Crystal Ying Chan

Epidemiologist working with health of marginalized groups, including migrants, informal houses residents, homeless and women caregivers.

Dr. Crystal Ying Chan is a public health researcher and practitioner with a particular interest in healthcare service access and delivery for marginalized populations. Her dedication lies in developing and evaluating innovative approaches to ensure equitable healthcare access for vulnerable groups, including migrant workers, people living with dementia and their caregivers, and families living in sub-divided flats.

Dr. Chan has obtained several competitive grants as a principal investigator or co-investigator, including a commission project funded by the Wellcome Trust and three community-based health promotion projects funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust (totalling HK$26 million). She is also experienced in supporting consultancy projects funded by government agencies, district councils, and non-government organizations. Her work has led to several publications in high-impact journals such as the British Medical Journal and Lancet Regional Health Western Pacific.

Dr. Chan obtained her bachelor's degree and doctoral degree in Public Health from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2016 and 2020, respectively. She passed the diplomate examination of the Faculty of Public Health in 2021. Since 2023, she has been appointed as a Research Assistant Professor in the JC School of Public Health and Primary Care.

Selected publications

Chan VWK, Chan CY, BPK Hoi, Chan JHY, Li L, Li MYY, Chung ESK, Sin HHF, Wong ELY, Lo KKH. Relative validity of a short food frequency questionnaire for disadvantaged families in Hong Kong. Nutrients. 2023; 15(12): 2668. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15122668.
Shi JLH, Lam SHM, So H, Chan CY, Li TK, Szeto CC, Tam LS. Inflammation is associated with incident hypertension in patients with axial spondyloarthritis: A longitudinal cohort study. Clinical and Experimental Hypertension. 2023; 45(1): 2205056. https://doi.org/10.1080/10641963.2023.2205056.
Chan CY, Chau PYK, Yeoh EK, Wong ELY. Impact of additional community services provision on dementia caregiver burden: an interrupted time-series analysis of 12-years interRAI assessments in Hong Kong. BMJ Open. 2022, 12:e057221. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-057221.
Wai AKC, Chan CY, Cheung AWL, Wang K, Chan SCL, Lee TTL, Luk LYF, Yipo ETF, Ho JWK, Tsui OWK, Cheung KWY, Lee S, Tong CK, Yamamoto T, Rainer TH, Wong ELY. Association of Molnupiravir and Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir with preventable mortality, hospital admissions and related avoidable healthcare system cost among high-risk patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific. 2022: 100602. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2022.100602.
Chan CY, Hoi BPK, Wong ELY. Lay health worker intervention in pre-diabetes management: Study protocol of a pragmatic randomized controlled trial for Chinese families living in inadequate houses. Frontiers in Public Health. 2022; 10: 957754. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.957754.
Chan CY, Cheung G, Martinez-Ruiz A, Chau PYK, Wang K, Yeoh EK, Wong ELY. Caregiving burnout of community-dwelling people with dementia in Hong Kong and New Zealand: A cross-sectional study. BMC Geriatrics. 2021; 21(1): 261. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1628.
Chan KH, Lee PW, Chan CY, Lam KBH, Ho PL. Monitoring respiratory infections in covid-19 epidemics. BMJ. 2020; 369: m1628. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1628.