TRASE Lab · HKU Department of Psychiatry
Prof. CHAN Kit Wa
Sherry
陳喆燁
Clinical Professor
Assistant Dean (Professional Development), LKS Faculty of Medicine · Chief of Research, Department of Psychiatry · Director, Master of Psychological Medicine (Psychosis Studies)
About
Prof. Chan's main research interests are in the evaluation of early intervention service, longitudinal outcomes of psychosis, treatment-resistant schizophrenia, psychopathology (particularly insight and delusion) and its neurobiological basis, social cognition, metacognition and insight, and psychotic-like experience.
MBBS, FRCPsych, MPhil (University of Cambridge), MD (University of Hong Kong), FHKCPsych, FHKAM (Psych)
Current Roles
- Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, HKU
- Assistant Dean (Professional Development), LKS Faculty of Medicine (2025–present)
- Chief of Research, Department of Psychiatry
- Director, Master of Psychological Medicine – Psychosis Studies (2019–present)
- Council Member, Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists (since 2015)
- Convenor, Hospital Authority EASY Workgroup (2023–present)
- Honorary Consultant, Caritas Hong Kong (2015–present)
Awards
- ★ Silver Medal, Prize for Best Original Research by Young Fellows 2019 — Hong Kong Academy of Medicine
- ★ Faculty Outstanding Research Output Prize 2019 (Paper as first and corresponding author)
- ★ Distinguished Young Fellow of Hong Kong Academy of Medicine 2016
- ★ World Psychiatric Association Regional Congress 2014 — Best Poster Award
- ★ Health Research Symposium Hong Kong 2014 — Best Poster Award
Editorial Roles
- Associate Editor Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry (2024–present)
- Associate Editor Frontiers in Psychiatry (2022–present)
- Member, Editorial Board Scientific Reports (2022–present)
- Chief Editor East Asian Archives of Psychiatry (2021–present)
- Member, Editorial Board Hong Kong Medical Journal (2020–present)
Research
Click any research theme to expand details and selected publications.
Current Projects
Click any project to expand details and related outputs.
Publications
Selected key publications. For a full list, see the HKU Scholars Hub . * = Corresponding author.
Population-based study on long-term mortality risk associated with clozapine use among patients with schizophrenia.
Zhou H, Luo H, Tang JYM, Honer WG, Bastiampillai T, Zhou J, Taipale H, Chang WC, Lui SSY, Lee EHM, Chan SKW*
British Journal of Psychiatry (2025)
Self-harm and suicide rates before and after an early intervention program for patients with first-episode schizophrenia.
Chai Y, Tang JYM, Ma DCF, Luo H, Chan SKW*
JAMA Network Open (2024)
Development of an individualized risk calculator of treatment resistance in patients with first-episode psychosis (TRipCal) using automated machine learning: a 12-year follow-up study.
Wong TY, Luo H, Tang J et al., Chan SKW*
Translational Psychiatry (2024)
Mentalizing impairments and hypermentalizing bias in individuals with first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorder and at-risk mental state.
Tsui HKH, Liao Y, Hsiao J, Suen YN et al., Chan SKW*
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience (2024)
Predictors of treatment resistant and clozapine resistant schizophrenia: A 12-year follow-up study of first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.
Chan SKW*, Chan HYV, Honer WG et al.
Schizophrenia Bulletin (2021)
Ten-year trajectory and outcomes of negative symptoms of patients with first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
Chan SKW*, Chan VHY, Pang HH, Hui CLM, Suen YN, Chang WC, Lee EHM, Sham P, Chen EYH
Schizophrenia Research (2020)
Association of an Early Intervention Service for Psychosis With Suicide Rate Among Patients With First-Episode Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorders.
Chan SKW*, Hui CLM, Chang WC, Lee EHM, Chen EYH
JAMA Psychiatry (2018)
10-year outcome study of an early intervention program for psychosis compared with standard care service.
Chan SKW*, So HC, Hui CL, Chang WC, Lee EH, Chung DW et al.
Psychological Medicine (2015)
Team
Principal Investigator
Postdoctoral Fellow
Zhou Huiquan (Photon)
Postdoctoral Fellow
My research focuses on advancing the understanding of psychosis and developing innovative interventions through clinical and big-data approaches. I aim to explore longitudinal patterns of comorbidities and medications, particularly in treatment-resistant schizophrenia, using predictive modeling and precision medicine to create tailored strategies that reduce adverse outcomes and improve treatment efficacy.
huiquan.zhou@hku.hkPostgraduate Students
Harry Tsui
Ph.D Candidate
My research focuses on social cognition, particularly theory of mind (ToM) and mentalizing impairments across psychiatric disorders. In addition, I am deeply engaged in computational psychiatry and meta-analytic studies, aiming to explore and model the complex interactions between cognitive processes, behaviour, and psychopathology.
Ciren Zhuoma
Ph.D Candidate
My research interests include youth mental health, self-harm and suicide, and adverse childhood experiences.
Molly Li
Ph.D Candidate
My research focuses on the longitudinal trajectories and outcomes of severe mental illness.
Sophia
MPhil Student
My research focuses on the intervention study of improving HRV in psychosis population and its impact on cognitive and emotional regulation.
Research Assistants
Alumni
Charmaine Wong
MPhil Graduate 2025
Charmaine's thesis was on the impact of digitalization on patients with chronic severe mental illnesses and their recovery using 20-year follow-up sample of individuals with first-episode schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorders.
Teaching
Master of Psychological Medicine
Psychosis Studies
Prof. Chan serves as Programme Director of the Master of Psychological Medicine (Psychosis Studies) at the University of Hong Kong. The programme provides advanced, evidence-based training for psychiatric professionals focusing on psychosis, early intervention, and related clinical and research skills.
Visit Programme WebsitePostgraduate Training
Advanced Masters programme in Psychosis Studies designed for practising psychiatrists and mental health professionals.
Research-Informed Curriculum
Curriculum grounded in the latest evidence from early intervention, neurobiological research, and clinical outcomes studies.
Regional Impact
Trains future leaders in psychiatric practice and research across Hong Kong and the broader East Asian region.