Dr. Ow began her academic journey in 1977 at the Department of Social Work, National University of Singapore (NUS), where she earned the NUS Teaching Award in 1994. She was tenured and later served as Head of Department (2008–2015), a period marked by transformative initiatives that strengthened faculty development and forged impactful partnerships within the social service ecosystem.

Under her leadership, the Master in Social Work (Coursework) Programme was launched to meet the needs of practitioners seeking specialization in direct practice and management. She also spearheaded the establishment of the S R Nathan Professorship in Social Work (2012) and the Ann Wee NUS Social Work Alumni Award (2015), both of which continue to advance social work education and honour alumni contributions.

Her commitment to research excellence led to the creation of the Mrs Lee Choon Guan Endowed Research Fund (2017),  supporting translational research to improve social work practice. From 2019–2025, Dr. Ow served as its Grant Manager, while mentoring countless students across Honours, Master, and PhD programs.

Beyond academia, Dr. Ow has been a tireless advocate for the community, serving on advisory boards for Children’s Cancer Foundation and Club Rainbow Singapore and many others for decades. She has also contributed extensively to scholarly publications and edited seminal works in social work, shaping discourse across Asia.

Her outstanding service has been recognized with the Singapore National Day Long Service Award (2008) and the Pioneers of Social Work Award (2016).