Sitao's research sits at the intersection of workforce wellbeing, community-engaged intervention, and the evolving demands placed on child welfare professionals and social workers. Her mixed-methods dissertation invites social work students to co-design a culturally inclusive mindfulness curriculum addressing stress and secondary trauma, aiming to provide sustainable supports to students and reframe self-care as a matter of collective responsibility rather than individual burden. Her additional projects focus on workforce assessments, evaluation of AI's impact on practice and competencies, and the intersectionality of identity, household responsibilities, and wellbeing among professionals.
This research agenda is grounded in her experience working with professionals and children in rural China, where she evaluated local workforce structures and competencies, contributed to training guides, and conducted research that informed national policy development. These experiences, combined with sustained collaboration with child welfare professionals in the U.S., shape her understanding of how professional wellbeing is influenced by policy, organizational structure, and cultural context, and continue to drive her commitment to community-partnered scholarship that improves practice.
Sitao is also passionate about teaching. Having served as a teaching assistant and currently teaching independently, she is dedicated to helping students see the real-world impact of their learning. Through a dynamic, student-driven process that connects theory with lived experiences and diverse forms of knowledge, she is committed to preparing students to critically evaluate evidence, navigate diverse perspectives, and contribute to social justice at every scale.
Research Interests
- Child welfare workforce development and well-being
- Competency-based training
- Secondary trauma
- Culturally inclusive mindfulness-based intervention
- Policy and program evaluation
- International social work practice
