Recipients of the 2003 Hung Wo and Elizabeth Lau Ching Foundation Award
University of Hawaiʻi
Meda Chesney-Lind, professor of women‘s studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, has provided exceptional service through her on-going commitment to and her strong advocacy of humanitarian solutions to crime and criminal justice in the state. She has authored many outstanding research reports, academic journal articles, and books on the treatment of youth, girls, and women in the criminal justice system. Since 1970, she has served on boards and committees of several local organizations such as: the Hawai‘i Coalition Against Sexual Assault, the Juvenile Justice State Advisory Council, the YMCA and YWCA, Hale Hoʻomaka Na Wahine, and the Hawaiʻi Youth Project.
James H. Pietsch, director of the University of Hawaiʻi Elder Law Program and John A. Burns School of Medicine professor, has served as an excellent resource for faculty, students and the community in bioethics, healthcare and elder law. Not only do his students speak highly of his teaching abilities, he is also well known for his work with the state‘s Executive Office on Aging and other groups on the Uniform Healthcare Decisions Act and legislation related to elder abuse and neglect. In addition, because of his ability to present complicated legal and bioethical issues in plain language, he is a sought-after speaker to local and national groups.
Lee Stein, an instructor of human services at Maui Community College, has been instrumental in the community through her work influencing policy and inspiring program services related to domestic violence, substance abuse and women incarcerated for drug related crimes. Working for over 20 years in human services, she has been highly involved with the Maui Economic Opportunity Head Start program where she provided outstanding social service training to facilitators. Stein is recognized as an advocate for domestic violence prevention and is well-known in the social services community as the founder of Alternatives to Violence (ATV), a program created to serve both victims and perpetrators of domestic violence within the Maui community.
Stephen Wehrman, professor of respiratory therapy at Kapiʻolani Community College, has been consistently involved in the local health care community through his volunteer work with the American Lung Association. While working with the American Lung Association, he has been influential in strengthening the organization‘s mission and was awarded the National Volunteer Excellence Award. His greatest skill is to foster lasting partnerships by bringing together individuals from education, industry and community agencies.
This Hung Wo and Elizabeth Lau Ching Foundation Award recognizes significant contributions that strengthen ties between the university and the community. Established in 1997, it is presented annually to two faculty members (one female and one male) from Mānoa and two from other UH campuses. Recipients will receive $5,000 from the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation and will be recognized at an award ceremony in September.