Dr. Ravi Gokani, Ph.D.
Ph.D., Social Work, 2018
M.A., Community Psychology, 2012
B.A., Philosophy and Social Psychology, 2007
Lakehead University Contribution to Teaching Award, 2022
CURRENT COURSES (2025-2026)
SOWK1100-AA Introduction to Social Welfare
SOWK1100-YA Introduction to Social Welfare
CURRENT GRADUATE STUDENTS
Jacqueline Taylor, B.Sc., H.B.S.W.
Exploring Employment Counsellors' Practices in the New Integrated Employment Services in Ontario (2024-2026)
Jenica Neil, B.Sc., H.B.S.W.
The Impact of Religious Belief on Adverse Childhood Experiences (2023-2025)
Joelle Chartrain, B.Sc., H.B.S.W.
Impact of religious affiliation within social service agencies on substance use treatment models (2022-2024)
PAST GRADUATE STUDENTS
2025
Ashley Rodericks-Schulwach, B.Sc., H.B.S.W., M.S.W., R.S.W.
Investigating the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Call to Action 59 among Canadian Churches
Hakmatullah Sherzad, H.B.S.W., M.S.W.
Islam and basic income: A survey of Canadian Islamic scholars
Nyree Kakeeway, H.B.S.W., M.S.W., R.S.W.
A Scoping Review of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Red Road to Wellbriety: Indigenous Perspectives and Spirituality in Addiction Recovery
2023
Brooklyn Wilson, H.B.S.W., M.S.W., R.S.W.
Mainline Protestant Religious Leaders' Responses to the Conversion Therapy Ban in Canada
2022
Mackenzie Street, M.S.W., R.S.W.
Ambiguity of Faith and Reason: Individual Accounts of Christian Support for Medical Assistance in Dying and Their Experiences
2021
Breanna Sweers, M.S.W., R.S.W.
Spirituality and Substance Use: Indigenous Healing in Northwestern Ontario
ACTIVE RESEARCH PROJECTS
Faith and Service Provision in Canada: Understanding the Dual Mandate in Evangelical Faith-Based Social Service Organizations
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight Development Grant (PI)
A study to understand how evangelical faith-based social service organizations manage two mandates - the first to serve the most vulnerable populations and the second to bring followers into the fold of evangelical Christianity.
Improving Access and Facilitating System Change for Palliative Care Among Underserved Populations
Health Canada (Co-I)
The project aims to improve the experience of, and access to, palliative care among several underserved groups. This is a interdisciplinary collaboration among university, health, and community organizations. Among the underserved populations the project considers are those experiencing homelessness.
PAST RESEARCH PROJECTS
Why Are So Many People Who Experience Homelessness in the City of Thunder Bay from Out of Town? A Report
on a Preliminary Mixed Methods Study Using Machine Learning Models to Understand Migration and
Homelessness
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Partnership Engage Grant (PI)
This was a mixed-methods study in formal partnership with the Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board,
informal partnership with three homeless shelters, and academic colleagues from Health Sciences, Computer Science,
and History. The project sought to understand why roughly two-thirds of people experiencing homelessness in the City of
Thunder Bay reported being from out of town or province.
To read about what we found, you can access the report here.
To read about the report release event in the media please see the media release by Lakehead University or the following media articles: TBNews, The Chronicle Journal, TVO
Insights into the Human Face of Basic Income: Experiences with the Ontario Basic Income Pilot in Thunder Bay, Canada
This was a qualitative study in informal partnership with Kinna-aweya Legal Clinic to understand how recipients of the Ontario Basic Income Pilot experienced being on the pilot and then having to withdraw due to a premature cancellation of the project.
You can read about the study and the public panel we hosted in the following media articles: CBC, TBNewswatch.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS (2021-2025)
Gokani, R., Thibault, J., & Sweers, B. (2025). Insights into the human face of basic income: experiences with the Ontario Basic Income Pilot in Thunder Bay, Canada.
Rodericks-Schulwach, A., Gokani, R., Martin, L.(2025). Palliative care access and use among homeless individuals: A scoping review. BMC Palliative Care.
Liyanage, C., Gokani, R., Mago, V. (2024). GPT-4 as a Twitter data annotator: Unraveling its performance on a stance classification task. PLOS ONE.
Gokani, R., Wiebe, S., Sherzad, H., & Akesson, B. (2023). “We’re looking for support from Allah”: A qualitative study on experiences of trauma and religious coping among Afghan refugees in Canada following the August 2021 withdrawal. Religions.
Liyanage, C. R., Mago, V., Schiff, R., Ranta, K., Park, A., Lovato-Day, K., Agnor, E., & Gokani, R. (2022). Understanding homlessness and migration to Thunder Bay, Canada using machine learning. JMIR: Formative Research.
Gokani, R. (2021). Client transformation: spiritual and non-spiritual outcomes in clients of evangelical faith-based organizations. Religions.
Gokani, R. & Caragata, L. (2021). Non-violent evangelism: A look at how members of Evangelical faith-based organisations share faith with service recipients in Southern Ontario, Canada. Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work.
Cait, C., Gokani, R., Ewan, R.A., Moasun, F., Razbani-Tehrani, A., Scarborough, J., Smith, S. J., & Woodstock, J.(2021). Epistemology and arts-based pedagogy: Insights from an autoethnographic case study.