Join us in April for the SPHPC Thematic Research Webinar featuring Dr Evaon Wong, Dean of the School of Social Work at Portland State University, an expert in cancer survivorship and quality-of-life issues affecting Chinese immigrant breast cancer patients.
Prof. Wong will discuss the importance of clinicians understanding patients’ culturally relevant coping mechanisms, including Chinese indigenous practices such as fortune telling, Feng Shui, and geomancy. She will explore how training can help clinicians understand patients’ emotional responses to these practices during and after cancer treatment, and how clinicians can draw on patients’ cultural resources to make them feel supported rather than alienated.
The webinar will be moderated by Prof. Nelson Yeung, Associate Professor at JCSPHPC.
Registration will close at noon on 23 April 2026 (Thursday).
Please refer to the details below:
| Date & Time | 24 April 2026 (Friday) 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM (HKT, GMT+8) |
| Venue | Zoom Webinar |
| Mode | Online |
| Topic | Using Chinese Traditional Approaches/Healers to Deliver Mental Health Needs for Cancer Survivors |
| Speaker | Prof. Evaon Wong Dean of the School of Social Work Portland State University The United States |
| Moderator | Prof. Nelson Yeung Associate Professor Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care The Chinese University of Hong Kong |
Seminar Abstract
Background: Clinicians working with oncology patients need to understand how to value their indigenous practice of healing and coping with their cancer diagnosis, especially those who are newly diagnosed with an advance stage of the disease. Being able to understand the patients’ use of cultural relevant coping mechanisms will help build a respectful relationship and foster trust with them.
Methods: Key informants’ studies were conducted with patients who volunteers with nonprofit organizations conducting Cantonese speaking support groups. These volunteers are valuable assets to bridge clinicians understanding of minoritized patients use of alternative coping mechanisms such as fortune telling, Feng Shui, or geomancy. One of the examples of popular fortune telling is shortage, a Daoist practice of prediction that many Chinese patients use to predict the success of their treatment for their cancer diagnosis.
Impact on Practice: These informants explained that they do not expect social workers, or psychologists to understand how they use these indigenous practices; however, they do hope that clinicians will be willing to ask questions and understand their emotional reaction to these practices, that sometimes may help with their emotional well beings, or sometimes negative affect their mood and depressive symptoms when these predictions turn out to be negative.
Discussion: More trainings for clinicians to understand these practices will help them utilize patients’ internal and cultural resources. Clinicians’ curiosity about these practices will help patients feel more supported and less ridiculed or alienated.
About the Speaker
Dr. Wong is the Dean of the School of Social Work at Portland State University. She previously served as the Founding Dean at the College of Health Sciences at Samuel Merritt University in Oakland.
Dr. Wong is a well-recognized advocate and researcher for minority and low-income breast cancer patients, especially the Asian immigrant population. Her research interest is on cancer survivorship and quality of life issues confronting Chinese immigrant breast cancer patients. She published and presented numerous papers at national and international conferences relating to breast cancer and psychosocial issues.
Dr. Wong also conducted training in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Guam, and Hawaii on providing effective social work intervention to women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.
Dr. Wong is the President (volunteer) of the Asian Alliance for Health, a non-profit health education organization in San Francisco. She is appointed as Assessment Panel Member of the Social Workers Registration Board in Hong Kong. Dr. Wong is one of the founding board members of the Intercultural Cancer Council, a national advocacy organization for improving the cancer mortality rate of the underserved populations.
About the Moderator
Professor Nelson Yeung received his PhD in Social and Health Psychology at the University of Houston as a trained health psychologist in 2015. His research focuses on the interplay among psychological processes, individual characteristics, cultural factors and health outcomes among people adjusting through life adversities. His projects have been supported by extramural funding as a principal investigator (e.g., Health and Medical Research Fund by the Health Bureau, Early Career Scheme by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong) and a co-investigator (e.g., Institutional Development Scheme of the Collaborative Research Grant of the University Grants Committee).