.

Biography
Scholars Hub
ORCID
jojoyyk@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.