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  4. Principal Clinical Practitioner Tai Pong LAM

Dr Tai Pong LAM

Principal Clinical Practitioner and Chief of Postgraduate Education, Department of Family Medicine Primary Care
  • MBBS (Western Australia), Master of Family Medicine (Monash), PhD (Sydney), MD (Hong Kong), FRACGP, FHKAM (Family Medicine), FRCP (Glas).
email tplam@hku.hk
email HKU Scholars Hub
email ORCiD Connecting Research and Researchers

Dr Lam is currently a Principal Clinical Practitioner in the Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care. He joined the then Family Medicine Unit in 1992 and went through the ranks of Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Clinical Associate Professor and Clinical Professor.

He believes that every citizen in the world should have access to a well-trained family doctor whenever s/he needs to. This is what drives him in his work because there is still a relative shortage of qualified family doctors in most communities. His work at World Health Organization for ICD-11 PHC and former editorship with Asia Pacific Family Medicine and The Hong Kong Practitioner has been his major effort towards this end.

He is also very interested in medical education and in particular scholarship of teaching. He takes great effort to help his students learn which is his main emphasis, rather than how much he teaches. His Faculty Teaching Award in 2001 and the prestigious University Teaching Fellowship in 2003 were recognitions of his teaching achievements.

He also believes medical education must be continued into postgraduate years. He has therefore initiated and developed some of the most successful postgraduate academic courses in Hong Kong.

Key Research Areas
  • Mixed qualitative and quantitative methods
  • Medical education-
  • Community Health
  • Health Services Research

Key Publication
  1. Sun KS, Lam TP* ,  Cai J, Lam KF, Wu D, Kwok KW and  Zhou XD "Impact of training on primary care physicians' management of depression and anxiety disorders in rural China"  International Journal of Social Psychiatry. 2022 DOI: 10.1177/00207640221094957
  2. Chen SS, Lam TP*, Lam KF, Lo TL, Chao DVK, Mak KY, Lam EWW, Tang WS, Chan HY,  Yip PSF.  Youths’ attitudes toward open discussion of suicide, preferred contexts, and the impact of Internet use: An exploratory sequential mixed-methods study in Hong Kong. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. 2022 https://doi.org/10.1177/00207640221123394
  3. Chen SS, Lam TP*, Lam KF, Lo TL, Chao DVK, Mak KY, Lam EWW, Tang WS, Chan HY,  Yip PSF.  The use of Close Friends on Instagram, help-seeking willingness, and suicidality among Hong Kong youths: an exploratory sequential mixed-methods study. Journal of Medical Internet Research 2022 | vol. 24 | iss. 10 | e37695 
  4. Lam TP, Chan TH, Sun KS, Lam KF, Kwok KW, Ho PL. Antibiotic prescriptions by medical interns in Hong Kong: influence of the hospital settings and prescription culture. Postgraduate Medical Journal. 2021 Aug 25;97(1151):558-565.
  5. Lam TP, Chan HY, Piterman L, Wong MW, Sun KS, Lam KF, Chan TH, Wu D, Tiwari A. Factors that facilitate recognition and management of domestic violence by primary care physicians in a Chinese context - a mixed methods study in Hong Kong. BMC Family Practice. 2020 Jul 30;21(1):155
  6. Sun KS, Lam TP, Piterman L, Lam KF, Tang WS, Kwok KW, Chan HY, Wu D, Tiwari A. Management of Domestic Violence by Primary Care Physicians in Hong Kong: Association With Barriers, Attitudes, Training, and Practice Background. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 2019 Aug 17. [Epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1177/0886260519869067
  7. Sun KS, Lam TP, Lam KF, Lo TL, Chao DVK, Lam EWW, Wu D. Do patients with and without a regular primary care physician have their psychological distress looked after differently? Journal of Public Health. 2019;41(2):399-404.
  8. Sun KS, Lam TP, Lam KF, Piterman L, Lo TL, Chao DVK, Lam EWW. Help-seeking behaviors for psychological distress amongst Chinese patients. PLoS One. 2017;12(10):e0185831
  9. Wu D, Lam TP, Lam KF, Zhou XD, Sun KS. Challenges to healthcare reforms in China: profit-oriented medical practices, patients’ choice of care and guanxi culture in Zhejiang province. Health Policy and Planning. 2017;32(9):1241-1247
  10. Goldberg DP, Reed GM, Robles R, Bobes J, Minhas F, Razzaque B, Fortes S, de Jesus Mari J, Lam TP, Garcia JÁ, Gask L, Dowell CA, Rosendal M, Mbatia JK, Saxena S. Screening for anxiety, depression, and anxious depression in primary care: A field study for ICD-11 PHC. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2017;213:199-206
  11. Goldberg DP, Reed GM, Robles R, Bobes J, Iglesias C, Fortes S, de Jesus Mari J, Lam TP, Minhas F, Razzaque B, Garcia JÁ, Rosendal M, Dowell CA, Gask L, Mbatia JK, Saxena S. Mutiple somatic symptoms in primary care: A field study for ICD-11 PHC, WHO’s revised classification of mental disoders in primary care settings. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2016;91:48-54
  12. Sun KS, Lam TP, Lam KF, Lo TL, Chao DVK, Lam EWW. Barriers of Chinese primary care attenders to seeking help for psychological distress in Hong Kong. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2016;196:164–170
  13. Lam TP, Lam KF, Wun YT, Sun KS. How long do the Hong Kong Chinese expect their URTI to last? - Effects on antibiotic use. BMC Pulmonary Medicine. 2015;15:23
  14. Lam TP, Sun KS. Dilemma of integration with Western medicine – Views of Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners in a predominant Western medical setting. Complementary Therapies in Medicine 2013;21(4):300-305
  15. Lam TP, Goldberg DP, Dowell AC, Fortes S, Mbatia JK, Minhas FA, Klinkman MS. Proposed New Diagnoses of Anxious Depression and Bodily Stress Syndrome in ICD-11-PHC: An International Focus Group Study. Family Practice. 2013;30(1):76-87
  16. Lam TP, Mak KY, Goldberg D, Lam KF, Sun KS. Western mental health training for Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 2012;126(6):440-447
  17. Lam TP, Lam YY. Medical education reform: the Asian experience. Academic Medicine. 2009;84(9):1313-1317
  18. Lam TP, Wan X, Ip MS. Current perspectives of medical education in China. Medical Education. 2006;40:940-949.
  19. Lam TP, Lam KF. Why do family doctors prescribe antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infection? International Journal of Clinical Practice. 2003:57(3):167-169.
  20. Lam TP, Irwin M, Chow LWC, Chan P. Early introduction of clinical skills teaching in a medical curriculum - factors affecting students' learning. Medical Education. 2002;36:233-240.
  21. Lam TP. The strengths and weaknesses of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine in the eyes of some Hong Kong Chinese. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 2001;55:762-765.
  22. Lam TP, Irwin M, Chow LWC, Chan P. The use of focus group interviews in Asian medical education evaluative research. Medical Education. 2001;35(5):510-513.

Research Funding
Principal Investigator
External Grants
2021-2022 Public Policy Research Grant (PPR) (#2020.A8.099.20D, $345,000) Enhancing Early Recognition and Management of Dementia for the Aging Population of Hong Kong - Roles of Primary Care Providers
2018-2020 Public Policy Research Grant (PPR) (#2017.A8.075.18B, $880,918) "Hong Kong Youths' Attitudes Towards Suicide, Coping Strategies and Online Help-seeking"
2016-2018 Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF) (#16150322, $813,941) "The enablers and barriers of the public to comply with infection control measures for influenza pandemic in Hong Kong"
2013-2015 Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF) (#11121631, $530, 108) "The barriers and facilitators to undertaking continuing professional education among the private non-specialist primary care physicians in Hong Kong"
2012-2014 Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF) (#10111371, $602,400) "What are the enablers and barriers of help-seeking among the psychologically distressed in primary care setting? - Promoting mental well-being in Hong Kong"
2009-2011 Research Fund for the Control of Infectious Diseases (#09080852, $478,924) "Attitudes, beliefs and knowledge concerning antibiotic use and resistance of the general public in Hong Kong: A combined qualitative and quantitative study"
2007-2008 RGC Public Policy Research Grant (#HKU7002-PPR-3, $383,416) "Is there a need to promote family medicine concept in Hong Kong? – Meeting the need for recognition and treatment of depression as a model"

From University
2019-2020 Seed Fund for Basic Research ($66,570) "Views of primary care physicians and general public on community health service developments in rural areas of Zhejiang, China"
2017-2018 Research and Conference Grants ($44,230) "Enablers and barriers of Hong Kong primary care physicians to managing patients encountering domestic violence"

Professional Services
Grant Committee
2018-2019 Grant reviewer: Health Research Council of New Zealand.
2010-
present		 Member, Grant Review Board, the Health and Medical Research Fund, Hong Kong.

 

Professional Committees
2011-present Consultant of Primary Care Consultation Group, World Health Organization for the drafting of ICD 11-PHC.
2012-present International Adviser, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.
Oct, 2017-present Member of Ageing Special Interest Group, Wonca.
Oct, 2017-present Member of Working Party for Mental Health, Wonca.
1992-present Panel of Examiner of Conjoint Fellowship Examination of Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Hong Kong College of Family Physicians.
Feb, 2017-present Member of the Advisory Group for Antibiotic Stewardship in Primary Care Settings in Hong Kong, Department of Health.
Sep, 2011-present Member of the Advisory Group on Hong Kong Reference Framework for Preventive Care for Older Adults in Primary Care Settings, Department of Health.
Oct, 2017-present Advisor on Fellowship (Primary Health Care) curriculum & syllabus setting and examination question (MCQ) vetting, Hong Kong Association of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care Nurses.
Jan, 1993-present Honorary Clinical Supervisor, Vocational Training in Family Medicine, Hong Kong College of Family Physicians.