Alumni

Dr. Jessica TANG

CLINICAL CONSULTANT (PEER SUPPORT) – 2021
Dr. Jessica Tang is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Social Work and Social Administration. She is also a Registered Social Worker specializing in mental health, family intervention, narrative and strength-based approaches. Her research interests include mental health recovery, service user and family involvement, peer support services, trauma-informed care, collaborative and participatory research methodology.

Dr. Mandy PENG

POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW – 2021
Mandy’s research interest mainly focuses on mental health, long-term care, family study, gerontology, social welfare and social work research, and quantitative methods for social science.

Dr. Anna ZHANG

POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW – 2021
Anna’s research interests include dementia, geriatrics and gerontology, mental health, family caregiving, intervention research, productive aging, and long-term care. She is also trained as a registered social worker, certificated dementia care planner, and international trainer of cognitive stimulation therapy.

Ms. Jessie YAU

SENIOR RESEARCH ASSISTANT – 2021
Jessie aspires to improve mental health of older adults; her research interests include mental health, geriatric and gerontology. Her work focuses on adopting a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to enhance mental health literacy and reduce mental health stigma among older adults in Hong Kong.

Mr. Ryder CHAN

SENIOR RESEARCH ASSISTANT – 2021
Ryder has been a social worker conducting research projects on dementia care and staff training in community and residential care settings. He is interested in empowering elders improving the mental health of themselves as well as their families and friends. He mainly adopts structural equation modeling in data analysis.

Mr. Frankie WONG

SENIOR RESEARCH ASSISTANT – 2021
Frankie has an interdisciplinary research agenda covering the intersection between media use and geriatric mental health. He applies quantitative methods in social science research and adopts a mixed-methods approach in text analysis.

Ms. Candy MOK

PUBLICITY OFFICER – 2021
Candy has strong background in broadcasting journalism, especially in health and wellness issues. Candy mainly supports public awareness matters in JoyAge, aiming to raise older adult mental health literacy among the general public and to promote older adult mental health wellbeing in the society.

Dr. Stephen CHAN

POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW – 2022

Stephen obtained his PhD in Psychology from the Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). He has involved in different research projects pertaining to active ageing and productive ageing. His research interests fall in the area of ageing particularly on the relationships between social determinants and psychological well-being as well as the relationships between age-stereotype and cognitive performances.

Mr. Samuel CHAN

SENIOR RESEARCH ASSISTANT – 2022

Samuel has been participating in various research studies with respect to different aspects and groups of older adults, such as productive engagement in older adults and support services for older adults with intellectual disabilities and their carers. His research interests focus on productive ageing and well-being of older adults.

Ms. Lesley SZE

ASSISTANT TRAINING OFFICER AND SENIOR RESEARCH ASSISTANT – 2022

Peer support and co-production are important elements of Lesley’s work in the JC JoyAge project. She is keen to innovate and collaborate with different stakeholders to contribute to the community’s well-being. Apart from doing research, she also compiled practice wisdom and case stories from the project’s Peer Supporters for knowledge exchange and mutual learning, and co-developed a wellness self-management toolkit with elder peers.

Ms. Katherine LIN

Publicity Assistant – 2022

Katherine is responsible for handling publicity materials and media relations in JoyAge. She is enthusiastic about promoting mental wellness and eliminating prejudices towards mental health problems.

Mr. Edwin WONG

SENIOR RESEARCH ASSISTANT – 2022

Edwin’s research interests encompass peer supporters, geriatric depression, mental health-related literacy and stigma, and community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods in social sciences. He has also worked on a localized wellness self-management toolkit for elder peers and a suicide prevention guideline for helping professionals.

Dr. Wendy ZHANG

Post-doctoral fellow – 2022

Wendy obtained her PhD in Women’s Mental Health from the School of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong. She has much experience in evaluation and economic evaluation for community-based programs. She is passionate about promoting mental health and reducing cognitive decline in ageing.

Ms. Annabelle FONG

SENIOR Research Assistant – 2022

Annabelle is an ACSM-Certified Exercise Physiologist experienced in working with rehabilitation services focusing on chronic pain and injury prevention. Her interests include chronic pain management, biomechanics and Kinesiophobia.

Dr. Nicole WONG

SENIOR RESEARCH ASSISTANT -2022

Nicole has worked on vision research, specifically on depth perception and video games, using behavioural and neuroimaging methods. Apart from research, she is also involved in facilitating community-based participatory research (CBPR) here in JoyAge.

Dr. Melissa CHAN

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST AND TRAINING OFFICER – 2023

Melissa is a Clinical Psychologist as well as a Social Worker registered in Hong Kong. In addition to her clinical work, Melissa is also passionate about community mental health and promoting evidence-based practice.

Ms. Judy HE

SENIOR Research Assistant -2023

Judy is passionate about promotion of mental wellness in older adults through research and clinical work. She also has research and clinical experience in online text-based counselling service.

Dr. Bridget LIU

RESEARCH ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AND PROJECT MANAGER (RESEARCH) – 2023

Dr. Bridget Liu is the project manager (research) of the JC JoyAge project. She received her PhD in cognitive psychology from the University of Hong Kong, and her current work centers around mental health issues and services, with a focus in the older adult population. Dr. Liu is passionate about art, she is doing a part-time Master in Art Therapy degree, and now leading a pilot study to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of using participatory art for reducing self-stigma among older adults.

Mr. Hermes CHUANG

SOCIAL WORKER -2023

As a prospective social worker, Hermes is particularly interested in social determinants of mental health and working with people with mental health challenges. He strives to promote mental wellness and advocate on anti-stigmatization of mental illness.

Ms. Kwok Wai Wai

SENIOR CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST AND PROJECT MANAGER (CLINICAL) -2024

Ms. Wai Wai Kwok obtained her Master’s in Clinical Psychology in the University of Melbourne. As a clinical psychologist, she is passionate in working with older adults, especially those who suffer from mental health issues and chronic pain. She is also interested in practicing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Wai Wai enjoys nature, times with friends and family, and trying new things.

Ms. Maggie LO

SOCIAL WORKER – 2024

Maggie has gained valuable insights from her past experience and current study in social work. These have also fed her passion to progress and develop ongoing strategies to support and promote healthy ageing through enhancing the mental wellness of older adults.

Ms. Emily CHU

TRAINING OFFICER AND SENIOR SOCIAL WORKER – 2024

Emily is a registered social worker. She has casework experiences in different areas including family relationships, parenting, bereavement, mental challenges and holistic care on elders as well as carers. She has also participated in leading Cognitive Behavioral Therapy groups for treating insomnia and anxiety for adults and elders. She is interested in end-of-life care. She believes enhancing the quality of life of elders is the first priority of increasing their well being.

Dr. Yun-Han WANG

POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW – 2024

Dr. Yun-Han Wang received her PhD in Psychology from King’s College London, and a BA Honours degree in Psychology from the University of British Columbia with her identical twin, Yun-Lin. Her PhD investigated the underpinning factors of resilience. She is interested in promoting mental health and resilience among stressful populations, such as the elderly. She has lived in Taiwan, New Zealand, India, Singapore, Canada, the United Kingdom, and is now excited to explore Hong Kong. 

Dr. Yun-Lin WANG

POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW – 2024

Dr. Yun-Lin Wang obtained her PhD from King’s College London and her BA Honours degree in Psychology from the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on intervention development and prediction of outcome. She is very passionate about promoting mental wellness using empirical and theoretical approaches. Besides, she and her identical twin sister, Yun-Han, support community mental health programs through charity concerts.

Mr. Hotinpo Sky KANAGAWA

Research Assistant –  2024

Graduated with Psychology major with experience in documenting mental illness, working closely with researchers, psychologists, and mental health workers. Interest in alternative treatment for mental illness, to reduce stigmatization of mental health issues and increase the accessibility for treatment in non-clinical clients. Works well with diverse client populations in one-on-one and group settings.

Ms. Kammily CHEUNG

PUBLICITY OFFICER – 2024

Kammily has worked in media field as a reporter, producer and anchor after graduated from Hong Kong Baptist University in Broadcast Journalism major. She is enthusiastic about promoting elderly mental wellness and eliminating prejudices towards mental health problems by utilizing her media relations experience.

Mr. Oscar CHAN

SENIOR RESEARCH ASSISTANT – 2024

Oscar is particularly interested in investigating mental health challenges in older adults. He strives to advocate successful aging, elderly mental wellness, and the importance of destigmatization by increasing public awareness and understanding.

Ms. Pandora LAM

Publicity Officer – 2024

Pandora is committed to raising awareness of mental health issues at JoyAge. Passionate about creating multimedia content, she focuses on promoting successful ageing, mental wellness among the elderly and de-stigmatising mental health in Hong Kong.

Ms. Dipsy WONG​

Research Assistant

Dipsy is a research assistant with a background in psychology and counselling. With her experience in working with the elderly and their caregivers, she is dedicated to enhancing their emotional well-being, resilience, and quality of life. She is also interested in the concept of peer support in mental health.

Ms. Pik Ying CHAN

Executive Officer

Pik Ying supports the administrative operations of the project.

Dr. Dara LEUNG​

RESEARCH ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

Dr Dara Leung is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at The University of Hong Kong, where she obtained her PhD specialising in dementia studies. With master’s degrees in health psychology and Buddhist studies, she is interested in research revolving around dementia, late-life mental health, and Buddhist psychology. Her current research focuses on conceptualising and cultivating compassion in older people and their carers, with the aim of improving their overall well-being. She is also keen to explore how information and communication technology can enhance the access and efficacy of psychosocial interventions for older people with dementia and mental health problems.

Dr. Stephanie WONG​

PROJECT MANAGER (RESEARCH) AND RESEARCH ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

Dr. Stephanie Wong is Research Assistant Professor at the Department of Social Work and Social Administration and the Project Manager (Research) of the JC JoyAge project. She received her PhD in psychiatry from The University of Hong Kong and has since been working on multiple projects involving populations spanning from clinical samples with psychotic disorders, community samples with at-risk mental state and high-risk depressive symptoms, as well as epidemiological youth samples. Her research interests involve the identification of early markers and risk factors for mental disorders in community members, particularly the influences of environmental factors and their interactions with personal factors, both in young and older adults in the hope to inform early preventative intervention work. She has also been actively exploring the use of low-stigma and digital approaches in mental health assessments and interventions by involving others with lived experiences throughout the design and implementation process as means to improve awareness and help-seeking among the general public. 

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