Provincial Team Leads
Christine A. Walsh, University of Calgary
Full Professor at the Faculty of Social Work. In her community based, action-oriented and arts informed research she partners with community-based agencies and older adults who are impacted by interpersonal violence, poverty, housing insecurity and homelessness and disaster. In addition, her research interests concern socially excluded older immigrants.
Hongmei Tong, MacEwan University, Edmonton
Hongmei Tong is an Assistant Professor of the School of Social Work, MacEwan University, Canada. She promotes and facilitates healthy, positive and active aging and creates inclusive and friendly communities for older Canadians. Her current research includes social exclusion in later life; culturally appropriate and innovative interventions to enhance the psychological and social well-being of ethno-cultural minority older adults; teaching pedagogy and learning in gerontological social work education. Her research is based on a social determinants of health framework. She is a registered social worker in Alberta and member of International Federation of Social Workers.
Community Partners
Josephine Tsang, Diversecities, Calgary
Josephine Tsang is the CEO of Diversecities, a charity in the social services sector helping ethnocultural groups in Calgary to gain confidence and abilities to live fulfilling lives, in alignment with United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. As a champion of equal opportunity, she believes in integrating inquisitiveness and empathy to foster partnerships that powerfully scale collective efforts and impacts. Named as one of “80 Canadian Women to Watch” in Chatelaine, Josephine holds a PhD in physical organic chemistry from Queen’s University and has 15+ years of experience working in private, research, and not-for-profit sectors.
Liza Chan, Calgary Chinese Elderly Citizens’ Association, Calgary
Liza Chan is a registered social worker and has been the Executive Director of the Calgary Chinese Elderly Citizens’ Association since 1994. Under Liza’s leadership, CCECA has grown from being a single service provider to a collaborator with over 30 agency partners offering a myriad of programs to 5,000 seniors annually. Liza is very active in community work and is the founder of the Emotional Health Carnival, a collaborative project working with ten associations to raise awareness of mental health in the Chinese community since 2002.
Marichu Antonio, ActionDignity, Calgary
Marichu Antonio is a pioneering leader, innovator, and risk taker with 50 years of experience in community development. She is a strong advocate for social justice, human rights, and equity. As founding Board member and Executive Director of ActionDignity, she works with its 110 organizations and racialized communities. Marichu is a proud recipient of the 2012 Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and Avenue Magazine’s A-List of Volunteers in 2009. Having moved to Canada from the Philippines with her family 25 years ago, Marichu now enjoys being a Lola to three lovely grandkids.
Omar Yaqub, Islamic Family and Social Services Association (IFSSA), Edmonton
Shambhu Chowdhury, Mill Woods Seniors Association, Calgary
Shambhu Nath Chowdhury has been Manager of Learning, Wellness & Outreach at MWSA since 2014. With a PhD in Performance Management from Aligarh Muslim University, India, and as a certified Yoga and meditation trainer, Shambhu specializes in experiential learning in diverse areas of human exploration, endeavouring to add value to every interaction she makes.
Sian Jones, City of Calgary
Sian Jones is an Issue Strategist supporting Age-Friendly Calgary. She works with community service providers, health care providers, Calgary citizens and other stakeholders to implement the Seniors Age-Friendly Strategy. Prior to joining Issue Strategist, she worked as a Research Social Planner at the City of Calgary to support the research and evaluation needs of Calgary Neighbourhoods. Sian previously worked in social research and evaluation in the UK and Canada for 11 years focusing on adult social care, youth justice, and international security issues. She has Masters degrees from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and the University of Calgary.
Academic Partners
Ajwang Warria
Social worker and an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary. She has lived, practiced, and conducted research in the sub-Saharan African countries. She is a Co-Chair of the Think Tank at the Olympic Refuge Foundation. She has (co-)authored more than numerous papers which have been published in various international peer-reviewed journals and books. Her doctoral study was on policy development and child trafficking. Her research interests are transnational migration (including trafficking), child protection, and intervention research.
Jordana Salma, University of Alberta, Edmonton
Jordana Salma, RN, is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta. Her program of research focuses on psychosocial dimensions of health and chronic disease management in immigrant, refugee, and racialized older adults. Drawing from Feminist, Transnational and Post-Colonial perspectives, she aims to identify and implement community-based interventions that improve health outcomes in these populations. Jordana has worked with Arab, South Asian, and African immigrant communities on stroke prevention, healthy aging, mental health, social connectedness, and physical activity.
Sandeep Agrawal, University of Alberta, Edmonton
Sandeep Agrawal is a Full Professor & Director, School of Urban and Regional Planning and Associate Chair, Faculty of Science, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences. Sandeep is an urban and regional planner whose research interests include land use planning and design, international planning, multiculturalism and human rights and planning policy. Sandeep will lead the ICOI Political Inclusion Research Stream.