Core Faculty
Antoine Coulombe
Antoine Coulombe, MSW, RSW, joined the Faculty as a full-time instructor on January 1st, 2019.
Antoine's career in Social Work started in the late 90's. He has a BSW from the University of Quebec in Chicoutimi and a MSW from the University of Quebec in Montreal. He has over 12 years of Social Wor...Read more
Barbara Lee
Barbara Lee is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work, Director of the Centre for the Study of Services to Children and Families, Knowledge Exchange and Mobilization Scholar at the University of British Columbia, an academic affiliate of the SIM Social Work Research Lab at Carleton U...Read more
Christiana Bratiotis
Christiana Bratiotis is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, where she teaches social work practice classes in the master’s programs and supervises social work doctoral students. She pioneered work in the formation and oper...Read more
Deborah O'Connor
Deborah O'Connor has over 30 years of direct professional Social Work practice working in the field of aging and health care. This includes maintaining a small, ongoing practice providing consultation on complex cases, especially when there are issues related to decision-making capacity and/or abuse...Read more
Donna Baines
Donna Baines
Professor / The Social Lens Editor / Equity Committee Chair
emaildonna.baines@ubc.ca
location_on2080 West Mall
Donna Baines is a Professor and the previous Director of the UBC School of Social Work. She joined the School in July of 2019 with an enthusiasm for the School’s commitment to social justice and an ethic of care. Dr. Baines comes to UBC from the University of Sydney, where she served as the Chair ...Read more
Grant Charles
Grant Charles
Associate Professor / BSW and MSW Awards Committee Chair
emailGrant.Charles@ubc.ca
phone604 822 3804
location_on2080 West Mall
Grant Charles is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work and an affiliated faculty with the Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics with the Faculty of Medicine. He is also affiliated with the UBC Centre for Group Counselling and Trauma. He holds an adj...Read more
Hannah Kia
Hannah Kia
Associate Professor / MSW Program Chair
emailhannah.kia@ubc.ca
phone604 822 6073
location_on2080 West Mall
Hannah Kia is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work and currently serves as the MSW Program Chair. Her current program of research addresses a variety of issues pertaining to sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations. Hannah’s work centres, in particular, questions related to SGM ...Read more
Harpell Montgomery
H. Monty Montgomery is cis-gender male of Irish-Canadian and Mi’kmaq ancestry who has maintained residences in urban and rural BC for over 40 years. He has steadfastly worked to develop and maintain strong relationships in service to First Nations governments and non-profit Aboriginal organization...Read more
Jax Nobiss
Jac is a Metis scholar and Social Worker with recognized family membership in the homeland of the Manitoba Red River Metis. Jac’s experience ranges from executive-level positions in health, education, social work, and political governance bridging complex systemic understandings with grassroots me...Read more
Karun Karki
Karun Karki
Associate Professor / BSW Program Chair
emailkarun.karki@ubc.ca
phone604 827 1520
location_on2080 West Mall
Dr. Karki was born and raised in a rural community in North-eastern Nepal, in the foothills of Mt. Kanchenjunga, a region shaped by rich ecological diversity and multilingual, multireligious, and multiethnic communities. These formative experiences continue to inform his ways of knowing, being, and ...Read more
Kelly Allison
Kelly Allison
Associate Professor of Teaching / Chair of Field Education / Director of Education UBC Health
emailKelly.Allison@ubc.ca
phone604 822 6220
location_on2080 West Mall
Kelly Allison, MSW, RSW, is an Associate Professor of Teaching with the UBC School of Social Work where she teaches social work practice courses in both the undergraduate and graduate programs. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in psychology at the University of Guelph and her Master of Social Work...Read more
Lea Caragata
Lea Caragata
Director and Associate Professor
emaillea.caragata@ubc.ca
phone604 827 5493
location_on2080 West Mall
Lea Caragata completed her PhD at the University of Toronto, focused on the interplay between land use, social movements and the democratization of public space. Her return to academe to do a PhD followed an almost 20-year career that included grassroots community organizing, social housing developm...Read more
Marie Nightbird
Marie Nightbird
Associate Professor of Teaching / Indigenous Initiatives
phone604 822 3520
location_on2080 West Mall
Marie is of Saulteaux, Sioux and Ukrainian ancestry from beautiful Treaty 4 lands in Saskatchewan. She has been a grateful visitor on Coast Salish territories her entire life. For the past 25 years Marie has lived on the unceded, traditional, occupied territories of xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sk...Read more
Miu Chung Yan
Miu Chung Yan joined the School in 2004. Prior to joining UBC, he studied, practiced and taught social work in Hong Kong, London, England, Toronto and San Francisco. His sojourner’s experience has influenced his major research interests covering settlement and integration of immigrants and refugee...Read more
Mohamed Ibrahim
Mohamed Ibrahim
Assistant Professor / Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar / International Committee Chair
phone604 822 2100
location_on2080 West Mall
Research Area
Health and Mental Health Social WorkDr. Mohamed Ibrahim is an Assistant Professor and Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar in the School of Social Work and Associate Faculty in the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia. He is also an affiliated Research Investigator with the Vancouver Coa...Read more
Research Area
Health and Mental Health Social Work
Tina Wilson
Tina E. Wilson is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia. Her research examines how the welfare infrastructures through which societies organize collective life are built, contested, and transformed over time, particularly when they encounter proble...Read more
Affiliated Faculty
Kenta Asakura
Kenta Asakura
Honorary Affiliate Associate Professor
emailkasakura@smith.edu
Kenta Asakura is currently an Associate Professor at Smith College School for Social Work (Northampton, MA). Seeking to advance the practice and teaching of clinical social work with marginalized communities, Asakura leads a program of simulation-based research. Using simulation (i.e., working with ...Read more
Emeriti
Brian O'Neill
Brian O’Neill is an associate professor at the University of British Columbia School of Social Work. He received a bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of Windsor, a master of social work from Carleton University, and a doctorate in social work from Wilfrid Laurier University. He has...Read more
Edward Kruk
Edward Kruk
Associate Professor Emeritus
emailEdward.Kruk@ubc.ca
Edward Kruk is Associate Professor Emeritus of Social Work at the University of British Columbia, specializing in child and family policy. As a child and family social worker in Canada and the U.K., he has practiced in the fields of welfare rights, child protection, school social work, hospital soci...Read more
Graham Riches
Graham Riches
Professor Emeritus
emailgraham.riches@ubc.ca
phone604 822 1248 / 604 822 5026
Research Area
Social and Community Development
BA, MA (1965/1968) University of Cambridge
Dip. SA (1966) London School of Economics
Graham Riches served as Director of the UBC School of Social Work from 1998 until his retirement in 2008. His early practice was in community development in Sarawak/Malaysia (Voluntary Service Overse...Read more
Research Area
Social and Community Development
Paule McNicoll
Paule McNicoll
Associate Professor Emerita
phone604 822 1248 / 604 822 5026
B.A. (Philosophy) (1968) Collège des Jésuites, Québec City
BSW (1968-71) Université Laval
MSW (1978-79) University of British Columbia
Ph. D. (1985-89) University of Washington
Prior to joining the faculty in 1990, Paule McNicoll had 15 years of experience as a professional social worker i...Read more
Richard Sullivan
Richard Sullivan
Associate Professor Emeritus
phone604 822 1248 / 604 822 5026
location_on2080 West Mall
In recent years more of my work has been in applied social work scholarship in partnership with public interest law firms and the public trustee and in the service of social justice in behalf of under-served or ill-served individuals and groups. In the latter stages of my academic career, I have ret...Read more
Richard Vedan
Richard Vedan
Associate Professor Emeritus / First Nations Advisor
emailrichard.vedan@ubc.ca
phone604 822 1248 / 604 822 5026
Richard Vedan, (Secwepemc First Nation) First Nations Advisor, joined the UBC School of Social Work in 1995 and has just completed appointments (2001-2008) as the Director of the First Nation House of Learning and Senior Advisor to the President on Aboriginal Affairs. Before coming to UBC he was a m...Read more
Tim Stainton
Tim Stainton
Professor Emeritus
BSW (Western), MSW (Toronto), PhD, Social Policy and Political Theory (London School of Economics and Political Science).
Tim Stainton is currently Professor Emeritus at the School of Social Work and Emeritus Director of the Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship. He has held faculty ap...Read more
Indigenous Advisor
Marie Nightbird
Marie Nightbird
Associate Professor of Teaching / Indigenous Initiatives
phone604 822 3520
location_on2080 West Mall
Marie is of Saulteaux, Sioux and Ukrainian ancestry from beautiful Treaty 4 lands in Saskatchewan. She has been a grateful visitor on Coast Salish territories her entire life. For the past 25 years Marie has lived on the unceded, traditional, occupied territories of xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sk...Read more
Richard Vedan
Richard Vedan
Associate Professor Emeritus / First Nations Advisor
emailrichard.vedan@ubc.ca
phone604 822 1248 / 604 822 5026
Richard Vedan, (Secwepemc First Nation) First Nations Advisor, joined the UBC School of Social Work in 1995 and has just completed appointments (2001-2008) as the Director of the First Nation House of Learning and Senior Advisor to the President on Aboriginal Affairs. Before coming to UBC he was a m...Read more
Adjunct Professors/Sessional Lecturers
Allen Alvarez
Allen Alvarez
Adjunct Professor (Research)
emailallen.alvarez@ubc.ca
Allen Alvarez supports healthcare professionals in building moral wellness through ethics education, evaluation, analysis of ethical issues and moral distress consultation. He engages applied ethics scholarship to understand moral experience and standards that define good healthcare practices and de...Read more
Erika Ono
Erika Ono
Adjunct Professor
emaileono@mail.ubc.ca
Dr. Erika Ono, RSW, is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Social Work (Faculty of Arts) and a Clinical Instructor in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Subspeciality Residency Training Program (Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine) at the University of British Columbia. Erika is a clini...Read more
Jack York
emailjack.york@ubc.ca
Jack York, MSW, RSW, has been an adjunct professor / sessional lecturer at the UBC School of Social Work since 2021, teaching in both the BSW and MSW programs.
Jack is an experienced mental health and substance use clinician, educator and researcher. Jack has over fifteen years of frontline men...Read more
Jaclyn Sauer
Jaclyn Sauer
Adjunct Professor
emailjaclyn.sauer@ubc.ca
Research Area
Health and Mental Health Social WorkResearch Area
Health and Mental Health Social Work
Jennifer-Lee Koble MSW, RSW
Jennifer-Lee Koble - she/her is a Metis/Cree and mixed European mother, aunty, daughter, niece, cousin, friend and mama to two fur babies. These relationships root her - bringing responsibilities and joy. She is a therapist, facilitator, consultant, educator and as an adjunct professor she teaches t...Read more
Kayla Kenney
Kayla Kenney
Sessional Lecturer
emailk.a.kenney@ubc.ca
Kayla Kenney is a PhD student at the University of British Columbia. Their doctoral research focuses on social work practice with younger trans and gender diverse people in healthcare. As a practitioner, Kayla’s experience includes clinical, community, and management roles in non-profit and health...Read more
Melanie McDonald
Melanie McDonald
Adjunct Professor (Research)
Research Area
Health and Mental Health Social WorkMelanie is currently the Director of Support Services at the non-profit organization Pain BC working to improve the systems that impact people living with chronic pain. Melanie holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto, and an Advanced Certificate in Health Leadership from BCIT....Read more
Research Area
Health and Mental Health Social Work
Michelle O'Kane
Michelle O'Kane
Sessional Lecturer
emailmilenoka@mail.ubc.ca
Mooly Wong
Mooly Wong
Adjunct Professor (Research)
emailmwong102@mail.ubc.ca
Dr. Mooly Wong, MSW, is an Honorary Research Associate at the UBC School of Social Work. Her academic journey, a testament to her unwavering passion for safeguarding vulnerable children and families, began with a Bachelor of Social Work in Hong Kong. She then honed her expertise with a post-graduate...Read more
Nadia Kyba
Nadia Kyba
Adjunct Professor/Field Liaison
emailnkyba@mail.ubc.ca
Nadia has worked in the field of Alternative Dispute Resolution for 25 years. Within the Provincial Child Welfare system, Nadia worked as a social worker, team leader, collaborative practice facilitator, and practice consultant. She has extensive experience facilitating dispute resolution for a wide...Read more
Nancy Lin
Nancy Lin
Sessional Lecturer
emailNancy.lin@ubc.ca
Nancy Lin, MSW, RSW is a healthcare social worker and PhD Candidate at the UBC School of Social Work.
Nancy’s research focuses on facilitating health inclusion for people with (dis)abilities. Her doctoral research aims to enhance mental health accessibility for people with acquired brain injury...Read more
Olivia Palomino
Olivia Palomino
Adjunct Professor/Field Liaison
emailev10oli@mail.ubc.ca
Research Area
Health and Mental Health Social WorkResearch Area
Health and Mental Health Social Work
Pascale de Kerckhove
Pascale de Kerckhove
Clinical Faculty / Lecturer / Social Worker for the Gateway Clinic
Pascale de Kerckhove, MSW, RSW, obtained a Master in Social Work in 2011 from the University of British Columbia, after a career as a ballet dancer and an arts administrator.
Pascale has worked as a healthcare social worker for the past 15 years in acute, community, and outpatient settings includin...Read more
Samantha Davis
Samantha Davis
Adjunct Professor
Samantha Davis, MSW (she/her) completed her MSW at the University of Victoria with a research focus on community drug checking and addressing substance use stigma. She currently works as a researcher and social worker at a non-profit legal centre in B.C. Previously, she worked as a family law advoca...Read more
Simon Davis
Simon Davis
Adjunct Professor
emailsimon.davis@ubc.ca
Research Area
Health and Mental Health Social WorkResearch Area
Health and Mental Health Social Work
Teresa Robitaille
Teresa Robitaille
Adjunct Professor
Research Area
Health and Mental Health Social WorkResearch Area
Health and Mental Health Social Work
Tommy Spence
Tommy Spence
Adjunct Professor
emailtespence@mail.ubc.ca
Research Area
Health and Mental Health Social WorkTommy Spence, MSW, RSW (he/him/his) is a white settler of English and German ancestry. Born on treaty four territory, Tommy has been living as an uninvited settler on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) people...Read more
Research Area
Health and Mental Health Social WorkLecturer
Pascale de Kerckhove
Pascale de Kerckhove
Clinical Faculty / Lecturer / Social Worker for the Gateway Clinic
Pascale de Kerckhove, MSW, RSW, obtained a Master in Social Work in 2011 from the University of British Columbia, after a career as a ballet dancer and an arts administrator.
Pascale has worked as a healthcare social worker for the past 15 years in acute, community, and outpatient settings includin...Read more