Dr. Winnie Wan-Yee Tso (曹蘊怡)

M.B.B.S.(London)., BSc (Hons), LMCHK, MRCPCh, FHKAM (Paediatrics)

 

Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, The University of Hong Kong


Assistant Dean (Community Engagement), LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong


Admission Deputy Director, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong


 

Honorary Associate Consultant

  1. The Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital / The Duchess of Kent Child Assessment Centre
  2. The Department of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital
  3. Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Hong Kong Children's Hospital


 

Principal Investigator
The State Key Laboratory of Brain & Cognitive Sciences
The University of Hong Kong
https://sklbrain.hku.hk/principal-investigators/

Specialty: Developmental Behavioural Paediatrics & Neurorehabilitation

ContactEmail:wytso@hku.hk
 Tel:(852) 22554269
 Office:Department of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
Room 122, 1/F, New Clinical Building
102 Pokfulam Road, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong

ORCid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5859-015X

Dr Tso is a developmental paediatrician with special interests in neurorehabilitation for children with acquired brain injuries. Dr Tso leads the Paediatric Acquired Brain Injury Program and the Developmental Behavioral Paediatrics Service at the Duchess of Kent Children’s Hospital & the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital. She has published over 60 original papers in international peer-reviewed journals in the field of pediatric acquired brain injuries and common developmental disorders. She is a Governor of the International Brain Injury Association and is responsible for advocating support for children with brain injuries using evidence-based practices and novel interventions. Dr Tso has contributed significantly in the validation of the Griffiths Development Scales – Chinese, the key assessment tool to assess the developmental profiles of Chinese children. Locally, she has been involved in the design of the parenting curriculum framework for the Educational Bureau, Government of the HKSAR, so to promote wellbeing and optimal development of young children in Hong Kong.

Clinical Expertise

  • Developmental Disorders
  • Paediatric Acquired Brain Injury

Field of Research

  • Advanced diagnostic techniques of common developmental disorders e.g. attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder & developmental delay
  • Novel interventions to improve the developmental and functional outcomes of children with acquired brain injury
  • Scale development, validation and psychometric evaluation for health, social & behavioural research

Representative publications

  1. Tso WWY, Leung LK, Chow MSC, Wang Y, Li C, Hui KY, et al. Mental Health of Children With Special Educational Needs and the Return to In-Person Learning After the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Network Open. 2023;6(12):e2346106-e.
  2. Tso WWY, Kwan MYW, Kwok JSY, Tsang JOL, Yip CCY, Leung LK, et al. Clinical characteristics of unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated children with neurological manifestations due to SARS‐CoV‐2 Omicron infection. Journal of Medical Virology. 2023;95(7):e28895.
  3. Tso WWY, Ho FKW, Coghill D, Lee TMC, Wang Y, Lee SL, et al. Preterm postnatal complications and risk of attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. 2023;65(3):358-66
  4. Wang Y, Liu, AP, Lee TM, Wong WH, Fong D, Leung L, Shing M, Ku D, Chan GC, Tso WW (Tso WW as last & corresponding author, Wang Y is Tso WW's MPhil student). Neurobehavioral impairment in pediatric brain tumor survivors: a meta-analysis. Cancers. 2022;14(13):3269
  5. Tso WW, Reichert F, Law N, Fu KW, de la Torre J, Rao N, et al. Digital competence as a protective factor against gaming addiction in children and adolescents: A cross-sectional study in Hong Kong. The Lancet Regional Health–Western Pacific. 2022;20.
  6. Tso WW, Kwan MY, Wang YL, Leung LK, Leung D, Chua GT, et al. Severity of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA. 2 infection in unvaccinated hospitalized children: comparison to influenza and parainfluenza infections. Emerging microbes & infections. 2022;11(1):1742-50.
  7. Tso WW, Chan KL, Lee TM, Rao N, Lee S, Jiang F, et al. Mental health & maltreatment risk of children with special educational needs during COVID-19. Child abuse & neglect. 2022;130:105457.
  8. Tso WWY, Hui ESK, Lee TMC, Liu APY, Ip P, Vardhanabhuti V, et al. Brain microstructural changes associated with neurocognitive outcome in intracranial germ cell tumor survivors. Frontiers in Oncology. 2021;11:573798.
  9. Tso WW, Wong RS, Tung KT, Rao N, Fu KW, Yam JC, et al. Vulnerability and resilience in children during the COVID-19 pandemic. European child & adolescent psychiatry. 2020:1-16.
  10. Yeung KS, Tso WWY (co-first author), Ip JJK, Mak CCY, Leung GKC, Tsang MHY, et al. Identification of mutations in the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signalling pathway in patients with macrocephaly and developmental delay and/or autism. Molecular autism. 2017;8:1-11.

Publication list

Knowledge Exchange

International:

Governor of the International Brain Injury Association. Website: https://www.internationalbrain.org/

Governor of the International Paediatric Brain Injury Society. Website: https://www.ipbis.org/

Local:

Expert Advisor for Heep Hong Society (HHS) – HHS is a leading education & rehabilitation organization offering professional assessment, guidance, training and family support services. HHS serves over 23,000 children each year. Website: https://www.heephong.org/eng

Awards
Clinical service-related awards
2023Hong Kong Hospital Authority Merit Award (Team leader of the Duchess of Kent Child Assessment Service)
2023Hong Kong West Cluster Outstanding Team (Team leader of the Duchess of Kent Child Assessment Service)
2020Ten Outstanding Young Persons' Award in Hong Kong
Other Distinction & Awards
2017Won the Young Investigator Award and Best Poster Presentation for the research on mutations in PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway as major causes of macrocephaly with developmental delay/ autism. The 13th Congress of Asian Society for Pediatric Research.
2016Elected as Distinguished Young Fellow, the Hong Kong College of Paediatricians; Hong Kong Academy of Medicine
2015Won the Hong Kong College of Paediatricians Best Dissertation Prize for the study on sleep duration and school readiness in Chinese children.
2014The Association for Research in Infant and Child Development (A.R.I.C.D) 16th Scientific Meeting, London, United Kingdom. Won the Dolores Luiz Award for the presentation on: Griffiths Mental Developmental Scales Validation in China.
2013Hong Kong College of Paediatricians first annual scientific meeting 7th Dec 2013. Poster presentation on: Griffiths Mental Developmental Scales Validation in China Won outstanding presentation award

Teaching & Learning

  • Paediatric curriculum reform for community paediatrics teaching for MBBS students
  • Teacher: Teacher for MBBS students in Paediatric Junior, senior and subspecialty clerkships, as well as RPG students (MPhil. PhD).
  • Trainer: Accredited Trainer for Paediatrics specialty trainees and Developmental Behavioural Paediatrics (DBP) subspecialty trainees.