Professor Rainbow HO

Prof. Rainbow Ho is currently the Associate Dean (Postgraduate Education) of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Professor of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Director of the Centre on Behavioral Health, and the Master of Expressive Arts Therapy program in the University of Hong Kong. She is a registered and board-certified dance movement therapist, a registered expressive arts therapist and somatic movement therapist, a certified group psychotherapist, movement analyst, and medical technologist. She is also a registered dance teacher in classical Ballet, Ballroom and Latin American Dance, and a licensed international adjudicator for professional dancesport competitions. 

Prof. Ho has been working as a researcher, therapist, professor, dance teacher and performing artist for many years. She has more than 200 publications in international refereed journals, scholarly books and encyclopedia, and has been the principal investigator of many research projects related to psychophysiology, mind-body medicine, creative and expressive arts therapy, complementary and alternative medicine, spirituality and physical activity for healthy and clinical populations; as well as for social inclusion and citizenship. In 2015, Prof. Ho received the Research Award and the Outstanding Achievement Award from the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA). In 2019, she received the Research Award again from ADTA. Prof. Ho also received the Outstanding Teaching Award from the Faculty of Social Sciences, the University of Hong Kong in 2015 and the Research and Development Award from the Australia and New Zealand Arts Therapy Association in 2016.

Apart from academic and clinical works, Prof. Ho is also active in community services of promoting artistic activities, physical exercises, and healthy lifestyle in clinical and healthy populations in Hong Kong. She was the champion in dancesport from 2000-2005 and represented Hong Kong in many international dancesport competitions, East Asia Games, and Asia Indoor Games. She is the Chairperson of the Commission of Sport for All of the World DanceSport Federation since 2017, and the Honorary President of the Hong Kong Dancesport Association since 2006, helping promote dancesport locally and internationally. Besides, she is also the consultant and advisor of many non-government social welfare organizations in Hong Kong, supporting their services development and professional training. Prof. Ho also serves as the reviewer for the Hong Kong Health and Medical Research Fund, Swiss National Science Foundation, Singapore Ministry of Education Social Science Research Thematic Grant and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.