Department of Psychology marks its 10th anniversary with a successful international conference-cum-workshop on health and well-being
The Department of Psychology of Lingnan University held a successful international conference cum workshop from 9 to 10 November. The event was held under the theme “Health and Well-being: Promoting Mental and Cognitive Outcomes” as part of the 10th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the Department. The theme was inspired by the global resolve to improve and protect population health, given experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference offered an excellent platform to explore and strengthen global collaborations to support our communities for better health outcomes by bringing together several leading scholars and practitioners in psychological science worldwide to deliberate on various topics.
The two-day event was well-attended with over 200 participants who joined from seven countries or regions, including Canada, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Netherlands, South Korea, and the UK. It comprised 13 invited speakers from within and outside of Asia. Three renowned scholars served as keynote speakers, namely Prof Arnold Bakker (Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, the Netherlands), Prof Evangelia Demerouti (Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands) and Prof Michael Leiter (Acadia University, Canada), who spoke on the topics of “Playful work design”, “Job crafting”, and “Job burnout” respectively. Other invited in the conference included Prof Sheena Johnson (Alliance Manchester Business School, England), Prof Kim Minue (Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea), Prof Luo Siyang (Sun Yat-sen University, China), Prof Ayu Okvitawanli (Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia), Prof Sul Sunhae (Pusan National University, South Korea), and Prof Ye Shengquan (City University of Hong Kong, HKSAR).
Invited speakers for the Workshop on Health and Well-being were Prof Gao Dingguo (Sun Yat-sen University, China), Prof Jahng Seungmin (Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea), Prof Michael Leiter (Acadia University, Canada), Prof Yoon Sunkyung (Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea), and Prof Zhang Xichao (Beijing Normal University, China).
In his welcoming speech, Prof S. Joe Qin, President of Lingnan University, expressed his delight in witnessing a meeting of renowned scholars and practitioners to share their research on promoting mental and cognitive well-being. He encouraged participants to seize the opportunity to engage in fruitful discussions and forge lasting partnerships to inspire new avenues of inquiry in the field of psychology. On his part, Prof Joshua Mok Ka-ho, Vice-President of Lingnan University, also called for more collaboration across universities and countries to promote a healthy and safe environment for all. Likewise, Prof William Hayward, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, expressed his excitement for the future of the Department of Psychology in the new digital era in view of the Department’s role in linking other departments in the faculty. He called for more collaboration to make impactful use of available digital tools to “find solutions for some of our greatest challenges”.
The first day of the conference ended with a dinner to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Department. In attendance were numerous long-time partners and friends of the Department of Psychology within and outside Lingnan University along with invited speakers. In her closing remarks, Prof Siu Oi-ling, Head of the Department of Psychology, thanked all speakers and participants for supporting the Department to organise such a magnificent event and expressed the willingness of the Department to explore more areas of collaboration to advance psychological knowledge and its impact for population health and well-being.
Please visit HERE for more information about the international conference.