The Wong Lab

‘Humanizing Hospitals’ is a UCL Grand Challenges funded project measuring the built environment factors that contribute to cancer patients’ wellbeing and mental health. This is a collaboration with Dr Lusi Morhayim (PI; Bartlett School of Architecture), cancer patients, and psychologists. The project will run from 2022 to 2023.

Assessing the Social Mistrust Scale (SMS: Wong et al., 2014) in Italy is a Global Engagement funded project with the Sapienza University of Rome where the SMS was validated in both school children (N = 242) and adolescent patients with psychosis (N = 44) in Italy. The project has now concluded. Findings have been submitted for publication and will be presented at the Schizophrenia International Research Society Conference in Florence Italy in April 2024.

‘EMPOWER-Islington‘ is a UKRI Research England project between UCL, Islington Council, and its young people. We co-created new ways to enhance employability, education & mental health with and for young people of Islington through five workshops with UCL academics and experts. Read our end-of-project report HERE.

BEST-EdCrim ‘Blue Sky Thinking’ Seminar Series (2022) Funded by UKRI Research England, this new virtual seminar series on Education and Criminal Justice (BEST-EdCrim) aims to facilitate new connections and collaborations between researchers and practitioners as part of my efforts to relaunch the Centre for Education and Criminal Justice (ECJ) as co-Director. The seminars took place over four Wednesdays in June involving one academic and non-academic in conversation on a key issue or question on education and criminal justice. The ECJ has been awarded the UCL Innovation Network Fund to build a network of partners with academics, third-sector leaders, and policymakers for 2024.

BE-Well Network UCL (2022) Funded by the UKRI Natural Environment Research Council Discipline Hopping Fund and in partnership with Dr Lusi Morhayim (Bartlett School of Architecture; co-I), I led a networking event between researchers in built environment and health in April 2022 and built a network for ECRs in this space to facilitate new collaborations.

COPE-Well Study (2021-22) Funded by the (UKRI Higher Education Innovation Fund, this is a knowledge exchange research project with Jamal Edwards Delve (JEDelve) charity to support and co-create mental health and life-skills resources with, and for, BAME young people.

Vax-PaC Study (2021-22) Funded by the UCL-Osaka Strategic Partnership Grant and partnering with Osaka University (Prof. Asako Muira; co-I) to examine the reasoning and consequences of vaccine hesistancy in families (e.g., parents with underaged children, <18 years).

TEACH-Well Study (2021-22) Funded by the UCL CTTR Seed Grant and partnering with Dr Eleanor Kitto (co-I) to explore the impact of COVID-19 on early years trainee teachers’ mental health.

CUES Study (2021-22) Funded by the UCL ChangeMakers Grant, this is a study of undergraduates’ access to UCL’s careers support and development services, which aims to improve existing IOE department and wider UCL careers services policies and support on offer. View study findings here. Funded by UCL ChangeMakers.

In 2022-23, CUES Study for Staff was further funded by UCL ChangeMakers Continuation Fund to help teaching staff embed career support into modules and programs across the department. Findings will be shared widely with UCL Careers, department, and IOE/UCL.

UCL-Penn Global COVID Study (2020-22) Funded by the UCL Global Engagement Fund, this is a three-wave online survey examining the impact of COVID-19 on individual’s social trust, mental health and physical health with collaborators from 5 institutions (University of Pennsylvania, University of Massachusetts Lowell, University of Trento, Nanyang Technological University, Chinese Academy of Sciences).

ARTSMH (2020-21) Funded by the UCL Changemaker Grant, this is a staff-student  project looking at destigmatising mental health in the public through the arts. In 2022-23, ARTSMH received further UCL Changemaker Continuation Fund to further expand its presence on UCL campus through creating accessible resources for the group to continue its good work.