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Yi Nam SUEN
Yi Nam SUEN

BNurs, PhD, RN, FRSPH

Assistant Professor
Associate Director, Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programme

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3917 6612

ORCID


Professor Yi-nam Suen is currently an Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing, University of Hong Kong (HKU). She completed her nursing training at HKU and became a registered practicing nurse in 2009. In 2015, she obtained her Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health. Professor Suen’s research focuses on promoting physical and mental well-being in community settings, with an emphasis on developing models for social processes in high-risk populations to improve early detection and preventative interventions of mental illnesses.

As a key researcher for the Hong Kong Youth Epidemiology Study (HK-YES), Jockey Club Mental Wellness Project for Women (JCWOW), LevelMind@JC, Ethnic Minority Wellness Center, and HHB Pilot Scheme on ADHD+. Professor Suen has made significant contributions to the understanding and promotion of mental health in various communities. She has an impressive publication record, with a high field-weighted citation impact. To date, she has published over 100 articles in top-tier international peer-reviewed journals in public health, psychiatry, and digital health, such as JAMA Internal Medicine, Psychiatry Research, and the British Journal of Psychiatry.

In addition to her research accomplishments, Professor Suen serves as an Associate Editor for the prestigious international journals Frontiers in Psychology and BMC Psychiatry, further showcasing her expertise and dedication to advancing knowledge in the fields of mental health and well-being.

More
Selected grants as Principal Investigator
Funding Scheme Project Title Approved Amount (HK$)
Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Community wellness hub – LevelMind@JC (Phase I) (Co-Principal investigator) 119,150,000
Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust LevelMind@JC (Phase Two) -  Scaling up and Mainstreaming the Community Wellness Hub Model for Youth Mental Health (Co-Principal investigator)

45,190,000
Food and Health Bureau Commissioned Study Provision of Evaluation Study Service for the Pilot Scheme on New Service Protocol for  Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder with Comorbidity (“ADHD+”) - Phase II 1,399,663
Health Bureau Commissioned Study Provision of Study Service for the Service Model of the Pilot Scheme on New Service Protocol for  Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder with Comorbidity (“ADHD+”) 1,310,000
NICHE Research Grant Development and Pilot Evaluation of a Culturally Adapted Snacktivity™ Intervention for Cognitive and Self-Care Enhancement in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): A Mixed-Methods Study 120,000
  • Models of social processes in high-risk community samples
  • Prediction of transitioning to mental disorders
  • Women’s Mental Health
  • Youth Mental Health
  • Early intervention models
  1. Chen EYH, Wong AWS, Wong JPS, Li KYK, Wong MTH, Wong SMY, Wong NHT, Chan SKW, Suen YN*, Hui CLM. Gender-specific group cognitive behavioral therapy for women with at-risk mental state: A randomized controlled trial. Schizophrenia Research. 2025 Nov;285:215–222. Available from: doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2025.09.027
  2. Hui CLM, Suen YN*, Chau EHS, Wong SMY, Wong MTH, Chen EYH. Group-based low-intensity cognitive behavioral therapy for young people with moderate mental distress: an open-label waitlist randomized controlled trial. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2025 Nov;77(5): 876–883.  Available from: doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2025.06.033
  3. Suen YN*, Chan KT, Wan YS, So MM, Lee EHM, Wong SMY, Chan SKW, Hui CLM, Wong, MTH, Chen EYH. Can headwind , an online clinician-led mental health advisory platform, improve the engagement of distressed young people in community services? A multicohort analysis. BMJ Public Health. 2025 Aug 12;3(2), e002692.  Available from: doi: 10.1136/bmjph-2025-002692
  4. Suen YN*, Wong YC, Winnie, N, Patwardhan S, Charlton C, Wong SMY, Hui CLM, Wong MTH, Mahtani S, Chen EYH. Cost-effectiveness of culturally-adapted counselling mental distress in low-income ethnic minorities in Hong Kong: results based on a randomized clinical trial. SSM - Mental Health. 2025 Dec; 8, 100485.  Available from: doi: 10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100485
  5. Suen YN*, Hui, CLM, Lei LKS, Leung CM, Wong SMY, Lai GCH, Chau EHS, Wong MTH, Chan SKW, Wong GHY, Chen EYH. Low-Intensity online intervention for mental distress among Help-Seeking young people in Hong Kong. JAMA Network Open. 2025 Jan 2; 8(1): e2454675.  Available from: doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.54675
  6. Hui CL, Chen EY, Wong SM, Wong GH, Chan SK, Sham P, Wong MT, Chan K, Cheung C, Lai GC, Rickwood D, Mcgorry PD, Suen Y. Reducing mental health distress and preventing depression in young people in the community: A multimethod observational study with a real-world and prospective 12-month controlled approach: mental health distress in community youths. Psychiatry Research. 2025 Feb;344:116279.  Available from: doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.116279
  7. Leung CYT, Suen YN*, Lo LLH, Lee EHM, Hui CLM, Chan SKW, Chen EYH. Moderating effects of age on associations between exercise self-efficacy and physical activity in women with psychosis in Hong Kong. East Asian Archives of Psychiatry. 2024 Sep;34(3):74–81.  Available from: doi: 10.12809/eaap2424
  8. Lei LKS, Suen YN*, Hui CLM, Chan SKW, Lee EHM, Michael WTH, Chen EYH. Age‐related differences in the impact of resilience on mental health outcomes during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Hong Kong. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2024 Apr;39(4):e6087.  Available from: doi: 10.1002/gps.6087
  9. Suen YN, Chen EYH, Wong YC, Ng Winnie, Patwardhan S, Cheung C, Hui CLM, Wong SMY, Wong M TH, Mahtani S. Effects of a culturally adapted counselling service for low-income ethnic minorities experiencing mental distress: a pragmatic randomised clinical trial. BMJ Mental Health. 2023 Aug;26(1):e300788. Available from: doi: 10.1136/bmjment-2023-300788
  10. Suen YN, Pang SWT, Cheung C, Wong TY, Hui LMC, Lee HME, Chang WC, Chen YHE, Chan SKW. Impact of early negative symptom patterns on the long-term outcomes of patients with first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: A 12-year follow up study. Psychiatry research. 2023 May;323:115180. Available from: doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115180
  11. Suen YN, Yau YJ, Wong JPS, Li KYK, Hui CLM, Chan SKW, Lee EHM, Chang WC, Chen EYH. Effect of brief, personalized feedback derived from momentary data on the mental health of women with risk of common mental disorders in Hong Kong: a randomized clinical trial. Psychiatry Research. 2022 Nov;317:114880. Available from: doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114880
  12. Suen YN, Lo LHL, Lee EHM, Hui CLM, Chan SKW, Chang WC, Chen EYH. Motivational coaching augmentation of exercise intervention for early psychotic disorders: A randomised controlled trial. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 2022 Oct;56(10):1277-1286.  Available from: doi: 10.1177/00048674211061496
  13. Wang MP, Suen YN, Li WHC, Lam CO, WU SY, Kwong AC, Lai VW, Chan SSC, Lam TH. Intervention with brief cessation advice plus active referral for proactively recruited community smokers: a pragmatic cluster randomized clinical trial. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2017 Dec 1;177(12):1790-1797. Available from: doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.5793
  • Executive Member, EPISO
  • Associate member, Faculty of Public Health
  • Fellow, Royal Society of Public Health
  • Member, American College of Lifestyle Medicine
  • Member, Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine
  • Member, Schizophrenia International Research Society
  • Member, International Early Intervention and Prevention in Mental Health Association
2024 – Present Editorial Board Member, Scientific Reports
2023 – Present Associate Editor, Frontiers in Psychology
2022 – Present Editorial Board Member, BMC Psychiatry
2022 – Present Review Editor, Frontiers in Psychiatry
2021 – Present Editorial Board Member, East Asian Archives of Psychiatry (EAAP)
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