Our Team
Associate Professor
Gary Cheung
PhD FRANZCP MBChB
A/Prof Gary Cheung is an academic old age psychiatrist at the School of Medicine, The University of Auckland, New Zealand. He co-leads the dissemination and research of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy in New Zealand.
Gary was awarded the 2021 Alzheimers New Zealand Fellowship to recognise his contribution to psychosocial dementia research in New Zealand. He is a member of the Auckland Dementia Prevention Research Clinic, a longitudinal study of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.
In 2021, Gary was appointed by the Director-General of Health as a member of the Ministry of Health’s Support and Consultation for End of Life in New Zealand group, a statutory body for New Zealand’s new assisted dying service.
Educational Advisor
Song Lam
Song Lam graduated at the University of Auckland with B. Ed
Formerly a school teacher in Hong Kong with over 30 years of teaching experience, she is currently a part time bilingual educational advisor for Auckland schools.
Song was the founder of Free Language Corners - voluntarily teaching English for new Chinese settlers for 20 years.
She is currently a Board of Trustees member of Dementia Auckland
Recipient of Queen’s Service Medal (QSM) 2006
New Zealander of the Year award - Local Hero 2014
Consultant Geriatrician
Yu-Min Lin
FRACP MBChB
Dr. Yu-Min Lin is a Consultant Geriatrician working at Middlemore Hospital since 2012. Originally from Taiwan, he moved to New Zealand in 1988 and speaks fluent Mandarin. He obtained his medical degree from Otago University and underwent dual specialist training in Geriatrics and Internal Medicine in the Auckland region.
Yu-Min has a broad interest in General Geriatrics, but is especially passionate about dementia. He is the lead Geriatrician working with the pilot “Memory Team” in developing a regional dementia pathway at Te Whatu Ora - Counties Manukau, and has been involved in various quality improvement pathways for delirium care at Middlemore Hospital.
Yu-Min is a current committee member on the NZ division of the
Australia & New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine. Another passion for him is to help the Chinese people of Auckland increase their health awareness. Since 2013 he has been involved with sessions on World TV, TV33, and community talks, speaking on a variety of issues including cerebrovascular disease, dementia, and osteoporosis.
Gerontology Nurse Specialist
Julie Yap
Julie Yap is a gerontology nurse specialist (GNS) with community geriatric service and ED geriatric service, caring for the health of older people at Counties Manukau. She is Malaysian Chinese, and emigrated from Malaysia to New Zealand in 1994.
Julie passionately works in partnership with older populations and their whanau on the topic of gerontology. From her experience as a GNS over the last 10 years, Julie is familiar with dementia as a part of ageing in the majority of her community and ED patients. As such, she is concerned over the lacking equity in accessing services related to dementia, and understands that it is due to varying knowledge on dementia amongst older populations and their whanau.
Julie seeks to improve dementia knowledge and bridge gaps in accessing healthcare & dementia care services for older populations and their whanau of all ethnic backgrounds in the Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland) region.
Asian Health Gain Advisor
Kitty Ko
Kitty Ko is the Asian Health Gain Advisor at Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand. She has been working in the health sector since 2001, with experience over mental health and Asian health.
In her current role, she’s led, developed, and implemented the Asian Health Plan and Roadmap in Te Whatu Ora - Counties Manukau from 2017 until the health reform in 2022.
Kitty delivers community programmes in collaboration with clinicians, health professionals, and community leaders:
Te Whatu Ora Asian Health & Wellbeing Community Network (with over
550 members)Community VAX Heroes (Flu and COVID-19 vaccines)
Be Health Wise (healthy eating and CPT) programmes
Practice Manager
Cannis Tse
PhD, MSWRB
Dr. Cannis Tse is a Practice Manager working at Vagus Centre since 2015. Committed to collaborating with her team, she strives to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services and support for people facing various life struggles and difficulties, with a special emphasis on Chinese migrants. Prior to immigrating to New Zealand in 2001, she worked as a registered social worker in Hong Kong, dedicated to supporting children and families. Cannis is deeply passionate about promoting holistic health and wellbeing, with a focus on the interconnectedness of body, mind, spirit, and environment. She holds a Ph.D. in Health Psychology and is also a certified Taichi coach and mindfulness coach.
Asian Service Manager
Felix Lin
Felix Lin is a true advocate of the Chinese community and a passionate public servant. He is a Justice of the Peace, and chairman of the North Shore Chinese Network Trust.
Felix joined as the Asian Service Manager at Age Concern Auckland in 2021, is a Justice of the Peace, and also serves the community by supporting the MP in the Epsom electorate.
Previously, he was actively involved in the disability advisory committee at Counties Manukau District Health Board, and was also the Asian Service manager at Independent Living Charitable Trust for almost seven years.
Felix is the father of two lovely kids and loves spending time with his family. Outside of work, you will often find Felix playing badminton or going out to sea and soaking up the fabulous Auckland sunshine.
Project Manager
Kong Chan
Kong Chan is a project management professional with over ten years of experience in the field. Kong moved to New Zealand from Hong Kong in 2018 and has since been dedicated to serving the Asian community through volunteering and working in the community services industry. She has coordinated co-design workshops and led her team in delivering social services programmes.
Kong’s ability to manage competing priorities and navigate complex project environments has been a key factor in her success as a project manager. She is fluent in spoken and written English, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), and Japanese. Kong enjoys working with people from different cultures.
Lecturer
Ray Law
Ray Law is a lecturer at the Manukau Institute of Technology and a Family Counsellor, as well as a NZ registered social worker. He received his Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Auckland, a Master’s Degree in Counselling from the University of Hong Kong, and a Bachelor's degree in Counselling and Psychology from the Hong Kong Shue Yan University.
Ray is passionate about supporting the Asian community and helped to establish and build new networks to connect Asian families to the wider society.
With more than 15 years of experience working with families and couples in the community and education sector, he loves sharing his knowledge and experience with others and wishes to build more cohesiveness in our NZ society.
House Officer
Ziyu (Serena) Huang
Serena Huang is a house officer in community mental health for older adults at the Counties Manukau District Health Board. Her primary focus is on promoting mental health and wellbeing among older adults, with a particular interest in the Chinese community.
Serena understands that new migrants to New Zealand can encounter a range of challenges, including emotional and cultural difficulties, which can make it challenging to seek out and receive appropriate care.
As a result, she is committed to working with her team to provide culturally appropriate support and care that takes into account the unique needs and experiences of older adults in the Chinese community.
Serena is excited to be part of this community project and is looking forward to collaborating with her colleagues and community members to make a positive impact on the mental health and wellbeing of older adults in the Chinese community.