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null Zoua Vang, PhD

Investigator, RI-MUHC

Child Health and Human Development Program

Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, McGill University

 

Keywords


maternal child health • perinatal depression • Indigenous health • birth outcomes • immigrants and refugees • racial/ethnic health disparities

Research Focus


My research focuses on the social determinants of maternal child health among immigrant, refugee and Indigenous populations. My work in the area of immigrant and refugee health explores the impact of gender inequality, race/ethnicity, and pre-migration factors (e.g., exposure to trauma) on post-migration maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. In the area of Indigenous health, I am investigating the effects of childbirth evacuation on perinatal depression and infant growth/development among Nunavimmiut (Inuit from Nunavik), the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of culturally appropriate perinatal mental health screening tools, and discrimination and settler colonialism as barriers to Indigenous women’s access to culturally safe maternity care. Another stream of my research examines the impact of racism and discrimination on the health and well-being of racialized communities. Trained as a mixed-method researcher, I use both qualitative and quantitative methodologies in my studies and incorporate participatory research approaches when appropriate.

Selected Publications


Click on Pubmed to see my current publications list

  • Vang, Zoua M. & Chang, Yvonne. 2019. "Immigrants' Experiences of Everyday Discrimination in Canada: Unpacking the Contributions of Assimilation, Race, and Early Socialization." International Migration Review, 53(2): 602-631.

  • Vang, Zoua M., Gagnon, Robert, Lee, Tanya, Jimenez, Vania, Navickas, Arian, Pelletier, Jeannie, & Shenker, Hannah. 2018. “Interactions between Indigenous Women Awaiting Childbirth Away from Home and Their Southern, Non-Indigenous Healthcare Providers.” Qualitative Health Research, 28(12): 1858-1870.

  • Vang, Zoua M., Sigouin, Jennifer, Flenon, Astrid, & Gagnon, Alain. 2017. "Are Immigrants Healthier than Native-born Canadians? A Systematic Review of the Healthy Immigrant Effect in Canada." Ethnicity & Health, 22(3):209-241.

  • Shor, Eran, Roelfs, David, & Vang, Zoua M. 2017. "The 'Hispanic Mortality Paradox' Revisited: Meta-analysis and Meta-regression of Life-Course Differentials in Latin American and Caribbean Immigrants' Mortality." Social Science & Medicine 186:20-33.

  • Khan, Mushira, Kobayashi, Karen, Vang, Zoua M., & Lee, Sharon M. 2017. "Are Visible Minorities Invisible in Canadian Health Data and Research? A Scoping Review." International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, 13(1): 126-143.