Springfield College School of Social Work Faculty Member and Student to Visit Hong Kong Baptist University

Left to right, Hong Kong Baptist University social work faculty member Dr. Fung Kwok-kin, Dr. Hung Suet-Lin, Springfield College International Center Director Deb Alm, Springfield College School of Social Work Dean Francine Vecchiolla, Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper, Hong Kong Baptist University social work faculty member Petrus Ng during recent visit to Springfield College.

Springfield College School of Social Work Associate Professor Dr. Effrosyni Kokaliari and distinguished student Emily Ridenour will be visiting Hong Kong Baptist University from March 3 through March 13 as part of a continued two-year exchange program involving faculty and students from the Springfield College School of Social Work and Hong Kong Baptist University. Hong Kong Baptist University Associate Vice President Dr. Frank Fu generously funds the program.

As part of Dr. Kokaliari and Ridenour’s visit, they will work on establishing new collaborations, initiate new research, and further faculty student exchanges between the Springfield College School of Social Work and Hong Kong Baptist University. Dr. Kokaliari and Ridenour also will meet with Hong Kong students and social workers, attend classes, and participate in discussions.

As one of the main presentations during her visit, Dr. Kokaliari will give a lecture entitled Understanding Non suicidal self-Injury and its differentiation to suicide. A global view. Dr. Kokaliari has been a professor at Springfield College for six years, and teaches clinical practice and research. She has been involved in several international studies in Greece, Cyprus, Jordan, and Palestine.

Dr. Kokaliari has established herself in the social work field focusing on adult mental health; and social work practice and research. She earned her PhD from the Smith College School of Social Work in 2004; and earned her MSW from the University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom / Hogeschoolf Utrecht, Holland in 2000. Dr. Kokaliari also received a MA in Psychoanalytic Studies from the Tavistock Clinic, United Kingdom, in 2000.

Just two months ago, the Springfield College School of Social Work and Doggett International Center welcomed Hong Kong Baptist University social work faculty members Petrus Ng, Dr. Hung Suet-Lin, and Dr. Fung Kwok-kin to campus.

During the Hong Kong Baptist University delegation’s visit, they had the opportunity to collaborate with Springfield College School of Social Work faculty members, serve as guest lecturers in classes for graduate social work students, participate in field agency visits, meet with the Springfield College School of Social Work advisory board and social work student organization officers, present to post-master’s certificate program students, and serve as guest lecturers for the graduate social work students in the weekend program.

The Springfield College School of Social Work has a long-standing relationship with Fu and Hong Kong Baptist University. Last year, Springfield College School of Social Work Dean, Dr. Francine Vecchiolla and faculty members Dr. Walter Mullin and Dr. Ann Roy had a chance to visit with Fu when they traveled to Hong Kong Baptist University to give a presentation at the Global Social Science Conference.

Just a short time following the conference in Hong Kong, Fu traveled back to the Brennan Center and visited the Springfield College School of Social Work in January 2015. Fu has a strong connection with Springfield College earning a master’s degree in 1973 and a doctorate degree in 1975, followed by serving as the director of the Springfield College Doggett International Center from 1978 through 1983.

An author of more than 100 journal articles and 17 textbooks, Fu has worked throughout the world in China, Canada, and the United States and has received several distinguished honors, including the Medal of Honor in 2009 by the SAR Government of Hong Kong.

Fu returned to Hong Kong in 1983 where he worked at the Chinese University of Hong Kong for nine years before joining the faculty at Hong Kong Baptist University.  Fu has served as the head of the physical education department and dean of the faculty of social sciences at Hong Kong Baptist University before settling into his current role as the University’s associate vice president, and director of the Dr. Stephen Hui Research Centre.

For more than a century, Springfield College presidents, students, alumni, and athletic teams have traveled the globe building relationships, conducting educational and sports programs, and receiving governmental and humanitarian awards. Today, more than 600 Springfield College alumni reside in 65 countries outside the United States.