Professor Janet Wong Yuen-ha: Upholding a people-centric philosophy to serve others

Professor Janet Wong Yuen-ha, Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at the Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU), joined the Hospital Authority (HA) Board as a member in December 2024 after working with the HA in a variety of nursing roles over the years. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree and worked at Yan Chai Hospital in 2002. She returned to the nursing school of her alma mater in 2007 to teach and conduct clinical research. She has since worked closely with public hospitals, gaining a deep understanding of HA operations.

From working on hospital wards to dedicating herself to scientific research and teaching and thus serving as dean, Professor Wong has always followed a core philosophy of people-centred care. “Whether it’s the patients and their family members, students, or colleagues, my philosophy remains the same, which is to take care of them in every aspect,” she says. Her management role made her realise that only by taking good care of colleagues can they work happily, demonstrate a spirit of dedication, and drive the development of the school to a higher level.

Professor Wong’s philosophy can be applied in HA as well, where she focuses on issues of healthcare manpower and workload. She emphasises the importance of retaining nursing talent, recognising that nurses play a crucial role in patient care and that staff shortages can have a repercussion on hospital services. “It is crucial to ensure new employees adapt to the environment smoothly and enjoy their work, while middle-level staff maintain enthusiasm and strive for improvement,” she explains. She applauds the HA’s talent retention measures in the past year and suggests boldly deploying innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data to improve efficiency and reduce the administrative workload, allowing nurses to spend more time caring for patients.

Leveraging the clinical senses of frontline nurses

As Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, Professor Wong looks forward to more collaboration between frontline nurses and the academic community so that nurses can play a more significant role in research and teaching. “Nurses are on the frontline every day and have unique clinical senses to identify clinical problems,” she says. “Transforming those problems into research questions and partnering with universities to conduct evidence-based studies often yields better results.” Professor Wong cites a collaborative project between the HKMU and the urology department at public hospitals in which specialist nurses observed difficulties faced by elderly patients in recording their daily water intake and urine output. The nurses worked with the HKMU research team to develop a digital bladder diary app that helps patients accurately monitor fluid intake and output by using pictures.

In her leisure time, Professor Wong enjoys reading books on personal growth and positive thinking. At one point, she became engrossed in studying the Enneagram – an analysis of personality types – to understand the characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of herself and those around her. Her life motto is ‘do everything with heart and care’, reflecting the trait to pursue excellence demonstrated by an Enneagram Type Three, also known as an achiever. “One should not just aim to complete a task but strive to do it to the best of one’s abilities,” she states. “The first attempt may not be ideal but it’s expected. You must keep a positive attitude and then keep trying to do better next time.”

Profile of Professor Janet Wong Yuen-ha

• Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at the Hong Kong Metropolitan University
• Member of the Hospital Governing Committee of North Lantau Hospital
• Member of the Education Committee of the Nursing Council of Hong Kong
• Motto: Do everything with heart and care.