The UBC School of Social Work and the British Columbia Association of Social Workers celebrated the 2021 Paul Cheng Memorial Lecture on September 7, 2021 during the School’s orientation.
The 2021 winner of the Inspiring Social Worker of the Year Award is Karen Lok Yi Wong.
Many thanks to our donor, Marion Man.
Biography
Karen Lok Yi Wong was trained in social policy for MA at the University of York, the United Kingdom and social work for MSW at UBC, Canada. She conducted research and analyzed policies on older adults and healthcare and published and presented widely academically and professionally. She is currently a PhD student of UBC and affiliated with SFU Science and Technology for Aging Research (STAR) Institute as a research scholar.
She is a registered social worker in BC, Canada. She has been practicing in diverse settings related to older adults, such as community senior services centre, long-term care, and acute care hospital. She is currently practicing social work with Providence Healthcare in BC.
She is a long-term volunteer of Alzheimer’s Society as a family support group facilitator and workshop speaker. She serves in the BC Association of Social Workers Anti-racist and Cultural Advocacy Committee and Seniors Community of Practice Committee.
Background
Social work is a discipline and profession that requires practitioners to have a strong commitment to caring and social justice. Despite the tremendous pressure of limited resources and heavy workloads, many dedicated social workers in British Columbia work promote social justice and equity on a regular basis at many levels of practice and policy.
The UBC School of Social Work is proud to commemorate the contributions an outstanding social justice activist and social work leading-light, Paul Cheng. Paul was a social worker who immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong and dedicated himself to serve refugees, new immigrants, youth in care, street-involved youth, people with addictions, and many others in Hong Kong and Canada for over forty years. It is widely recognized by his colleagues, clients, students, and friends that Paul’s deep caring, enduring social justice ethics, strong professional practice, and tireless personal efforts touched and inspired many people in the social work and larger community. In memory of Paul, the Inspiring Social Worker of the Year Award was established to recognize social workers in British Columbia whose professional and personal efforts and dedication to people from marginalized communities has inspired others to care and contribute to social justice.
