"There's beauty in the most unexpected of places, and that there are bright places even in dark times. And that, if there isn't, you can be that bright place... with infinite capacities."
·All The Bright Places ·
About
Borrowing the words in the book A Passion for Society by Wilkinson and Kleinman, Athel's 'commitment to social research practice, is sustained not so much by a quest for academic recognition, but more by a moral concern to be actively involved in the creation of humane forms of society.' Engaging in the practice of social science and social research to improve the lives of vulnerable populations and inspiring the next generation of individuals who have the heart for people and community, has always been her motivation as a researcher and an educator.
Athel holds a PhD in Public Health. She is an award-winning educator and identifies herself primarily as a medical sociologist and public mental health practitioner, whose research interests span across social constructions of mental illnesses, health and social behaviours and social determinants of health and mental health. She is particularly passionate about improving the mental health outcomes of communities and destigmatization of mental illnesses across different populations through social capital and trust. Her main area of research involves studying the social constructions of stigma, in addressing its root origins and perpetuation processes. By studying the social roots of stigma and how it perpetuates, her research aims to foster healthier attitudes for those affected and build compassion amongst the broader public towards the afflicted.
Athel is currently a lecturer at the National University of Singapore (NUS), College of Alice & Peter Tan (CAPT). She has extensive teaching experience in higher education, having taught a range of applied social research methods and social science courses since 2012, including medical sociology, mental health, and health and social behaviour and more.
LECTURER · SOCIAL PEDAGOGUE · MEDICAL SOCIOLOGIST · PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTITIONER · COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL · YOUTH MENTOR · NON-PROFIT BOARD MEMBER
Pedagogical Approach
Mental Wellness: Perspectives & (World)views
Drawing on key theoretical perspectives from sociology of mental illness, developmental psychology and counselling psychology, this course offers students the interdisciplinary lens to conceptualize and approach mental health and wellbeing.
Social pedagogy
“No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship.” ·James P. Comer ·
Social pedagogical approach (Hämäläinen, 2015) has been instrumental in guiding my teaching. Also known as the ‘head, heart and hands approach’, its emphasis of leveraging on education to equip students with the intellectual knowledge, with the heart and hands to translate these knowledge to redress social ills, aligns well with my passion for serving the vulnerable populations. In practice, psychological safety and building safe relationships are emphasized as these aspects constitute the key foundations for effective classroom learning and engagement.
Current courses
"We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education."
· Martin Luther King Jr. ·
UTC2412/UTS2409
UTC1421
Social Capital & Life Outcomes
With a primary focus on micro-level outcomes, the purpose of this course is to introduce students to how relationships matter in shaping various life outcomes, and how we could leverage on social capital concepts to work with populations in need.
Previously taught courses
SC1101E Making Sense of Society
SC2101 Methods of Social Research
SC2211 Medical Sociology
SC2226 Sociology of Mental Health
SC3209 Data Analysis in Social Research
SC3214 Sociology of Lifecourse & Ageing
SC4223 Health & Social Behaviour
SC4401 Honours Thesis (Supervision)
UTC3401
Undergraduate Research Opportunity (UROP)
Working with college students and alumni on various community-based applied research projects related to destigmatizing mental illnesses; civic engagement and volunteerism.
RESEARCH AREAS
Working towards a kinder and more compassionate world -
A world without stigma
01.Social Construction & Deconstruction of Mental Illness Stigma
How various forms of mental illness stigma that are commonly taken as ‘facts’, are in effect, social constructs and products of social-cultural contexts, that are reified over time through language, practices and social interactions between people
02.Social Capital & Destigmatization
Leveraging on social capital concepts associated with civic engagement, culture of sociability and culture of trust to destigmatize mental illness, particularly in workplaces.
03.Reducing empathy gap towards vulnerable communities
Drawing upon social pedagogical approach, alongside social capital concepts related to civic engagement to reduce empathy gap towards vulnerable populations.
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
2024
SSM-Mental Health, 6 (2024):100371
2019
One Fill Circle on a Path Less Travelled: Musings on Mental Health From a Multidisciplinary Perspective
International Sociological Association eSymposium, Issue 27, December 2019
2015
Singaporeans' Perceptions of and Attitudes Toward Long-Term Care Services
Qualitative Health Research, 25(2): 218-227
Book Chapters
2026
(Forthcoming, 2027) “Remember the love”: How Social Capital And Relationships Work To Reduce Mental Illness Stigma In The Community.
In Community Mental Health in Singapore: History, Context, Opportunities and Future, edited by Sophie Cheng, Jungup Lee, Nicodemus Lim and Timothy Singham. Springer.
PhD Thesis
The Social Construction and Deconstruction of Mental Illness Stigma in Asia and Singapore
National University of Singapore, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health