As an activist-scholar, Elene Lam brings near 30 years of transnational grassroots organizing into her academic work and pedagogy. She employs decolonizing, arts-based and diverse innovative approaches for knowledge transfer. With her transnational activist work spanning from East and Southeast Asia, Australia and Canada, Elene is committed to an interdisciplinary approach to integrate theory into practice. The commitment has guided her extensive work with diverse and marginalized communities to advance racial, migrant, gender, labour, sex worker and disability justice, and to challenge carceral and anti-trafficking systems. Her community-based participatory research supports community-led, transformative justice approaches for social and policy change. She holds a Master of Law in Human Rights, a Graduate Diploma in Gender Studies, and a PhD in Social Work. Her work is committed to building a platform for marginalized communities to transform society. Her research contextualizes their lived realities within multiple scales and layers of oppression, whereby community leadership can create space and opportunity to effect structural change. Elene is the recipient of the Constance E. Hamilton Award for Women’s Equality, a recognition by the City of Toronto for her work and impact.

Research Interests

Current Courses

Term	Course Number	Section	Title	Type
Fall 2025	GS/SOWK5030 3.0	A	Oppression and Intersectionality	SEMR
Fall/Winter 2025	AP/SOWK2050 6.0	D	Anti-Discriminatory Practice	SEMR
Fall/Winter 2025	AP/SOWK4001 6.0	I	Practicum in Social Work II	PRAC

Upcoming Courses

Term	Course Number	Section	Title	Type
Fall/Winter 2025	AP/SOWK2050 6.0	D	Anti-Discriminatory Practice	SEMR
Fall/Winter 2025	AP/SOWK4001 6.0	I	Practicum in Social Work II	PRAC

As an activist-scholar, Elene Lam brings near 30 years of transnational grassroots organizing into her academic work and pedagogy. She employs decolonizing, arts-based and diverse innovative approaches for knowledge transfer. With her transnational activist work spanning from East and Southeast Asia, Australia and Canada, Elene is committed to an interdisciplinary approach to integrate theory into practice. The commitment has guided her extensive work with diverse and marginalized communities to advance racial, migrant, gender, labour, sex worker and disability justice, and to challenge carceral and anti-trafficking systems. Her community-based participatory research supports community-led, transformative justice approaches for social and policy change. She holds a Master of Law in Human Rights, a Graduate Diploma in Gender Studies, and a PhD in Social Work. Her work is committed to building a platform for marginalized communities to transform society. Her research contextualizes their lived realities within multiple scales and layers of oppression, whereby community leadership can create space and opportunity to effect structural change. Elene is the recipient of the Constance E. Hamilton Award for Women’s Equality, a recognition by the City of Toronto for her work and impact.

Degrees

Graduate Diploma in Gender Studies and Feminist Research, McMaster University,
Master of Social Work, York University,
Master of Law, The University of Hong Kong,
Ph.D. , School of Social Work,  McMaster University,

Research Interests

Current Courses

Term	Course Number	Section	Title	Type
Fall 2025	GS/SOWK5030 3.0	A	Oppression and Intersectionality	SEMR
Fall/Winter 2025	AP/SOWK2050 6.0	D	Anti-Discriminatory Practice	SEMR
Fall/Winter 2025	AP/SOWK4001 6.0	I	Practicum in Social Work II	PRAC

Upcoming Courses

Term	Course Number	Section	Title	Type
Fall/Winter 2025	AP/SOWK2050 6.0	D	Anti-Discriminatory Practice	SEMR
Fall/Winter 2025	AP/SOWK4001 6.0	I	Practicum in Social Work II	PRAC