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.

Featured Projects - Principal Investigator Role

Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council Insight Development Grant. $74,346

Older East and Southeast Asian adults’ perceptions and coping strategies of anti-Asian racism in the post-pandemic era: A mix-methods exploration.

Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council Explore Grant. $7,000

Navigating cannabis use as a cultural conflict: Understanding differences among

Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China.

Social Work Research Centre Seed Grant. $10,000

Exploring international students’ immigration intention to Canada amid drastic immigration policy changes.

Social Work Research Centre Startup Grant. $5,000

Conceptualizing East Asian older adults’ mental health struggles: The influences of anti-Asian racism arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Selected Publications

Zhao, K., & Wong, T. K. (2025). Conceptualizing anti-Asian bullying faced by East Asian adolescents in Canadian schools arising from the COVID-19 pandemic: The roles of social workers. International Social Work. https://doi.org/00208728251327626

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, 67(4), 1016-1029. 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, 60(3), 424-425. 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