Research Faculty
BN(Hons), MPH, PhD, RYS 200
Assistant Professor
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3917 6644
Dr. Jojo Kwok is an Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong, as well as a registered nurse and certified yoga instructor in Hong Kong. She received her degrees of BN (1st Hons), MPH and PhD from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research focuses on chronic illness care, gerontology, mental health and behavioral medicine, with a special emphasis on Parkinson’s disease (PD). Her ongoing research projects include the effects and mechanisms of individual mindfulness techniques in people with PD. Her research findings have been published in leading international journals such as JAMA Neurology, npj Parkinson’s Disease, and the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, and featured as impactful news in both local and international mass media, including Reuters Health and Radio Television Hong Kong. She has also been invited to present in international conferences such as the 2023 Neuroscience and Yoga Online Conference hosted by the New York University, the International Conference on Frontiers in Yoga Research and its Applications (INCOFYRA) hosted by the Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (V-YASA) and the Government of India, and the Symposium on Yoga Research hosted by the International Association of Yoga Therapists. She has received an Early Career Award from the Hong Kong Society of Behavioral Health in 2022, an Outstanding New Researcher Award, an Early Career Award and a Meritorious Scientific Abstract Award offered by the International Society of Behavioral Medicine (ISBM) in 2021 and 2018, respectively.
In addition to her research achievement, Dr. Kwok has received a Pi Iota Chapter Scholarship Award (Nurse Leader) in 2020 from The Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing in recognition of her contribution and leadership in community services. She has been appointed as an external reviewer for national competitive research grants such as the Dutch Research Council and the Austrian Science Fund. She is dedicated to the nursing profession. She has been appointed as a member of the Hong Kong Parkinson’s Disease Foundation Education and Training Committee since 2016 to contribute to PD-specific education and training for patients, caregivers and allied health professionals.
| Funding Scheme | Project Title | Approved Amount (HK$) |
|---|---|---|
| The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust | Implementing a community support project for patients of Parkinson’s disease* | 12,870,000 |
| The Nethersole Institute of Continuing Holistic Health Education (NICHE) Research Grant 2022/2023, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Charity Foundation | Effects of a nurse-led palliative care programme, ‘Cultivating Acceptance and Living Meaningfully with Progressive Neurological Diseases’ (CALM-Neuro), on psychospiritual well-being: A mixed-method feasibility randomised controlled trial. | 66,420 |
| Seed Fund for Basic Research, HKU | Healing the gut: A randomized controlled pilot trial on the effects and feasibility of Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) on constipation and gut microbiome in people with Parkinson’s disease | 82,000 |
| Early Career Scheme (ECS) 2021/2022, Research Grants Council | Effects of a Home-based Exercise Programme Incorporating Mindfulness and Yoga Practice on Balance and Mobility for People with Parkinson’s Disease: A Randomised Controlled Trial | 1,070,000 (including an additional ECS grant of 50,000) |
| Enhanced New Staff Start-up Research Grant, HKU | A home-based dyadic mindfulness yoga programme for patients with moderate-advanced Parkinson’s disease and their family caregivers: a feasibility trial | 380,000 |
| Seed Fund for Basic Research, HKU | Understanding the caregiving experience of family caregivers of people with Parkinson’s disease: An exploratory mixed method study | 88,800 |
| General Research Fund 2020/2021, Research Grants Council | ‘Mindfulness in stillness’ or ‘mindfulness in motion’? A randomized controlled trial on the effects and acceptability of individual mindfulness techniques – meditation and yoga – on anxiety and depression in people with Parkinson’s disease | 979,252 |
| Seed Fund for Basic Research, HKU | Effects of a Mindfulness Yoga - Practice Awareness through Cognitive-based Exercise (MY-PACE) Program on Freezing of Gait for People with Parkinson’s Disease: A Feasibility Study | 41,600 |
| Interdisciplinary Knowledge Exchange (KE) Project Fund, HKU | Mindfulness Yoga for Parkinson’s Disease (MY-PD) 正念瑜伽展柏力 | 175,000 |
| Seed Fund for Basic Research for New Staff, HKU | The feasibility and preliminary effects of ‘mindfulness of sound’ on physio-psycho-spiritual outcomes for people with Parkinson’s disease: a pilot randomised study | 150,000 |
| Professor Ida Martinson Project Fund, The East Asian Forum of Nursing Scholars (EAFONS) | A cross-regional study comparing symptom prevalence, severity and health-related quality of life among people with Parkinson’s disease in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand | 45,000 |
| Association of Hong Kong Nursing Staff | The effect of yoga on psychological distress for people with Parkinson’s disease: a pilot study | 49,800 |
- Neurology research (Parkinson’s disease, symptom management and caregiving)
- Gerontology (aging, loneliness)
- Behavioral medicine (psychological interventions, mHealth, diet and nutrition, gut microbiome)
- Complementary and alternative medicine (mindfulness, yoga, inflammatory biomarkers)
- Research methodology (clinical trials, systematic review, network meta-analysis, mixed-method)
- Kwok JY*, Choi EP, Wong JY, Lok KY, Ho MH, Fong DY, Kwan JC, Pang SY, Auyeung M. A randomized clinical trial of mindfulness meditation versus exercise in Parkinson’s disease during social unrest. NPJ Parkinson’s Disease, 2023 Jan 21; 9 (1):7. Available from: doi: 10.1038/s41531-023-00452-w
- Chan LM, Yan OY, Lee JJ, Lam WW, Lin CC, Auyeung M, Bloem B, Kwok JY*. Effects of Palliative Care for Progressive Neurologic Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2022 Dec 5. Available from: doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2022.11.001
- Kwok JY*, Choi EP, Lee JJ, Lok KY, Kwan JC, Mok VC, Auyeung M. Effects of mindfulness yoga versus conventional physical exercises on symptom experiences and health-related quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease: the potential mediating roles of anxiety and depression. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 2022 Apr 23. Available from: doi: 10.1093/abm/kaac005
- Kwok JY*, Smith R, Chan LM, Lam LC, Fong DY, Choi EP, Lok KY, Lee JJ, Auyeung M, Bloem BR. Managing freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Journal of Neurology. 2022 Mar 4. Available from: doi: 10.1007/s00415-022-11031-z
- Kwok JY*, Lee JJ, Choi EP, Chau PH, Auyeung M. Stay mindfully active during the coronavirus pandemic: a feasibility study of mHealth-delivered mindfulness yoga program for people with Parkinson's disease. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies. 2022 Feb 7;22(1):37. Available from: doi: 10.1186/s12906-022-03519-y
- Kwok JY*, Huang TW, Tretriluxana J, Auyeung M, Chau PH, Lin CC, Chan HY. Symptom burden and unmet support needs of patients with Parkinson's disease: a cross-sectional study in Asia-pacific regions. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 2021 June; 22 (6): 1255-1264. Available from: doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2020.09.012
- Kwok JY*, Choi EP, Chau PH, Wong JY, Fong DY, Auyeung M. Effects of spiritual resilience on psychological distress and health-related quality of life in Chinese people with Parkinson’s disease. Quality of Life Research. 2020 Jun 22:1-9. Available from: doi:10.1007/s11136-020-02562-x
- Kwok JY*, Lee JJ, Auyeung M, Chan ML, Chan HY. Letting nature take its course: A qualitative exploration of the illness and adjustment experiences of Hong Kong Chinese people with Parkinson's disease. Health & Social Care in the Community. 2020 Jun 10. Available from: doi:10.1111/hsc.13055
- Kwok JY*, Kwan JC, Auyeung M, Mok VC, Lau CK, Choi KC, Chan HY. Effects of mindfulness yoga vs stretching and resistance training exercises on anxiety and depression for people with Parkinson disease: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Neurology. 2019 Jul;76(7):755-63. Available from: doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.0534
- Kwok JY*, Choi KC, Chan HY. Effects of mind–body exercises on the physiological and psychosocial well-being of individuals with Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2016 Dec;29:121-31. Available from: doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2016.09.016
| 2021-Now | Editorial Board Member, BMC Public Health |
| 2021-Now | Ordinary Member, The Hong Kong Academy of Nursing (Education & Research – Education) |
| 2019-Now | Co-opt Member (Nurse Leader), Pi Iota Chapter, Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International |
| 2018-Now | Member, Hong Kong Society of Behavioral Health |
| 2016-Now | Committee member, The Hong Kong Parkinson’s Disease Foundation Education and Training Committee |
| 2016-Now | Member, International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS) |
| 2016-Now | Life member, The Hong Kong Movement Disorder Society (HKMDS) |
| 2013-2016 | Associate member, Hong Kong Orthopaedic Association |
| Year | Scholarship/ Award | Institution/ Organization |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Early Career Award | Hong Kong Society of Behavioral Health |
| 2021 | Outstanding New Researcher Award | International Society of Behavioral Medicine |
| 2020 | Pi Iota Chapter Scholarship | Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International |
| 2018 | Early Career Award | The International Society of Behavioral Medicine |
| 2018 | Meritorious Scientific Abstract Award | The 15th International Congress of Behavioral Medicine, The International Society of Behavioral Medicine |
| 2017 | International Congress Travel Grants Award | The International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society |
| 2016 | Early Career Researcher Award (runner-up) | International peer-reviewed journal, Complementary Therapies in Medicine |