[1] As a freshman in college, she worked with low-income students on behalf of YWCA USA at the Settlement house in New York's Bowery.
[1] She worked with young married couples in the YWCA USA in Richmond, California, as well as in low-income housing projects with African Americans.
[1] In 1970, she taught bilingual workshops for teachers of the San Francisco Unified School District to improve educators' Asian American cultural competency.
[1] In May 2005, Chan was one of two featured individuals in the National Association of Social Workers Foundation's Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month.
[4] In February 2007, Chan helped plan and present a town hall meeting as part of the national project "Eliminating Disparities at End-of-Life.
[1][3] During the War on Poverty in the 1960s, Chan provided substantial evidence for San Francisco's Chinatown to be considered a "targeted community" and thereby be eligible to receive federal funding for social work programs and services.