By Eric Lindberg
During her first field placement as an undergraduate social work student in Hong Kong, Iris Chi encountered what she expected to be a very depressing situation.
One of her clients was a woman in her 70s who had applied for housing assistance. Her husband and children had died during World War II, she had no other close relatives, and she had worked as a maid her entire life.
“At the beginning, I thought this was a very sad case, that this was just a helpless old lady,” Chi said. “She lived on her own and the living environment was terrible.”
Contrary to her expectations, however, the woman was far from depressed or negative about her circumstances.
“She had nothing, but she was very positive and she still wanted to help other people,” Chi said. “I was very surprised to see how resilient an older person can be. That one case really got me to think more about what is important in old age, and what quality of life means to older people.”
That initial spark of interest evolved into a lifelong passion for Chi, who has held the Chinese-American Golden Age Association/Frances Wu Chair for the Chinese Elderly at the USC School of Social Work since 2004. Her extensive research on health and issues of aging, particularly among older Asian groups, has garnered accolades from government officials and brought increased attention to an often marginalized population.