2003 to 2019, she was the founder and the Executive Director for Healthcare Management EMBA Program at Lingnan (University) College, Sun Yat-sen University. During 2010 to 2015, she was the Associate Dean and Professor for School of Humanities and Management, Southern Medical University, developing international joint-education programs. She has led the effort to form multiple successful international partnerships with a variety of universities.

During 2015 to 2016, she worked as a visiting professor at ISCTE-IUL.

Besides her medical degree (1978-1983), she received her MBA degree from Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota in the United States (2001-2003) and PhD , in managementfrom ISCTE in Portugal (2004-2008). The multiple educational and worked background enable her having the market sense and the abilities of leading team work.

In 2016, Di Zhao published her second book, Medical Insurance and Social Welfare: the Reform of Chinese State-owned Hospitals (Science Press; ISBN 978-7-03-048385-0). Before that, the first one was published in 2011, Dilemma and Future: the Reform of Chinese State-owned Hospitals (Science Press, Beijing, ISBN 978-7-03-032256-2 )

Since February 2018, Di Zhao has been accepted as an Active Member in Federation of Canadian Artists by offering her oil paintings.