Latest School News

As we mark 20 years since the tragic and horrific events of September 11, 2001, I first would like to pause and remember in solemnity the thousands of lives lost on that fateful day. It was and remains traumatic. I have been spending some time reflecting on the state of the world today. When we look back at 9/11 from the distance of two decades, we may think that little has changed. It is all too clear that terrorism in many forms continues to exist and wreak havoc, impacting everyone touched by it in a ripple effect. It is easy to believe that little or nothing can be done to end the violence. I believe that as social workers, we must continue to defend the dignity and worth of the person, in fact, of humankind. Our existence matters and each of our lives has meaning and purpose. 

Kudos to PhD student Charles LaBarre on the publication of the article, "Research, practice, and policy strategies to advance long and productive lives" in Health & Social Work.

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Maria Rodriguez on being named to Twitter's inaugural Academic Research Advisory Board. The board was designed to create regular and frequent dialogue between members of the academic community and the Developer Platform. The board is composed of prominent members of the academic community who volunteered to offer their expertise to impact the ways Twitter supports and builds products or programs for research with the Twitter API. 

Congratulations to Associate Professor Patricia Logan-Greene and her colleagues on the publication of their article, "The school-to-prison pipeline for probation youth with special education needs" in the American Journal of Osthopsychiatry.

Congratulations to Professor Laina Y. Bay-Cheng and colleagues on receiving research awards from the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF)-Exploration stream for the high risk, high reward research on Transnational Perspectives on COVID-19's Impact on Youth Sexuality, Risk and Relationships.

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Rodriguez and colleague on the publication of their article, "There and Back Again: A Commentary on Social Welfare Policy in the Wake of 2020" in the Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research.

Congratulations to PhD alum Whitney Mendel, Assistant Professor Mickey Sperlich, and PhD alum Nicole Fava on the publication of their article, "'Is there anything else you would like me to know?': Applying a trauma-informed approach to the administration of the adverse childhood experiences questionnaire" in the Journal of Community Psychology.

Congratulations to Dean and Professor Nancy J. Smyth on being named the President-Elect for The Network for Social Work Management (NSWM) Board of Directors. In response to this exciting news, Smyth said, "I'm honored to take on this key role in the premier organization focused on social work leadership and management. Together we will continue the critical work to educate and support leaders so they can achieve innovative social impact to build a just and inclusive society."

Kudos to Professor Laina Bay-Cheng and PhD students Jessica Mencia, Hannah Ginn, and Honour Odigie on the publication of their article, "Between rights on paper and capabilities on the ground: Policy-based barriers to marginalized women's sexual rights" in the journal Sexuality REsearch and Social Policy.

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Mickey Sperlich, PhD student Erin Bascug, Clinical Professor Susan Green, ITTIC project manager Samantha Koury, PhD alum Travis Hales, and Emeritus Research Professor Thomas Nochajski on the publication of their article, "Trauma-informed parenting education support groups for mothers in substance abuse recovery" in the journal Research on Social Work Practice.

Kudos to Associate Professors Yunju Nam and Wooksoo Kim, PhD student Sarah Richards-Desai, and their colleague on the publication of their article, "Welfare-dependent Refugees?: Evidence from County Welfare Management System Data in Western New York" in the Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies.

Congratulations to DSW student Hannah White on the publication of her article, "Applying a Social Justice and Trauma-informed Lens to Animal Welfare Considerations" in The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) Journal.

Congratulations to Professor Hillary Weaver for being appointed as the inaugural global Commissioner of the Indigenous Commission with the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW).

Kudos to Clinical Assistant Professors Todd Sage and Michael Lynch, with Assistant Professor Melanie Sage, and their colleague on the publication of their article, "Podcasting as a Pedagogical Tool for Experiential Learning in Social Work Education" in the Journal of Teaching in Social Work.

Congratulations to Professor Hillary Weaver for being named the Chair-Elect of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Board of Directors (BOD). She will assume all duties as BOD Chair in July 2022. Weaver currently serves as the vice-chair and secretary for the CSWE-BOD and ran on a platform focused on member concerns about navigating changes to the educational landscape in a post-pandemic world, the need for ongoing injustice awareness and learning how to manage shifting political landscapes.