Hannah Kia is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work. She is also affiliated with the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity. 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.

EDUCATION

PhD
University of Toronto
Dalla Lana School of Public Health

MSW
The University of British Columbia

BSW
The University of British Columbia

In recent years, Hannah has led studies that have focused more specifically on the health and wellbeing 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 in health care. In this capacity, she gained experience in general acute care and hospice palliative care. She is actively registered as a clinical social worker (RCSW) in British Columbia.

Selected Grants Awarded as Principal Investigator

SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant, 2022-2023
Title: Social service experiences and needs of older transgender and gender diverse adults: Gauging the Canadian landscape
Amount: $24,759

SSHRC Insight Development Grant, 2021-2023
Title: Peer-based social support as a source of resilience among transgender and gender diverse individuals in Canada: An exploratory study
Amount: $65,985

Selected Grants Awarded as Co-Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator

As Co-Principal Investigator

CIHR Health Research Training Platform (HRTP) Pilot, 2022-2027
Title: Interdisciplinary LGBTQ/2S HEALTH hub: Healing through education and awareness in stigma reduction and lifecourse training in health
Amount: $2.4 million
Nominated Principal Investigator: Daniel Grace

As Co-Investigator

SSHRC Insight Development Grant, 2022-2024
Title: A qualitative exploration of the processes foundational to promoting psychological well-being amongst older, self-identifying gay men
Amount: $64,818
Principal Investigator: Ingrid Handlovsky

CIHR Project Grant, 2022-2027
Title: Pride Talk: Informing and evaluating an online suicide prevention intervention for sexual and gender minorities
Amount: $1.03 million
Principal Investigator: Olivier Ferlatte

SSHRC Partnership Grant (Phase II), 2022-2027
Title: 2SLGBTQ+ poverty in Canada: Improving livelihood and wellbeing
Amount: $2.5 million
Principal Investigator: Nick Mulé

CIHR Project Grant, 2021-2025
Title: Acceptability, feasibility, and bias assessment in administrative health data linkage among 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities
Amount: $654,840
Principal Investigators: Nathan Lachowsky, Jacquie Gahagan, and Jody Jollimore

CIHR Project Grant, 2021-2024
Title: Side by side: Identifying strategies to address the health and social needs of youth who use stimulants
Amount: $512,550
Principal Investigators: Rod Knight and Danya Fast

CIHR Project Grant, 2021-2024
Title: The LGBTQ2 policy paradox: A mixed methods study to improve policy for health equity
Amount: $564,999
Principal Investigator: Travis Salway

CIHR Project Grant, 2021-2024
Title: Identifying the impact of cannabis use on mental health outcomes among sexual and gender minority youth: A mixed methods study
Amount: $478,126
Principal Investigators: Rod Knight and Olivier Ferlatte

SSHRC Insight Development Grant, 2021-2023
Title: Rethinking ‘transition regret’: Developing and mobilizing transinclusive knowledge about people who de/transition
Amount: $60,567
Principal Investigator: Kinnon MacKinnon

Selected Publications

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

Kia, H., Göncü, K., Nation, K., Gray, J. & Usher, D. (2022). A conceptualisation of equitable social work practice with transgender and gender diverse communities. British Journal of Social Work, 52(6), 3171-3190. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcab230

Kia, H., Salway, T., Lacombe-Duncan, A., Ferlatte, O. & Ross, L.E. (2021). “You could tell I said the wrong things”: Constructions of sexual identity among older gay men in healthcare settings. Qualitative Health Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323211050373

Lightfoot, S., Kia, H., Vincent, A., Wright, D.K. & Vandyk, A. (2021). Trans-affirming care: An integrative review and concept analysis. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 123, 104047. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.104047

Kia, H., MacKinnon, K.R., Abramovich, A. & Bonato, S. (2021). Peer support as a protective factor against suicide in trans populations: A scoping review. Social Science and Medicine, 279, 114026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114026

Kia, H., Robinson, M., MacKay, J. & Ross, L.E. (2021). Poverty in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two-spirit, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ2S+) communities in Canada: Implications for social work practice. Research on Social Work Practice, 31(6), 584-598. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731521996814

Kia, H., Grace, D., Strike, C., Ferlatte, O., Knight, R., Salway, T. & Ross, L.E. (2020). “They haven’t made a slot for us yet”: Conceptualizing the health care and social service needs of older gay men living with HIV in Canada. Journal of Homosexuality. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2020.1819712

Kia, H., Robinson, M., MacKay, J. & Ross, L.E. (2020). Poverty in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+) populations in Canada: an intersectional review of the literature. Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, 28(1), 21-54. https://doi.org/10.1332/175982719X15687180682342

Kia, H., Strike, C., Grace, D. & Ross, L.E. (2020). Innovating the study of context: Using a qualitative study on subjugation and resistance to explore the utility of Foucauldian governmentality as a framework for enriching situational analyses. The Qualitative Report, 25(9), 3273-3296. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2020.4239

Lacombe‐Duncan, A., Kia, H., Logie, C. H., Todd, K. P., Persad, Y., Leblanc, G., Nation, K., Scheim, A.I., Lyons, T., Horemans, C. & Loutfy, M. (2020). A qualitative exploration of barriers to HIV prevention, treatment and support: Perspectives of transgender women and service providers. Health and Social Care in the Community, 29(5), e33-e46. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13234

Kia, H. (2019). (In)visibilities that vary: The production of aging lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer subjects in chronic care. Theory In Action, 12(3), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.3798/tia.1937-0237.1919

Kia, H., Grace, D., Strike, C. & Ross, L.E. (2018). Across serostatus: A study of subjugation and resistance in older gay men’s experiences navigating health care. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 16, 121-133. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-018-0344-y

Kia, H., MacKinnon, K.R., Legge, M.M. (2016). In pursuit of change: Conceptualizing the social work response to LGBTQ microaggressions in health settings. Social Work in Health Care, 55(10), 806-825. https://doi.org/10.1080/00981389.2016.1231744

MacKinnon, K.R., Tarasoff, L.A. & Kia, H. (2016). Predisposing, reinforcing, and enabling factors of trans-positive clinical behaviour change: A summary of the literature. International Journal of Transgenderism, 17(2), 83-92. https://doi.org/10.1080/15532739.2016.1179156

Kia, H. (2016). Hypervisibility: Toward a conceptualization of LGBTQ aging. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 13(1), 46-57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-015-0194-9

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