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Derek Yee Tak CHEUNG
Derek Yee Tak CHEUNG

BSocSc (Statistics), MPhil, PhD, FFPH (UK), FRSPH

Assistant Professor

derekcheung@hku.hk
3917 6652

HKU SCHOLARS HUB
ORCID

Professor Derek Cheung obtained his Ph.D. in the University of Melbourne. He was trained as a biostatistician specializing in clinical trials and observational studies. Derek is a co-leader of the smoking cessation research team, focusing on very brief advice, nicotine replacement therapy sampling, ecological momentary assessment, and nursing education. As a statistician, he has led the team in conducting advanced statistical analysis for complex datasets from EMA, clinical trials and large surveys. In the past 6 years, he has obtained 5 external competitive grants (USD 1.04 million) as a principal investigator, including General Research Fund and Health and Medical Research Fund. His work has been disseminated in 103 publications in top-rank journals in medicine, substance use, and nursing. His h-index is 23 and his publications have been cited for 2,134 times. His innovations have been translated into professional training, clinical guidelines and evidence to support policy advocacy. His publications have been cited in the local smoking cessation guideline, government policy consultation papers, international guidelines for prevention of non-communicable diseases, and WHO tobacco cessation clinical guideline. His research achievements in health promotion have been recognized by Fellowship through distinction in the Faculty of Public Health and 2 prestigious awards from the Health Bureau. Also, he has been invited by WHO, the Health Bureau, the Department of Health and non-government organizations to carry out contract research projects. His work has substantially contributed to the impact case of tobacco control in the mock-RAE 2023, and will be indispensable for the coming RAE 2026 and future RAE. In the SC training for health professionals, he continuously develops new teaching strategies, embeds technological teaching materials, and evaluates teaching outcomes. His teaching innovations are well reflected in 2 publications in nursing journals in past 2 years, and an award in the Hong Kong International Nursing Forum.

More
  1. Smoking cessation trial
  2. Tobacco control
  3. Alcohol control
  4. E-health/m-health intervention
Funding Scheme Project Title Approved Amount (HK$)
Health Bureau, The HKSAR government School-based Survey on Smoking among Students 2024/25 1,359,367
Chinese Medicine Applied Studies and Research Funding Scheme, Chinese Medicine Development Fund Effectiveness of integrating acupuncture, acupressure and nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation: a double-blind randomized controlled trial 1,973,466
World Health Organization Systematic review report on very brief advice for tobacco cessation 39,250
Health Medical Research Fund, Food and Health Bureau Development of typology-based smoking relapse prevention intervention: A Q-methodology and a pilot randomized controlled trial 500,000
General Research Fund, Research Grants Council Snapshot your drinking: Ecological momentary assessment and content analysis for alcohol marketing in Hong Kong in-school adolescents 1,047,115
Early Career Scheme, Research Grants Council Normalization of alcohol drinking due to exposure to alcohol marketing in young adults: a prospective study with ecological momentary assessment 776,100
Health Medical Research Fund, Food and Health Bureau Development and a pilot randomized controlled trial of a brief alcohol intervention during smoking cessation treatment delivered by healthcare professionals 100,000
The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund, HKSAR government Research service and consultancy for the testing ground of the Gerontechnology Platform 3,598,479
Department of Health, Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office A training package for healthcare professionals to deliver brief advice on smoking cessation and relevant support materials 1,200,000
Health Medical Research Fund, Research Fellowship Scheme Low-intensity ecological momentary assessment (EMA) for smoking cessation intervention and tobacco control policy evaluation: A randomized controlled trial nested within an EMA-based observational study 1,083,731
  1. Cheung YTD*, Zhang MJ, Luk TT, Lam TH, Wang MP. Telephone counseling and messaging guided by mobile profiling of tobacco users for smoking cessation: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Network Open. 2025; 8(3): e250764. Available from: doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.0764
  2. He WJA, Wang Q, Lam TH, Chan CHH, Luk TT, Wang MP, Chan SCS, Cheung YTD*. Effectiveness of mobile smoking cessation treatment with 1-week nicotine replacement therapy sampling at outdoor smoking hotspots: A cluster randomized controlled trial. Addiction. 2025 Jan;120(1):106-115. Available from: doi: 10.1111/add.16666
  3. Zhang MJ, Luk TT, Ho SY, Wang MP, Lam TH, Cheung YTD*. Ecological momentary assessment of alcohol marketing exposure, alcohol use and purchases in university students: a prospective study. JMIR mHealth and uHealth. 2024: 12, e60052. Available from: doi: 10.2196/60052
  4. Cheung YTD*, Zhang G, Luk TT, Zhang M, Lam VSF, Chan MMK, Wang MP, Chan SSC. Effect of narrative videos and mini-VR games in nursing smoking cessation training on empathy and self-efficacy of smoking cessation counseling: A randomized controlled trial. Nurse Education Today. 2024:106272. Available from: doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2024.106272
  5. Chen TC, Wang MP, Cheung YTD*, Chen J, Leung LT, Wang L, Lam TH, Ho SY. Increasing trends of household secondhand smoke exposure and widening socioeconomic disparities in Hong Kong adolescents, 2010-2020. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2025 Apr;68(4):735-744. Available from: doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2024.12.019
  6. Cheng CCW, He WJA, Gouda H, Zhang MJ, Luk TT, Wang MP, Lam TH, Chan SSC, Cheung YTD*.  Effectiveness of Very Brief Advice on Tobacco Cessation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of General Internal Medicine 39, 1721–1734 (2024). Available from: doi: 10.1007/s11606-024-08786-8
  7. He WJA, Wang Q, Lam TH, Chan CHH, Luk TT, Wang MP, Chan SCS, Cheung YTD*. Effectiveness of Instant Messaging-Based Online Group Support for Preventing Smoking Relapse: a Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial, International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction 2024. Available from: doi: 10.1007/s11469-024-01239-7
  8. Zhang G, Zhou J, Luk TT, Lam VSF, Yao Z, Wang MP, Cheung YTD*. The learning outcomes of smoking cessation training in undergraduate nursing students: A systematic review. Nurse Education in Practice 2024;75:103907. Available from: doi: 10.1016/j.nepr.2024.103907
  9. Cheung YTD*, Jiang N, Jiang CQ, Zhuang RS, Gao WH, Zhou J, Lu JH, Li H, Wang JF, Lai YS, Sun JS, Wu JC, Ye C, Li N, Zhou G, Chen JY, Ou XY, Liu LQ, Huang ZH, Ho SY, Li HCW, Su SH, Yang Y, Jiang Y, Zhu WH, Yang L, Lin P, He Y, Cheng KK, Lam TH. Physicians' very brief (30-sec) intervention for smoking cessation on 13 671 smokers in China: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial. Addiction. 2021 May;116(5):1172-1185. Available from: doi: 10.1111/add.15262.
  10. Cheung YTD*, Lam TH, Chan CH, Ho KS, Fok WY, Wang MP, Li WH. Brief handgrip and isometric exercise intervention for smoking cessation: A pilot randomized trial. Addictive Behaviors. 2020 Jan;100:106119. Available from: doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.106119
  11. Cheung YTD*, Cheung Li WH, Wang MP, Lam TH. Delivery of a nicotine replacement therapy sample at outdoor smoking hotspots for promoting quit attempts: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Nicotine and Tobacco Research. 2020 Sep;22(9):1468-75. Available from: doi:10.1093/ntr/ntz138
  12. Cheung YTD*, Weng X, Wang MP, Ho SY, Kwong AC, Lai VW, Lam TH. Effect of prepaid and promised financial incentive on follow-up survey response in cigarette smokers: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Medical Research Methodology. 2019 Jul 4;19:138. Available from: doi:10.1186/s12874-019-0786-9
  13. Chan SS, Cheung YTD*, Fong DY, Emmons K, Leung AY, Leung DY, Lam TH. Family-based smoking cessation intervention for smoking fathers and nonsmoking mothers with a child: a randomized controlled trial. The Journal of Pediatrics. 2017 Mar;182:260-6.e4. Available from: doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2016.11.021
  14. Cheung YTD*, Chan CH, Lai CK, Chan WF, Wang MP, Li HC, Chan SS, Lam TH. Using WhatsApp and Facebook online social groups for smoking relapse prevention for recent quitters: a pilot pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2015 Oct 22;17(10):e238. Available from: doi:10.2196/jmir.4829
  • 2025

Elected as Fellow through Distinction, UK Faculty of Public Health
  • 2022

Awarded the “People’s Choice E-poster Award” by the 12th Hong Kong International Nursing Forum cum 1st Asia-Pacific Qualitative Health Research Network Conference, HKU School of Nursing
  • 2022

Awarded the “Faculty Knowledge Exchange Award (Team award)” by the LKS Faculty of Medicine, HKU
  • 2021

Awarded the “Best Poster Award” by the Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF), Food and Health Bureau at the Health Research Symposium 2021
  • 2019

Awarded the "Excellent Health Promotion Project Award" by the Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF), Food and Health Bureau at the Health Research Symposium 2019
  • 2015

Awarded the best poster award in The 6th Hong Kong International Nursing Forum, School of Nursing, the University of Hong Kong
  • Associated Editor – Journal of Smoking Cessation
  • Associated Editor – Trials
  • Associated Editor – Frontier of Public Health
  • Corresponding Editor for Statistics – Journal of Orthopedic Surgery
  • Fellow (Distinction), UK Faculty of Public Health
  • Member, The Cochrane Collaboration
  • Fellow, Royal Society of Public Health
  • Member, Society for the Study of Addiction
  • Member, Steering Committee of Gerontechnology Platform, The Hong Kong Council of Social Service
  • Member, Research Subcommittee, The Family and Planning Association of Hong Kong
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