NEW FACES

Welcome to HKU

Academic Staff Joins the Dental Family

The Faculty extends warmest regards to newly joined academic staff and wishes they enjoy life at Prince Philip Dental Hospital and in Hong Kong.

Dr Cho, Dan Kiho
Assistant Professor in Dental Materials Science
BE (CNU), MSc (Colorado), PhD (UNSW)

Place of Origin: South Korea

Professional Interest: Mechanical engineering, material science

Experience: Development of new restorative dental materials and advanced manufacturing technology with SDI Limited in Australia, which specifically dedicates to phase-out the use of amalgam

Hobbies: Snowboarding & sledding in winter; tennis, soccer, cycling in summer and family camping trip

As a mechanical engineer in the field of nanomaterials and nanotechnology, Dr Cho was selected as a recipient of 2020 International Association for Dental Research (IADR) STAR Network Academy Fellowship in the final year of his PhD studies and led him to pursue a career in the research-intensive dental school. “HKU Faculty of Dentistry is known for its world-renowned academic members and highly motivated students. The Faculty’s effective research environment and culture attracted me the most,” Dr Cho said. With his multi-international experience in academia and industry, he believes he can create more positive synergies for the Faculty, especially in the dental materials and biotechnology sectors.

With great interest in researching bio-dental materials and digital dentistry, Dr Cho wishes to contribute to the Dental Materials Science discipline in the Faculty. Currently, he enjoys playing the roles of both teacher and researcher.

He has been teaching the Introduction of Dental Materials Science in the course, Basic Science for Dentistry for Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) Year One students in which they learn to choose the right materials for the patients. He is also involved in the additional theme-based research project for BDS Year Three students. He collaborates closely with Dr James Tsoi, Associate Professor in Dental Materials Science and Dr Waruna Dissanayaka, Assistant Professor in Oral Biosciences to coordinate the diversified lecture course.

In his research, he aims to develop new multifunction biocomposites and multiphasic bioactive implants by employing advanced nanotechnology and 3D/4D-bioprinting, which can contribute to the dental and maxillofacial bone reconstruction along with lightweight high-strength mechanophysical characteristics and the coordinated healing activities for hard and soft tissues repair. In addition, he focuses on developing new resin-based dental composites which exhibit good mechanical and biological performance compared to conventional dental composite materials.

Apart from his abovementioned responsibilities, he would like to build more efficient and complex research teams to manage large and complex projects (multi-area or -scale) and fully utilize the Faculty’s excellent and innovative research facilities such as Clinical Research Centre and Central Research Laboratories.

In the future, “I wish we can collaborate with a wide range of expertise in HKU to create synergies for the Faculty’s improvement and generate innovative ideas using my strong industrial experience as a mechanical design and research engineer in the field of R&D and Manufacturing,” said Dr Cho.

Dr Ding, Xun Lois
Clinical Practitioner in Restorative Dental Sciences
BDS(WHU, China), MDS(Pros, SJTU, China), MDS(ImplDent, HKU, HK)

Place of Origin: Mainland China

Hobbies: Fitness advocate, Badminton (National level 2 athlete in badminton in mainland)

Dr Ding, after obtaining her undergraduate degree and first master degree in Prosthodontics in Mainland China, pursued Master of Dental Surgery in Implant Dentistry at HKU Faculty of Dentistry. “I was excited to be exposed and immersed in a different training system,” she said.

Upon graduating from HKU in 2020, she took up the position of Clinical Practitioner in Cariology with the Faculty of Dentistry where she was given various opportunities to be involved in academic research, public health services and clinical teaching. “As a young clinician and researcher, I believe it is important to seek one’s passions beyond the dental chair and handpieces. There are no other places in Hong Kong more fitting than this Faculty to pursue my dream,” Dr Ding smiled.

With a big heart, she enjoys one of her major roles – to provide dental check-up to and practice preventive dentistry on over 100,000 pre-school children in Hong Kong. “This is a meaningful project that helps arrest early childhood caries, educate the children, parents and teachers on preventive dentistry and benefit the community at large,” she added.

As an outgoing and cheerful young lady, she likes to exercise and hopes to achieve work-life-balance. She aspires to convey the importance of a healthy and positive lifestyle to her students, colleagues and patients as she believes this is the key to providing quality dental service. “This Faculty and city have so much to offer and in return, I wish to contribute using my skill sets and spread positivity.”