Dennis Kao

Dennis Kao is an Associate Professor and Undergraduate Program Supervisor at the School of Social Work at Carleton University. He holds a PhD and an MSW from the University of Southern California and the University of California Los Angeles, respectively, with additional training in Geographic Information Science (GIS). His academic work bridges social work practice with spatial analysis to address health equity and social justice.

Research Interests:

• Health equity among racial and ethnic minorities
• Challenges in minority aging and aging-friendly community design
• Experiences of Asian immigrant communities
• Application of GIS and spatial analysis to social issues

Dennis Kao’s publications focus on geospatial disparities in healthcare access, mental health impacts of systemic racism, and obesity prevention programs. His work often employs GIS to map inequalities in health services and analyze how environmental factors affect vulnerable populations.

Education:

• PhD in Social Work from the University of Southern California
• Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Science from the University of Southern California
• MSW from the University of California Los Angeles
• BA in Molecular & Cell Biology from the University of California Berkeley