Karen Lok Yi Wong is a PhD candidate and sessional lecturer. She is a registered social worker and researcher and has been practicing and researching with older adults and people living with dementia from diverse racial, cultural, language, and immigration backgrounds. She serves as an advisor to Alzheimer’s Society Canada on how the intersection of dementia and race influences the lived experience of racialized people living with dementia. She received provincial and national awards that acknowledged her advocacy work with racialized people living with dementia, such as the Distinguished Service Award 2024 by the Canadian Association of Social Workers, the MOSAIC Award 2023, and the Inspiring Social Worker of the Year 2021 by the BC Association of Social Workers. At UBC, she is a Public Scholar (2024-) and was an Institute of Asian Research Fellow (2022-2023) and Liu’s Scholar (2022). Karen’s PhD work is funded by the SSHRC doctoral award.

Selected publications most relevant to Centre for Migration Studies – For full list of publication, please see Karen’s webpage

Wong, K. L. Y., Johnson, G., & O’Connor, D. (2024). Living with dementia: Exploring the intersections of culture, race, and dementia, stigma. Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1177/14713012241249796

Leung, Y. W., Kwong, E. W. Y., Wong, K. L. Y., So, J., Poon, F., Cheng, T., Chen, E., Molasiotis, A., Howell, D. (2024) Understanding Elderly Chinese Cancer Patients in a Multicultural Clinical Setting: Embracing Mortality and Addressing Misperceptions of Vulnerability. Current Oncology. https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol31050197

Lauer, S., Wong, K. L. Y, Yan, M.C. (2024) Social infrastructure, community organizations, and friendship formation: A scoping review. Community Development Journal. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsae023

Wong, K. L. Y., & Hung, L. (2023). Cultural adaptation in television technology for older adults with dementia in care settings. Frontiers in Dementia, 1, 1098446. https://doi.org/10.3389/frdem.2022.1098446

Wong, K. L. Y. (2023). Reflection of my experience on English as a Second Language user from a Social Work Perspective: Inclusiveness. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 28(3), 52–56. https://reflectionsnarrativesofprofessionalhelping.org/index.php/Reflections/article/view/1952

Wong, K. L. Y. (2022). How social workers can use an intersectionality lens to understand recent older refugees falling through the cracks in services: Using Vancouver, Canada, as an example. International Social Work, 002087282211369. https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728221136969

Yan, M.C., Wong, K. L. Y. & Lai, D. (2019) Subethnic Interpersonal Dynamic in Diasporic Community: A Study on Chinese Immigrants in Vancouver. Asian Ethnicity, 20(4), 451-468. https://doi.org/10.1080/14631369.2019.1613885

Selected awards most relevant to Centre for Migration Studies – For full list of awards, please see Karen’s webpage

Academic Awards, Fellowships, and Scholarships

National Level
Knowledge Translation Award, National Collaborating Centres for Public Health (NCCPH), 2023
IODE War Memorial Doctoral Scholarship, IODE, 2023-2024
Canada Graduate Scholarships — Doctoral (CGS D) Program, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), 2022-2025
Michael F. Harcourt Policy Fellowship, AGE-WELL, 2022-2023
Schlegel-UW RIA Scholarship, Canadian Association of Gerontology, 2022

Provincial Level
Kes Chetty Education Award, MOSAIC BC, 2023

University Level
ImpactBC Scholarship in Health Care Research and Development, UBC Health, 2024
Fellowship, UBC Institute of Asian Research, 2022-2023
Liu Scholar Fellowship, UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, 2021-2022

Practice/Clinical Awards
Distinguished Services Award, Canadian Association of Social Workers, 2024
Canadian Leadership in Aging Award, National Institute on Aging, 2023
Equity Award (Diversity and Inclusion), UBC School of Social Work, 2021
Inspiring Social Worker of the Year Award, BC Association of Social Workers and UBC, 2021
Award for Excellence in Clinical Practice, Providence Healthcare, 2021