Keynote Speakers

Professor Ingrid Schoon

Professor of Social Policy
Chair of Social Policy,
University College London,
Social Research Institute,
55-59 Gordon Square,
London WC1H 0AL, United Kingdom

Biography

Ingrid Schoon is Professor of Social Policy at University College London, Social Research Institute. She is a Fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) and the Social Science Centre (WZB) in Berlin. Her research focuses on the study of risk and resilience in the transition to adulthood, social inequalities in skill development, attainment and wellbeing. As an educational researcher she combines perspectives from social, developmental and educational psychology as well as sociology within evidence synthesis and longitudinal quantitative data analysis. She has published widely, including a monograph on ‘Risk and Resilience’ (2006); co-edited books on “Young People’s Development and the Great Recession: Uncertain Transitions and Precarious Futures” (2017) with John Bynner; and “Gender differences in aspirations and attainment: A longitudinal perspective” (2014) with Jacquelynne Eccles; “Transitions from School to Work: Globalisation, Individualisation, and Patterns of Diversity” (2009) with Rainer Silbereisen; all published by Cambridge University Press. Schoon has served as advisor to government departments and is a member of the OECD 2030 Competencies Framework Working Group and the UNESCO Inclusive Social Policy Lab.

Dr Lam Ching Choi GBS, JP

Chief Executive Officer,
Haven of Hope Christian Service
Chairman, Advisory Committee on Mental Health, Health Bureau;
Council for Carbon Neutrality & Sustainable Development;
Elderly Care Service;
Industry Training Advisory Committee; ICAC Complaints Committee;
Healthcare & Wellness Training Board, Vocational Training Council, HKSAR, China

Biography

Dr Lam is a specialist in paediatric and community medicine and is currently Chief Executive Officer of Haven of Hope Christian Service. Under his leadership, Haven of Hope Christian Service is one of the pioneers in the provision of holistic care for the elderly in Hong Kong. With his extensive knowledge of local public health policies and services, Dr Lam has sat on multiple statutory and advisory bodies. He is a non-official member of the Executive Council of the HKSAR Government. Prior to his current position as the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Mental Health, he served the Elderly Commission for almost 20 years, and he was once the Chairman of the Commission. He now also serves as the Chaiman of the Council for Carbon Neutrality & Sustainable Development, the Healthcare & Wellness Training Board of the Vocational Training Council, the Industry Training Advisory Committee of Elderly Care Service and the Independent Commission Against Corruption Complaints Committee. He is also a member of the Green Technology & Finance Development Committee, the Primary Healthcare Committee, as well as the HK Housing Society to provide advice to the government on various policies. Dr Lam was honoured by the HKSAR Government with the Justice of Peace in 2003 and Gold Bauhinia Star in 2025. In 2018, apart from receiving Honorary Fellowship from Lingnan University, he also received the Ageing Asia Global Ageing Influencer Award (Special Recognitions) and Smart Ageing Leader Award 2024 in recognition of his devotion to public services and his influence on policy-making for the global ageing trend.

Professor Catherine So-kum Tang

Distinguished Professor of Research
Director, Mrs Dorothy Koo & Dr Ti Hua Koo Centre for Interdisciplinary Evidence-based Practice & Research,
Hong Kong Shue Yan University,
HKSAR, China

Biography

Professor Catherine So-kum Tang obtained her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Texas, USA. She served as a tenured Professor of Psychology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong until 2007, and subsequently at the National University of Singapore until 2020. Professor Tang joined Hong Kong Shue Yan University in 2020 and served as Vice President (Graduate School) until 2025. She is currently a Distinguished Professor of Research. Professor Tang has extensive experience in academic leadership, including heading academic departments, developing and leading postgraduate programmes, establishing and managing interdisciplinary research centres, and chairing university-level committees. She is also an active and highly productive researcher, with over 300 academic publications. Her research interests encompass human resilience and adaptation to life adversities and trauma, behavioural addiction, violence against women, and health psychology. Her scholarly work has received 15,385 citations (h-index = 73) on Google Scholar and 7,046 citations (h-index = 50) on Scopus. Professor Tang has been listed among the World’s Top 2% Most-Cited Scientists (both annual and career impact) by Stanford University from 2021 to 2025. She has secured substantial research funding for large-scale projects from various funding bodies, including highly competitive grants awarded by the Ministry of Education in Singapore and the Hong Kong Research Grants Council.

Organised By

Co-organisers

Partners