Dr Olivia Ngan

BS, MS, PhD, FRSPH (UK)

Research Assistant Professor, Medical Ethics & Humanities Unit, School of Clinical Medicine
Medical Ethics and Law Programme Co-ordinator under MBBS Curriculum
Member, Departmental Research Postgraduate Committee
Research Fellow, Centre for Medical Ethics and Law
Chief Advisor, Ethos

Email: olivian1@hku.hk

Dr Olivia Ngan has a multidisciplinary background in neuroscience (BS, University in Michigan – Ann Arbor), bioethics (MS, Columbia University), and public health (PhD, Chinese University of Hong Kong). Her primary research work explores ethical issues in the translational application of emerging technologies in genomic medicine and healthcare services, including reproductive technologies (e.g. surrogacy and social egg freezing), prenatal screening and diagnosis, and newborn screening). In her doctoral work, she employed a mixed-method study, looking at the public health and social implications of non-invasive parental test screening for chromosomal aneuploidy in the two-tiered healthcare system. At present, she is collaborating with Hong Kong Children’s Hospital to explore public receptivity towards the storage of dried blood spot cards and whole-genome sequencing newborn screening. She is also interested in examining how the pandemic exacerbates health issues among vulnerable populations. Over the years, she has authored books and published papers in international peer-reviewed journals in public health, healthcare research, ethics, and medical education.
In addition to research, she is also passionate about cultivating ethical sensitivity among medical students. She awards courseware and teaching development grants in the capacity of PI, leading bioethics learning activities outside the classroom. She also provides supervision for undergraduate and postgraduate student projects related to medical ethics and medical education, such as moral distress.

• Medical Ethics and Law
• Medical Education
• Research Ethics
• Research Methodology

• Reproductive Technologies
• Newborn Screening
• Disability and Rare Diseases
• Biobanking
• Empirical Bioethics

(^Equal Contribution; Corresponding Author)

• Belaramani KM^, Fung CW , Kwok AMK, Lee SYR, Yau EKC, Luk HM, Mak CM, Yeung MCW, Ngan, OMY^. Public and Healthcare Provider Receptivity toward the Retention of Dried Blood Spot Cards and Their Usage for Extended Genetic Testing in Hong Kong. International Journal of Neonatal Screening. 2023;9(3):5. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijns9030045
• Ngan OMY, Tam CJ, Li CK. Exploring clinical and ethical issues in expanded newborn metabolic screening programme: A qualitative interview study in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Medical Journal. (Forthcoming)
• Ngan OMY, Wong WK, Tam CJ, Li CK. Assessing the Content Quality of Online Parental Resources about Newborn Metabolic Disease Screening: A Content Analysis. International Journal of Neonatal Screening. 2022; 8(4): 63. http://doi.org/10.3390/ijns8040063
• Vardit R, Roy MC, Henneman L, Marshall J, Newson A, Ngan OMY, Nov-Klaiman T. The Emergence and Global Spread of Noninvasive Prenatal Testing. Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics. 2021; 22:309-338. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-genom-083118-015053
• Ngan OMY, Yi H, Bryant L, Sahota DS, Chan OY, Ahmed S. Parental Expectations of Raising a Child with Disability in Decision-Making for Prenatal Testing and Termination of Pregnancy: A Mixed Methods Study. Patient Education and Counseling. 2020;103(11):2373-2383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2020.05.010
• Ngan OMY, Bergstresser S, Sanip S, Haque E, Chan HYL, Au AKS. Cultural considerations in forgoing enteral tube-feeding: A comparison between the Hong Kong Chinese, North American, and Malaysian Islamic patients with advanced dementia at the end-of-life. Developing World Bioethics. 2020; 20:105-114. https://doi.org/10.1111/dewb.12239

• Ngan OMY, Hui JYN, Sun S. Walking through time and history in the teaching of medical humanities and ethics. The Asia-Pacific Scholar. 2023, 8(3), 50-53 https://doi.org/10.29060/TAPS.2023-8-3/SC2798
• Cho C^, Ko WYK^, Ngan OMY^, Wong WTW. Exploring clinical dilemma and moral distress through medical students’ eyes: A mixed-method study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022;19(17):10487. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710487
• Ngan OMY^, Sim JH^. Evolution of bioethics education in the medical programme: A tale of two medical schools. International Journal of Ethics Education. 2021; 6:37–50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40889-020-00112-0

• So NT^, Ngan OMY^. In‐patient suicide after telephone delivery of bad news to a suspected COVID‐19 patient: What could be done to improve communication quality?. Health Care Science. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1002/hcs2.74
• Estoce RHY, Ngan OMY, Calderon PEE How do COVID-19 vaccine policies in the Philippines affect its young working class? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023;20(3):2593.  http://doi:10.3390/ijerph20032593
• Ngan OMY, Sanip S. The Vulnerability of Migrant Workers in Global COVID-19 Pandemic: Highlights from Malaysia and Hong Kong. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health. 2021;33(8):983-984.
• Ngan OMY, Kelmenson A. Using Big Data Tools to Analyse Digital Footprint in the COVID Pandemic: Some Public Health Ethics Considerations. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health. 2021, Vol. 33(1) 129-130. http://doi.org/10.1177/1010539520984360
• Ngan OMY, Ang C, Balmores MDC, Nagtalon SP, Calderon PEE. Reproductive health care access during the COVID-19 pandemic: A two regions case study. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1177/1010539522111649

• Ngan OMY, Kong MK, Au KS. Bioethics Series: Reproductive Technology I. Arcadia Press Ltd. July, 2019.
• Ngan OMY, Kong MK, Au KS. Bioethics Series: Reproductive Technology II. Arcadia Press Ltd. June, 2021.

• Ngan OMY. A brief discussion on safe abortion. Hong Kong Economic Journal. Available in Chinese only: here
• Ngan OMY, Lau ASN. Unfolding the Journey to Bioethics Teaching and Learning. Hong Kong Economic Journal. Available in Chinese only: here
• Roy MC, Vardit R, Henneman L, Marshall J, Newson A, Ngan OMY, Nov-Klaiman T. The emergence and global spread of non-invasive prenatal testing. 18 October 2021. https://www.bionews.org.uk/page_159865

• Li Bingcun. ‘Freezing up’ for the future. China Daily. 15 December, 2023. Available at: https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202312/15/WS657e4bd1a31040ac301a81e8.html
• Cheung, Elizabeth. Hong Kong couples not keen on surrogacy, so easing strict rules won’t produce more babies, experts say. South China Morning Post. 2 September, 2023. Available at: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3233181/hong-kong-couples-not-keen-surrogacy-so-easing-strict-rules-wont-produce-more-babies-experts-say