Hannah Kia is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work and currently serves as the MSW Program Chair. Her current program of research addresses a variety of issues pertaining to sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations. Hannah’s work centres, in particular, questions related to SGM health, aging in SGM communities, as well as social work and other professional practice with SGM groups.

In recent years, Hannah has led studies that have focused more specifically on the health and well-being of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) populations. One of her studies, which was informed by critical resilience and intersectional scholarship, examined the peer support experiences of TGD people. A current project considers how TGD older adults engage with healthcare and social services. Prior to starting her academic career, Hannah practiced as a social worker, primarily in healthcare settings.

Selected Publications

Kia, H., Pang, C., Göncü, K., Jakubiec, B., MacKinnon, K.R., Handlovsky, I. & Ross, L.E. (2025). “I needed to be that voice”: A multi-party study of the healthcare and social service experiences and needs of transgender and gender-diverse older adults in Canada. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 44(7), 1039-1046. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648241295570

Kia, H. (2024). Enhancing Critical Social Work Practice: Using Text-Based Vignettes in Qualitative Research. Qualitative Social Work, 23(1), 179-194. https://doi.org/10.1177/14733250231214202

Kia, H., Kenney, K.A., Abramovich, A., Ferlatte, O., MacKinnon, K.R. & Knight, R. (2023). “Nowhere else to be found”: Drawing on peer support experiences among transgender and gender-diverse people to substantiate community- driven gender-affirming care. Social Science and Medicine, 339, 116406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116406

Kia, H., MacKinnon, K.R. & Coulombe, A. (2023). Where is the “T”? Centering trans experiences in social work curricula addressing LGBTQ+ issues. Journal of Social Work Education, 59(1), 104-118. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2021.1969302

Kia, H., Kenney, K, MacKinnon, K.R., Abramovich, A., Salway, T., Ferlatte, O., Knight, R., Charles, G. & Marshall, S.K. (2023). “It saves lives”: Peer support and resilience in transgender and gender diverse communities. SSM – Qualitative Research in Health, 3, 100264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2023.100264

Kia, H., Rutherford, L., Jackson, R., Grigorovich, A., Lopez-Ricote, C., Scheim, A.I. & Bauer, G.R. (2022). Impacts of COVID-19 on trans and non-binary people in Canada: A qualitative analysis of responses to a national survey. BMC Public Health, 1284. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13684-x

Kia, H., MacKinnon, K.R. & Göncü, K. (2022). Harnessing the lived experience of transgender and gender diverse people as practice knowledge in social work: A standpoint analysis. Affilia: Feminist Inquiry in Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1177/08861099221142040

Areas of Scholarship: Aging in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two-spirit, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ2S+) communities, social work practice with LGBTQ2S+ populations; qualitative research; critical and intersectional social work scholarship

Areas of Practice: Health care; hospice palliative care; direct practice; research, policy, and planning; community development