DSW Student Profiles
The DSW Class of 2024.
Meet our DSW students.
Heidi Billittier
Education
- MSW, University at Buffalo
- BA, University at Buffalo
Practice/Interest Areas
- Trauma-informed in practice and within organizations
- Reduction of stigma around aging and mental health
- Psychosocial support for informal caregivers
Heather Burton
Education
- MSW, Rutgers University
- BSW, Marist College
Practice/Interest Areas
- Trauma treatment
- Chronic pain in veterans
- Trauma-informed care
Jasmine Cohen
Education
- MSW, University of Southern California
- BSW, Winthrop University
Practice/Interest Areas
- School social work
- Trauma-informed care
- Youth
- Homelessness
Catlin M. Denis
Education
- MSW, University at Buffalo
- BSW, SUNY Plattsburgh
- AA, Clinton Community College
Practice/Interest Areas
- Insomnia
- Substance use disorders
- Adjunctive therapies (yoga, clinical hypnosis, GI)
Venus C. Flowers
Education
- MSW, Fayetteville State University
- BA, Fayetteville State University
- AA, Jefferson Community College
Practice/Interest Areas
- Military social work
- Social and economic justice
- Mental health
Patricia A. Huber-Villano
Education
- MSW, University at Albany
- BA, Canisius College
Practice/Interest Areas
- Mental health and addiction
- Trauma-informed care
- Technology in social work practice
Kathryn R. Jacob
Education
- MSW, Fordham University
- BSW, Creighton University
Practice/Interest Areas
- Gender-based violence
- Intimate partner violence
- Indigenous issues/land back/colonization, MMIW
Fran Kuehn
Education
- MSW, Boston University
- MEd, Boston University
- BA, SUNY Geneseo
Practice/Interest Areas
- School mental health
- OCD and trauma
- Training school mental health staff in evidence-based practices
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
Denise Link
Education
- MSW, Hawaii Pacific University
- BSW, University of Missouri-Columbia
Practice/Interest Areas
- Veteran trauma caused by combat or sexual violence while in military
- LGBTQ+ community
- Asian/Pacific Islander community
Jeanette Lukas
Education
- MSW, Fordham University
- BSW, Stony Brook University
Practice/Interest Areas
- Youth and adult homelessness
- Program and policy development
- Child welfare and youth criminal justice residential programs
Meagan Mitchell
Education
- MSW, University of Michigan
- MEd, Southeastern Oklahoma State
- BA, University of Michigan
Practice/Interest Areas
- School social work
- Licensure exam prep
- Invisible disabilities
- Diversity, equity and inclusions in schools
- Female entrepreneurship
Dina A. Pilgrim
Education
- MSW, New York University
- BA, New York University
Practice/Interest Areas
- Child welfare
- Intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Intimate partner domestic violence
- Social work and field education
Sherry Schwartz
Education
- MSW, Fordham University
- BA, Rutgers University
Practice/Interest Areas
- Addiction
- Trauma
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
Adriana Silva
Education
- MSW, Fordham University
- BSW, Fordham University
Practice/Interest Areas
- Diversity, equity and inclusion
- Forensic social work
- Higher education
Leah Topek-Walker
Education
- MSW, Stony Brook University
- BA, The New School for Social Research
Practice/Interest Areas
- Library social work
Christian Vesterfelt
Education
- MSW, University of South Carolina
- BS, Bringham Young University
Practice/Interest Areas
- College mental health
- Institutional ethics
- Policy analysis and development
- Restorative conversation(s)
- Trauma-informed grievance resolutions
- Student advocacy
Sade Ali
Education
- MSW, CUNY York College
- BSW, CUNY York College
Practice/Interest Areas
- Trauma-informed care
- Marginalized population
- Healthcare and health disparities
Atindar (Anu) Arnold
Education
- MSW, Adelphi University
- MA, Queens College
- BA, Queens College
Practice/Interest Areas
- Trauma-Informed care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental illness
- Access to coordinated and integrated care for seniors and those with disabilities
Danielle Bernas
Education
- MSW, University at Buffalo
- BA, Psychology, University at Buffalo
- BA, Anthropology, University at Buffalo
Practice/Interest Areas
- Refugees and immigrants
- Asylum based immigration
- Torture and trauma
Brandon DuFrane
Education
- MSW, University at Buffalo
- BA, University at Buffalo
Practice/Interest Areas
- Usage of games in adult therapy
- Men's mental health
- Emotional intelligence
Melissa Elliott-Brogan
Education
- MSW, Stony Brook University
- BSW, Stony Brook University
- AAS, Suffolk County Community College
Practice/Interest Areas
- Psycholinguistics in direct clinical practice and Supervision
- Generational trauma and survivorship
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)
- Trauma informed pedagogy
- Technology in social work
- LGBTQIA+ community
Melissa Enns
Education
- MSW, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- MA, Johns Hopkins University
- BA, University of Pennsylvania
Practice/Interest Areas
- School social work
- Families and children
- Trauma-informed care
Ericka Garcia
Education
- MSW, Florida State University
- BSW, Florida State University
Practice/Interest Areas
- Child welfare
- Trauma-informed health care systems
- Grief and loss
Justin Giambruno
Education
- MSW, University at Albany
- BA, Binghamton University
Practice/Interest Areas
- Diversity, equity and inclusion
- Positive psychology
- Social determinants of health and health disparities
- Substance use
- Trauma and resilience
David Kurtz
Education
- MSW, Indiana University
- BSW, Huntington University
Practice/Interest Areas
- International social work
- Anti-human trafficking
- Immigrants and refugees
Barbara Maronski
Education
- MSW, Rutgers University
- BA, Rowan University
Practice/Interest Areas
- Trauma and disaster response
- Violence prevention
- Intervention
- Recovery
- Trauma-Informed
- Hope-Center organizations
Roxanne Munroe
Education
- MSW, Hunter College
- MA, Binghamton University
- BA, Binghamton University
Practice/Interest Areas
- Maternal infant and early childhood
- Health and home visiting
Miranda Rohe
Education
- MSW, University of Southern California
- BS, University of Maryland Global Campus
Practice/Interest Areas
- Generational trauma
- Maternal childhood trauma and parenting
- Infant and maternal mental health
Eric Ruiz
Education
- MSSW, Columbia University
- BA, SUNY Oswego
Practice/Interest Areas
- Mental health
- Substance use
Parisa Saghati
Education
- MSW, Stony Brook University
- BA, Stony Brook University
Practice/Interest Areas
- Higher education
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Mental health in College
Joan Strong
Education
- MSW, Stony Brook University
- BSW, Stony Brook University
Practice/Interest Areas
- Mental health and substance use disorders
- Administration and management
- Higher education
Madison Thie
Education
- MSW, University at Buffalo
- MBA, Southern New Hampshire University
- BA, University at Buffalo
Practice/Interest Areas
- Child and adolescent mental health
- Complex trauma
- Dissociative disorders
- Trauma informed care
Bradley Wallsteadt
Education
- MSW, Grand Valley State University
- BA, Grand Valley State University
Practice/Interest Areas
- LGBTQIA+ individuals
- School-based therapy
- Trauma-informed care
- VR interventions
Tammie Williams-Pittman
Education
- MSW, Hunter College
- BS, SUNY Empire State College
Practice/Interest Areas
- Community organization, planning, and development
- Implementation science
- Policy advocate
- Trauma and human rights
- Voting rights and redistricting
Ashley Berry
Education
- MSW, Stony Brook University
- BA, Stony Brook University
Practice/Interest Areas
- Mental health
- Clinical supervision
- Trauma-informed care
Alanna Blasting
Education
- MSW, University at Buffalo
- BSW, SUNY Brockport
Practice/Interest Areas
- School social work
- Trauma-informed care
- Diversity, equity and inclusion
- LGBTQ+ community
Sharlynn Daun-Barnett
Education
- MSW, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
- BS, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Practice/Interest Areas
- Mindfulness-based interventions
- Social work in dentistry
- Chronic pain management
- Stress reduction
Alexa Gauer
Education
- MSW, University of Nebraska-Omaha
- BS, University of South Dakota
Practice/Interest Areas
- Child and adolescent mental health care
- Rural social work
- Technology-practice integration
Allison R. Hind
Education
- MSW, Syracuse University
- JD, University at Buffalo
- BA, Hamilton College
Practice/Interest Areas
- Addiction
- Neurodivergence (particularly ADHD and autism)
- Trauma
SarahRose Hogan
Education
- MSW, University at Albany
- BA, SUNY New Paltz
Practice/Interest Areas
- Neuro-affirming, trauma-informed care as the standard of practice
- EMDR tailored to neurodivergent clients and clinicians
- Addressing the trauma crisis in the autism community with play therapy
Lucky Larrosa
Education
- MSW, Columbia University
- BA, CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Practice/Interest Areas
- Child and adolescent mental health
- Complex trauma
- Dissociative disorders
- Trauma informed care
Sheila Lopez
Education
- MSW, New York University
- BS, St. Thomas Aquinas College
Practice/Interest Areas
- Clinical social work - children and adolescent mental health
- School social work
- Trauma-informed care
- Autism
- Early intervention
- Policy and administration
Stephanie M. Lopez
Education
- MSW, New York University
- BA, Siena College
Practice/Interest Areas
- School social work
- Educational equity
- Community programming
Sarah O'Meara
Education
- MSW, Syracuse University
- BA, SUNY Cortland
Practice/Interest Areas
- LMSW currently working as a therapist on a mobile crisis team providing behavioral health and mental health assessment, crisis support, safety planning, de-escalation and connection to community services
- Interests include co-responder model crisis intervention, collaboration/partnership with law enforcement, threat assessment and trauma-informed crisis services
Jennalyn Suda
Education
- MSW, SUNY Brockport
- BSW, SUNY Brockport
- AS, Monroe Community College
Practice/Interest Areas
- School social work in special education
- Mental health and puberty connection
- Trauma-informed care