Kedi Zhao, PhD
Contact Info
About
Kedi Zhao (He/Him) is an assistant professor at the Regina campus. He obtained his PhD at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. Rooting his work in the communities of immigrants and migrants, he adopts the lenses of decolonization and social justice to understand and tackle challenges faced by these communities in the cross-cultural context. Under the overarching umbrella of cross-cultural research, his research interests can be displayed through an integrative framework that includes the macro, mezzanine, and micro levels. On the macro level, he is interested in decolonizing knowledge production and transfer in social work and mental health services. On the mezzanine level, he explores immigrants’ and migrants’ cross-cultural experiences such as cultural adaptation, anti-Asian racism, and health inequity. On the micro level, he is interested in immigrants’ and migrants’ understandings and navigation of specific cultural conflicts such as cannabis use in Canada. Through his research, he hopes to explore immigrants’ and migrants’ diverse cross-cultural experiences and constantly promote equity and justice for them.
Selected Publications
Zhao, K., Wilson, R., Tan, W., Kong, X., & Tsang, A. K. T. (2024). Reconceptualizing transnational knowledge transfer in mental health services: Reflection upon the postcolonial era. International Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728241235262
Zhao, K., & Bhuyan, R. (2024). Assembling social determinants of health: COVID-19 vaccination inequities for international students in Canada. International Social Work, 67(2), 423-436. https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728221143650
Zhao, K. (2023). [Review of the book Life is Not Useful, by A. Krenak]. Journal of Postcolonial Writing. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449855.2023.2285102
Zhao, K., Lenz, T., & Fang, L. (2023). Understanding Chinese international students’ perception of cultural conflicts in Canada: Through the case of cannabis use. Culture & Psychology, 29(4), 791-811. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354067X231169287
Zhao, K., Tan, W., & Tsang, A. K. T. (2023). Indigenization and authentization of epistemology in China’s social work: Moving beyond Confucianism, Taoism and Chinese Buddhism. International Social Work, 66(4), 1005-1017. https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728211041669
Zhao, K., O’Connor, C., Lenz, T., & Fang, L. (2022). Conceptualizing anti-Asian racism in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic: A call for action to social workers. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 31(3-5), 302-312. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15313204.2022.2070892
Zhao, K., Tan, W., & Tsang, A. K. T. (2022). Online mental health resources in Wuhan amid the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of social workers. China Journal of Social Work, 15(1), 3-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/17525098.2021.2006899
Selected Conference Presentations
Zhao, K., Sakamoto, I., Yang, Y., Hu, Y., Tan, W., & Quan, Y. (June 2024). Understanding and assessing the content of addressing anti-Asian racism in social work education. Conversation circle organized by Kedi Zhao and presented at the Canadian Association for Social Work Education Annual Conference in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Zhao, K., & Fang, L. (January 2024). Uncovering Chinese international students’ negotiation of cannabis use in Canada through a culturally fusional perspective. Poster presented at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual conference in Washington D. C., USA.
Zhao, K., & Fang, L. (June 2023). The impact of COVID-19 and its restrictions on Chinese international students’ acculturation in Canada. Oral presentation delivered at the Canadian Psychological Association Convention in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Zhao, K., & Fang, L. (June 2023). Revisiting the push-pull model: Chinese international students’ immigration intention in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. Poster presented at the Canadian Association for Social Work Education Annual Conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Zhao, K. (May 2023). Mental health care in local and in-between spaces: the complex experiences of Chinese populations in Canada and China. Panel organized by Kedi Zhao and presented at the Canadian Association for Social Work Education Annual Conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.