January Lunch&Learn: Rethinking Immigrant Health: Beyond the Myth of Unhealthy Assimilation

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We are delighted to welcome Dr. Hui Zheng, Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto. Dr. Zheng’s research investigates the social and institutional determinants of population health and aging, including inequality, medical expansion, work environments, and life course processes. His work also examines trends in health disparities, heterogeneity in aging and mortality, and nativity differences in health and labor market outcomes.

For this Lunch&Learn, Dr. Zheng will present new insights that challenge conventional narratives about immigrant health over time.

Itinerary

12:00pm - 12:05pm | Welcome and introductions

12:05pm - 12:45pm | Lunch&Learn presentation

12:45pm - 12:55pm | Moderated Q&A session

12:55pm - 13:00pm | Closing and upcoming sessions

Location

This is an online webinar hosted on Zoom. To receive details to enter the event, please register.

Featured Speaker

Hui Zheng

Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Toronto

Hui Zheng is a professor of sociology at University of Toronto. His research focuses on understanding the causes, heterogeneity, inequality, and trends in population health and aging. He has studied the impact of social structures and institutions—such as income inequality, medical expansion, work environment, and the marriage market—on health outcomes; trends in health disparities; heterogeneity in aging and mortality; the life course effects of obesity; and the role of selection in health production and aging. His current projects address rising health challenges in the U.S. and nativity disparities in labor market outcomes, aging, and health. His work has been supported by the U.S. CDC and NIH, published in leading journals including American Sociological Review, Demography, American Journal of Epidemiology, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Social Science and Medicine, and PNAS, and covered by media outlets such as Time, The New York Times, The Atlantic, USA Today, Newsweek, and The Times (UK). He has received publication awards from ASA and IPUMS.

Suggested Readings

• Markides, K. S., & Coreil, J. (1986). The health of Hispanics in the southwestern United States: an epidemiologic paradox. Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974), 101(3), 253–265.
• Zheng, H., & Yu, W. H. (2022). Diminished Advantage or Persistent Protection? A New Approach to Assess Immigrants' Mortality Advantages Over Time. Demography, 59(5), 1655–1681. https://doi.org/10.1215/00703370-10175388
• Zheng, H., & Yu, W. H. (2025). Paradox Between Immigrant Advantages in Morbidity and Mortality: Dynamic Patterns and Tentative Explanations. Demography, 62(2), 707–736. https://doi.org/10.1215/00703370-11868456

What are Lunch&Learn's?

The CAnD3 Lunch&Learn series is designed to introduce our Fellows, team members, and partners to emerging research on topics related to population dynamics and population aging. These modules will cover the  Four CAnD3 Population Aging Axes: (1) family and social inclusion; (2) education, labour and inequality; (3) migration and ethnicity; and (4) wellbeing and autonomy.

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