Dr YU Tak Wing

Academic focus: Health professions education, simulation-based learning, virtual reality, artificial intelligence in education, clinical reasoning, curriculum design and assessment

Professional background: Registered Physiotherapist

Personal academic website: yutakwing.github.io/TakWing/

Biography

Tak Wing Yu is a Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy at Saint Francis University, Hong Kong, with a professional and academic background in physiotherapy and health professions education. His work focuses on improving how health professions students learn through clinically authentic, technology-enhanced and evidence-informed approaches. His principal areas of interest include virtual reality (VR), simulation-based learning, artificial intelligence (AI)-supported clinical reasoning, assessment design, curriculum implementation and educational technology. Before joining Saint Francis University in 2024, he worked at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa as a lecturer and clinical supervisor. His PhD examined the use and implementation of VR in health professions education through a design-based research approach. At Saint Francis University, he contributes to course coordination, curriculum development, assessment and internal moderation, simulation and digital learning initiatives, research supervision, and programme-level teaching and learning enhancement. His teaching was recognised with the Saint Francis Teaching Excellence Award in 2026.

Education

Professional Qualifications/ Memberships

• Registered Physiotherapist, Physiotherapists Board, Hong Kong (Allied Health Professions Ordinance), registered 2025.
• Registered Physiotherapist, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), United Kingdom, registered in 2023.
• Registered Physiotherapist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), registered in 2014.

Teaching 

Tak Wing has more than a decade of experience in university and clinical education. His current teaching profile combines foundational biomedical sciences, movement science, professional physiotherapy education, research supervision and technology-enhanced learning.

• Senior Lecturer, Physiotherapy Programme, Saint Francis University, Hong Kong (April 2024–present).
• Lecturer and Clinical Supervisor, University of the Western Cape, South Africa (2015–2023).
• Course Coordinator for core undergraduate physiotherapy courses, including Human Physiology, Functional Anatomy and Movement Science.
• Supervisor of final-year Honours Research Projects and contributor to clinical and practical education.
• Leads and supports programme-level learning and teaching activities, including curriculum streamlining, assessment planning, internal moderation and quality enhancement.
• Introduced structured End-of-Lecture Content Mastery Quizzes to promote active recall, self-assessment and early identification of misconceptions.
• Integrated immersive and mobile VR into physiotherapy teaching across multiple year levels, including Human Physiology, Health Technology and Modern Acupuncture.
• Contributes to simulation-based learning, standardised-patient activities and interprofessional education.
• Exploring AI-supported approaches to clinical reasoning education and the evaluation of students' reasoning processes.
• Teaching practice is student-centred, outcomes-based, inclusive and informed by contemporary pedagogy, learner feedback and educational research.

Research

Tak Wing's research and scholarship focus on technology-enhanced health professions education, particularly on translating educational technologies into pedagogically purposeful, curriculum-aligned learning experiences.

• PhD research: development of guiding principles for the implementation of virtual reality in health professions education using design-based research.
• Research interests include VR/XR in health professions education, simulation-based learning, AI-supported clinical reasoning, learning analytics, assessment and feedback, curriculum design, educational implementation and interprofessional education.
• Educational design and curriculum integration of a mobile VR application for acupuncture education.
• Exploring the application of AI-supported approaches to clinical reasoning education in physiotherapy, including structured dialogue and evaluation of reasoning processes.
• Involved in simulation and VR educational initiatives relating to interprofessional education and airway-clearance/suctioning training.
• Regular presenter at international and regional education and rehabilitation conferences, including AMEE, World Physiotherapy and regional rehabilitation meetings.

Selected Publications

• Yu, T. W., Rowe, M., & Frantz, J. Virtual reality in health professions education: A qualitative descriptive study of educators' perspectives. JMIR XR and Spatial Computing. In press.
• Yu, T. W., Frantz, J., & Rowe, M. (2024). Perceptions of health professions students on the use of immersive virtual reality. African Journal of Health Professions Education, 16(2), 54–57.
• Yu, T. W., Titus, S., Rowe, M., & Frantz, J. (2023). Health science educators' perception of using and applying virtual reality in the curriculum. MedEdPublish.
• Yu, T. W., Achmat, G., Kock, L., & Smithdorf, G. (2021). Exercise therapy education enriched through interprofessional teaching. Medical Education.
• Yu, T. W., Achmat, G., Kock, L., & Smithdorf, G. (2020). Adapting team-based learning for practical curricula. In Reflections on a Pandemic.
• Yu, T. W., & Ennion, L. (2019). Participation restriction and vocational rehabilitation needs experienced by persons with unilateral lower limb amputation in the Western Cape, South Africa. South African Journal of Physiotherapy.

Community Participation and Achievement/ Public Service

• Contributes to programme-level student engagement, orientation, mentoring and transition support within the Physiotherapy Programme.
• Participates in clinical-education development, professional workshops and external engagement with physiotherapy and health-sector partners.
• Involved in international academic engagement and visiting-lecturer activities, including collaboration and academic networking with overseas universities.
• Supports interdisciplinary and interprofessional education initiatives involving physiotherapy, nursing and other health professions.
• Member and contributor to professional physiotherapy networks in Hong Kong and South Africa.
• Contributes to internal moderation, assessment quality assurance, programme planning and institutional teaching and learning enhancement.

Awards

• Saint Francis Teaching Excellence Award, Saint Francis University, 2026.
• Teaching-relief awards supporting doctoral studies, University of the Western Cape, 2022 and 2023.
• Research equipment funding award, University of the Western Cape, 2021.
• Emerging Niches Scholarship for PhD studies, University of the Western Cape, 2019.

Professional profile: Health professions educator and scholar specialising in educational technology, simulation, VR-enhanced learning, AI applications in health professions education, clinical reasoning, curriculum design and assessment.