Prof. HO Hung Chak Derrick (何鴻澤)

Hung Chak (Derrick) Ho is an Assistant Professor at Department of Public and International Affairs, City University of Hong Kong.

Derrick is a spatial demographer and a population health specialist with extensive experience in urban health. Derrick received his PhD from Simon Fraser University in 2016, and was trained as a research student (Section of Environmental Health Services) in the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) between 2015 and 2016. He co-developed the government-based Heat Exposure Integrated Deprivation Index (HEIDI) with BCCDC for public health surveillance.

Derrick's expertise includes 1) spatial and environmental epidemiology, and 2) community health. His research focuses on social and environmental determinants of health, with particular interests in interactions between neighborhood deprivation, natural and built environment, healthy behaviors, and non-communicable diseases.

Derrick also works on non-pharmacological community health interventions to enhance pain management, livability and housing conditions, daily activities and physical/mental wellbeing among vulnerable subgroups. Additionally, Derrick has extensive experience in spatiotemporal analysis and remote sensing applications and machine learning modelling for population exposure and urban health assessment.

With his expertise, Derrick has published > 100 publications in prestigious journals, such as "Social Science and Medicine" and "Environmental Health Perspectives". Furthemore, Derrick serves as an Associate Editor for Annals of Epidemiology (Publisher: Elsevier), an Associate Editor for Population Health Metrics (Publisher: Springer), an Associate Editor for International Health (Publisher: Oxford), and an early career editorial board member for Environmental Research (Publisher: Elsevier). He is also a Global Assessor for Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Selected publications

Liu, S., & Ho, H. C.* (2024). Effects of socioeconomic status and greenspace on respiratory emergency department visits under short-term temperature variations: An age-stratified case time-series study. Social Science & Medicine, 343, 116613.
Ho, H. C.*, et al. (2023). How do forms and characteristics of Asian public housing neighbourhoods affect dementia risk among senior population? A cross-sectional study in Hong Kong. Public Health, 219, 44-52.
Ho, H. C.*, et al. (2022). Spatial uncertainty and environment-health association: An empirical study of osteoporosis among “old residents” in public housing estates across a hilly environment. Social Science & Medicine, 306, 115155.
Ho, H. C.*, et al. (2022). “Planned greenspace” or “natural greenspace” in a high-density city with compact environment? An empirical study of osteoporosis among senior population. Building and Environment, 219, 109117.
Mok, K.K., Ho, H.C.*. (2021) Finding a home away from home: an explorative study on the use of social space with the voices of foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 111, 1403-1419. 
Ho, H. C., , et al. (2020). The associations between social, built and geophysical environment and age-specific dementia mortality among older adults in a high-density Asian city. International Journal of Health Geographics, 19(1), 1-13.

• Spatial demography and population health in global urban context
• Social and environmental determinants of health
• Interactions between built environment, deprivation, healthy lifestyle and non-communicable diseases
• Public health surveillance and disaster risk management
• Urban and housing management for community health actions 

Associate Editor, Annals of Epidemiology [Publisher: Elsevier] (2022 – present)
Section Editor (Health Services Research), Archieves of Public Health [Publisher: Springer] (2024 – present)
Associate Editor, Population Health Metrics [Publisher: Springer] (2024 – present)
Associate Editor, International Health [Publisher: Oxford] (2019 – present)
Editorial Board member, BMC Public Health [Publisher: Springer] (2020 – present)
Early Career Advisory Board member, Environmental Research [Publisher: Elsevier] (2021 – present)
Associate Editor, BMC Public Health [Publisher: Springer] (2019 – 2020)

• Member - Appeal Tribunal Panel (Buildings) [Section 45 of the Buildings Ordinance, Chapter 123 of the Laws of Hong Kong], Hong Kong Development Bureau
• Global Assessor - Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
• Founding Committee Member (Invited Expert) - Atmospheric Environmental Remote Sensing Society [Working Group-8: Air Quality and Health]
• Founding Committee Member - Jiangsu-Hong Kong-Macao University Alliance [Environment and Remote Sensing] (苏港澳遥感与环境专业联盟)

Panelist 
Panelist, United Nations World Data Forum - Macau Satellite Event (2023)
Panelist, International Round Table ‘Smart and Resilient Cities’, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan (2018)
Panelist, Research Roundtable on Risk Governance for Belt and Road Initiative, International Day for Disaster Reduction 2017 [supported by the United Nations General Assembly] (2017)

• Member (MHKIOEH) - Hong Kong Institute of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Member (MRSTMH) - Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

• South China Morning Post, Hong Kong. Jun 25, 2024. "Harmony in the Urban Jungle" (https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/harmony-urban-jungle/article/3266907/harmony-urban-jungle)
• Ming Pao, Hong Kong. May 16, 2024. "香港步入高齡化社會城大學者研都市規劃提升長者健康". 
• South China Morning Post, Hong Kong. Dec 28, 2021. "Cold weather could shorten life expectancy among Hongkongers, especially those with cardiorespiratory diseases, study finds" (https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3161135/hong-kong-bundles-temperatures-plunge-99-degrees-celsius-coldest-day)
• South China Morning Post, Hong Kong. Jan 23, 2021. "Hong Kong maids need a break, but Covid-19 fears make it harder for them to gather on days off" (https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3118890/hong-kong-maids-need-break-covid-19-fears-make-it-harder)
• HKU Bulletin (Vol.21 No.2), Hong Kong. May 2020. Cover Story: No Place Like Home. (https://bulletin.hku.hk/cover-story-theme/no-place-like-home/)
• South China Morning Post, Hong Kong. January 29, 2020. “Single and unemployed? New study says you’re more likely to die when it gets cold in Hong Kong than anyone else” (https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3047936/single-and-unemployed-new-study-says-youre-more)
• South China Morning Post, Hong Kong (A3 Page). Jun 30, 2019. “Hongkongers with mental disorders – especially dementia – most at risk of death in extreme weather, study shows” (https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3016631/hongkongers-mental-disorders-especially-dementia)
• Forbes, United States. Jun 25, 2018. “Land developability and its impact on housing costs” (https://www.forbes.com/sites/petesaunders1/2018/06/25/land-developability-and-its-impact-on-housing-costs)
• The Guardian, Jan 26, 2018. “Air pollution linked to ‘extremely high mortality’ in people with mental disorders” (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/26/air-pollution-linked-to-extremely-high-mortality-in-people-with-mental-disorders)
• South China Morning Post, Hong Kong (A3 Page).Jan 1, 2018. “Hong Kong’s hazy days may have more deadly effect on those with mental illnesses, researchers find” (https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2126371/hong-kongs-hazy-days-may-have-more-deadly-effect)
• South China Morning Post, Hong Kong (A3 Page). Aug 6, 2017. “Hot summer nights could be bigger killers than daytime scorchers, Hong Kong researchers say” (https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2105568/hot-summer-nights-could-be-bigger-killers-daytime)
• Ming Pao, Hong Kong(A1 Page). Aug 6, 2017. “研究分析多年死亡個案與高溫關係 一周5熱日熱夜 死亡率增15%”. Ming Pao, Hong Kong (https://news.mingpao.com/pns/dailynews/web_tc/article/20170806/s00001/1501955076640)
• The Climate Examiner, Jul 27, 2016. “Unemployed people, not the elderly, at highest risk during heatwaves”. (http://theclimateexaminer.ca/2016/07/27/unemployed-people-not-elderly-highest-risk-heatwaves)
• News 1130, Jun 28, 2016. “People in hotter, poorer neighbourhoods at higher risk of death during extreme heat: study”. (https://www.citynews1130.com/2016/06/28/extreme-heat-poor-death-risk)
• Metro News,  Jun 28, 2016.  “Heat exposure deadly in areas of poverty and more concrete, fewer trees”. (http://www.metronews.ca/news/vancouver/2016/06/29/heat-waves-deadly-in-poorest-vancouver-areas-ubc-study.html)
• Vancouver Sun, Canada (Front Page). Jun 28, 2016. “Extreme heat a ‘silent killer’ in poorest Vancouver areas” (https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/heat-exposure-deadly-in-areas-of-poverty-and-more-concrete-fewer-trees-ubc-researchers)

• Exploring Public Affairs in Globalized Cities
• Housing Management and Practice
• Urban Management Workshop: Exploring th Comtemporary City  
• Advanced Housing Practice
• Urbanization and Health Management