"Walk closely with the Lord. He has been the guide and key inspiration for my teaching and learning for life. Work collaboratively with people...Be innovative...Be humble."
—Dr. Tina Wu, Associate Professor, MA Leadership, Healthcare Stream
When it comes to helping immigrants access healthcare in Canada, Dr. Tina Wu believes that simply providing language translation services may not be enough to fully address immigrants' wellness needs.
Dr. Tina Wu has 10 years of experience as an associate professor of the Healthcare Stream in the Master of Arts in Leadership program at TWU. Her current research involves conducting a public survey to better understand the healthcare needs of immigrants across B.C., with a particular focus on the Greater Vancouver area’s Chinese-Canadian community.
“Doing more includes taking the time to build relationships of trust with their Chinese-Canadian patients. For Chinese people, when they go to see a doctor, they want to make a connection with that doctor,” Dr. Wu said in a media interview.
"If you know your patients very well, it will be much easier to understand their issues when they come through the door," she said.
In 2021, Dr. Wu is analyzing data she has collected over the past year on how Chinese immigrants experience health care in Canda, and to discover what can be done to better meet immigrants' health and wellness concerns.
Honouring International Women’s Day at TWU: Faculty Reflections
Every year on March 8, the global community celebrates International Women's Day. It is a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. At Trinity Western, we seek to honour the many women leaders and educators who help our University thrive and advance into the future.
In the below interview, we hear from Dr. Wu about her leadership journey.
1. Hi Dr. Wu, what has helped you in your journey of teaching and leadership, and what are a few tips you have?
They are many of them; however, the following are my selection of the key ones.
- Walk closely with the Lord. He has been the guide and key inspiration for my teaching and learning for life.
- Glorify the Lord wherever I go: "I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving" (Psalm 69:30).
- Work collaboratively with people: "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited” (Romans 12:16).
- Be innovative: Consider how Jesus feeds the five thousand (Luke 9:10-17).
- Be humble: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10).
2. Who are some of the women who inspire you, and why?
There have been so many women in my life who inspire me to serve the community to the best of my ability. Here are just some of them.
Dr. Eva Kahana: She was the advisor for my Ph.D. Dissertation Committee. Her empathy and emotional support provided to me as a graduate student changed the way that I build up relationships with other people. She used resources available to her to help me grow academically, professionally, and personally. She was my inspiration for wanting to serve people and the community, and do more than just take advantage of resources available to me. I have been using her as a role model in my teacher's role and in my personal learning and growth.
Dr. Juana Bordas: I met Juana at a conference organized by the International Leadership Association (ILA). I have been inspired by her leadership style. She inspires me to have a dream, a big dream for the community of diversity and inclusion wherever you are. Her immigrant background and beliefs resonate with me tremendously. Her leadership style is warm, kind, and flexible; however, straightforward and clear in her ways of communicating with people around her. She danced with her students in her classroom! I have been inspired to become a leader like her in my encounter with students, faculty, and friends. Not to my surprise, she was awarded the title of Women Leader by the ILA in 2019.
Dr. Sonya Grypma: Sonya is my supervisor from work; however, she is not just a supervisor for me. I have been inspired by her way of communication and interaction with the team. She is a good listener and an efficient problem solver. Her "feminine" leadership style is a wonderful combination with the "masculine" leadership culture common to the corporate world. I have been inspired by her consideration, understanding, and insightful characteristics as a leader. She is an example of a woman in leadership that I want to become.
Dr. Tina Wu: as a registered Clinical Counsellor in B.C., I am deep into self-inspiration to help clients get into the habit of self-reflection and self-awareness for growth. I am a firm believer in learning, resilience, and perseverance as mentioned in Positive Psychology. Collaborating with God and followers in God's community, I desire to be inspired by my daily devotion to God, and the sharing from my fellow Christan friends, as well as bible studies. I want to live a life according to God's calling and purposes, and serve as an example for other people in God’s community. I would like to call it — self-inspired leadership.
3. What has been a highlight of teaching at TWU in recent months, and where have you seen resilience?
As a teacher for the past 20 years, I have learned that teaching for higher education was a “stabilized” industry; however, COVID-19 changes my perception. The crisis intervention skills involved in moving teaching courses face-to-face to online have been intriguing. Both faculty and students are required to learn “change and adaptability competency” in the areas of teaching and learning during COVID-19 challenges, ever since March of 2020. It is a good illustration (of strengths and difficulties) of this particular leadership competency in action for parties involved.
The TWU Executive Leadership Team (ELT) team provides a supportive and learning environment (to the best of their ability/resources provided to them) for students, faculty, and staff during COVID-19 challenges. They walk by our side.
Learning online is a big challenge for international students; however, they have been doing their best to collaborate with me and other course instructors in MA in Leadership Program. There is hope at the end of the tunnel: The resilience of the TWU community (leaders, faculty, student, staff) is on display as we look forward to the end of COVID-19 challenges.
See also: Dr. Tina Wu's interview in NewWestminster Record.
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has five campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, Ottawa, and Bellingham, WA. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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