- Studentship in 2021 at University of Hong Kong
Joe Kwun Nam Chan received his Bachelor of Social Sciences degree in Psychology (1st Class Honours) from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) in 2018. He obtained the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the Department of Psychiatry HKU in 2023. During his PhD study, apart from the Croucher Foundation Research Studentship, he has been awarded several prestigious research scholarships including Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship, Dragon Cultural Doctoral Scholarship, YS and Christabel Lung Postgraduate Scholarship, and Leong Che Hung Medical and Research Enrichment Scholarship. His research achievement has also received international recognition, and awarded the Early Career Award and the Research Fund Award by the Schizophrenia International Research Society, the most important international organisation specialising in schizophrenia research.
Joe's research interest focuses on psychiatric epidemiology and pharmacoepidemiology. He conducts observational studies by utilizing territory-wide medical-record database to evaluate relative mortality risk of psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder due to natural and unnatural causes of death, compared to the general population. His research also compares rates of physical complications including cardiovascular diseases and renal diseases among patients with exposure to common mood stabilizers such as lithium and antipsychotics. Specifically, he develops and validates risk stratification systems using machine learning approaches to identify mood stabilizer-treated patients who are at high risk of developing physical complications and thus inform clinical decisions and to optimize management of this group of vulnerable patients.
Selected publications
Chan JKN, Correll CU, Wong CSM, Chu RST, Fung VSC, Wong GHS, et al. Life expectancy and years of potential life lost in mental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. EClinicalMedicine. 2023;65:102294.
Chan JKN, Tong CHY, Wong CSM, Chen EYH, Chang WC. Life expectancy and years of potential life lost in bipolar disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Psychiatry 2022; 1-10.
Chan JKN, Chu RST, Hung C, Law JWY, Wong CSM, Chang WC. Mortality, revascularization and cardioprotective pharmacotherapy after acute coronary syndrome in patients with severe mental illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Schizophr Bull. 2022; sbac070.
Kan ACO*, Chan JKN*, Wong CSM, Chen EYH, Chang WC. Psychotropic drug utilization patterns in pregnant women with bipolar disorder: a 16-year population-based cohort study. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2022; 57: 75-85.
Law JWY*, Chan JKN*, Wong CSM, Chen EYH, Chang WC. Antipsychotic utilization patterns in pregnant women with psychotic disorders: a 16-year population-based cohort study. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2022. doi: 10.1007/s00406-022-01453-1.
Hung C*, Chan JKN*, Wong CSM, Fung SC, Chang WC. Antidepressant utilization patterns and predictors of treatment continuation in pregnant women: a 16-year population-based cohort. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2022; 48674221109443.
Chan KN, Wong SM, Or CF, Chen YH, Chang WC. Risk of mortality and complications in patients with schizophrenia and diabetes mellitus: a population-based cohort study. Br J Psychiatry 2021;219: 375-382.
Chan KN, Wong SM, Yung CL, Chen YH, Chang WC. Excess mortality and life-years lost in people with bipolar disorder: an 11-year population-based cohort study. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci 2021;30:e39. doi: 10.1017/S2045796021000305
Chan KN, Wong SM, Yung CL, Chen YH, Chang WC. Pre-existing chronic physical morbidity and excess mortality in people with schizophrenia: a population-based cohort study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2021;57:485-493. doi: 10.1007/s00127-021-02130-9.
Chan KN, Wong CSM, Or PF, Chen EYH, Chang WC. Diabetes complication burden and patterns and risk of mortality in people with schizophrenia and diabetes: a population-based cohort study with 16-year follow-up. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2021; 53: 79-88.
Chan KN, Chang WC, Ng CM, et al. Sex differences in symptom severity, cognition and psychosocial functioning among individuals with at-risk mental state for psychosis. Early Interv Psychiatry 2021;16(1):61-68. doi: 10.1111/eip.13131
Chang WC, Chan KN, Wong SM, Hai SH, Or CF, Chen YH. Mortality, revascularization and cardioprotective pharmacotherapy after acute coronary syndrome in patients with psychotic disorders: a population-based retrospective cohort study. Schizophr Bull 2020; 46(4): 774-784.
* These two authors contributed equally to this the study (i.e., co-first authors)