Kaltrina Kusari received her PhD from the Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary. Originally from Kosova, she has lived in the US and Canada for the last 17 years. Growing up in a post-war Kosova has impacted her academic career and research interest. Currently, her research focuses on the experiences of return migrant women to Kosova. In addition, she has conducted research focusing on refugees, immigrants with disabilities, and homeless populations. She has also practiced within the disability field in Calgary and served as a field instructor for social work practicum students.
Research interests
Migration and Refugees
Social Work
Disability
Field Education
Gender
Anti-Black Racism
Educational credentials
Bachelor of Arts and Sciences - Quest University Canada
Master of Social Work - University of Calgary
PhD in Social Work - University of Calgary (present)
Professional affiliations
Registered with the Alberta College of Social Workers
Kusari, K. (2023). A critical analysis of repatriation as a durable solution to displacement: Focusing Kosova. The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Problems. Palgrave.
Khan, M., Ferrer, I., Lee, Y., Deloria, R., Kusari, K., Migrino, L., Danan, K., & Yen, J. (2023). ‘We’re always looking at the dollars and cents’: The financial well-being of older racialized immigrants in Canada through the lens of service providers. Journal of Family and Economic Issues. Published Online.
Kusari, K. (2022). Field Education, Disability, and COVID-19: Navigating a Virtual World. In J. Drolet, M. Bogo, G. Charles, & S. McConnell (Eds.), Transforming Social Work Field Education: New Insights from Practice Research and Scholarship. University Calgary Press.
Duhaney, P., Kusari, K., Morris, E., & Taiwo, A. (2022). Addressing systemic anti-black racism in social work: a plan of action. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 42 (2-3), 280-302. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2022.2053925
Duhaney, P., Lorenzetti, L., Kusari, K., & Han, E. (2022). Advancing critical race pedagogical approaches in social work education. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 31(3-5), 151-161. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313204.2022.2070898
Kusari, K. (2021). Helping professionals in a transnational context: A framework of practice with forced returnees. The Journal of Constructive Psychology, 34(1), 79-97. https://doi.org/10.1080/10720537.2019.1700857
Kusari, K. & Walsh C. A. (2021). Challenging repatriation as a durable solution: A critical discourse analysis of Kosova’s repatriation strategy. Southeast European and Black Sea Studies. Published Online. https://doi.org/10.1080/14683857.2020.1871551
Kusari, K. (2020). Helping professionals in a transnational context: A framework of practice with forced returnees. The Journal of Constructive Psychology. Online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10720537.2019.1700857
Kusari, K. & Walsh. C. A. (2019). Rejected Asylum Seekers from Kosova: A Social Work Critique of Repatriation as a Durable Solution. The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Global Studies, 14(2), 41-53. https://doi.org/10.18848/2324-755X/CGP/v14i02/41-53
Kusari, K., El-Lahib, Y., Spagnuolo, N. (2019). Critical reflections on the process of developing a resource manual for service providers working with immigrants & refugees with disabilities. Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, 8(5), 98-119. Online publication. https://cjds.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cjds/article/view/567
Kusari, K. (2019). “Knocking on Doors that Never Open”: An examination of the experiences of rejected asylum seekers from Kosova. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. Online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2019.1575191
Kusari, K. (2018). Intersectionality in Post-war Development: Focus on Kosovo. The Activism of Intersectionality in Social Work (Eds. R. Robbins & S. Nayak). London, UK: Routledge.
Kaltrina held the Izaak Walton Killam Doctoral Scholarship and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowship during her PhD studies.