Faculty Directory

Brittanie Atteberry Ash, PhD, MSW

Assistant Professor

Personal Pronouns: She/Her

Brittanie Atteberry-Ash

Research Interests: LGBTQ Policy, LGBTQ Campus Climate, LGBTQ Health, Educational Equity (Race, Gender, and Sexuality), Social Work Education, Power, Privilege & Oppression, Intersectionality, Social Justice

Amanda Aykanian, PhD

Assistant Professor

Personal Pronouns: She/Her

Amanda Aykanian

Research Interests: Social work education, Homeless service systems, Homeless service access and outcomes, Geographic mobility and transportation access,, Program and policy evaluation and Criminalization of homelessness

Karla Arenas-Itotia, MA, MSSW, LMSW

Assistant Professor of Practice

Personal Pronouns: She/Her

IPVE Taskforce Chair

Karla Arenas-Itotia

Research Interests: Social Work Education, online, interprofessional and experiential learning, school social work, student success and support services, education access, community outreach, interpersonal violence, trauma, mental health, social work direct practice, and issues of gender, family, race, and ethnicity.

Philip Baiden, PhD

Assistant Professor

Personal Pronouns: He/Him

Philip Baiden

Research Interests: Suicide Prevention Research; Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs); Adolescent Substance Use Behaviors; Social Determinants of Health and Mental Health; Barriers to Health Service Utilization; International Social Work Research

Michael Bennett, MSW, RSW

Assistant Professor of Practice

Personal Pronouns: He/Him

Michael Bennett

Research Interests: Tensions embedded in provision of hospice palliative care; Psilocybin and existential suffering; The benefits of live music performance in community-based hospice settings; The value of wish fulfillment at end-of-life; Sex and intimacy at end of life

Beverly Black, PhD

Professor

Beverly Black

Research Interests: Violence, Prevention Programming, Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault

LaShaunn Bold, LMSW

Associate Professor of Practice

Lashaunn Bold

Research Interests: Child Welfare, Domestic Violence, Victim Services, Community Development, Non-profit management, Volunteer Coordination

Saltanat Childress, PhD, MSW

Assistant Professor

Research Interests: Family wellbeing, child wellbeing, parenting, prevention of family violence in global settings; economic empowerment; immigrant and refugee populations

Jandel Crutchfield, PhD , LCSW

Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Assistant Professor

Jandel Crutchfield

Research Interests: School social work in traditional and charter schools, cultural competence of school social workers, colorism and social work practice.

Danielle R. Harrell, PhD, LCSW

Assistant Professor

Danielle Eugene

Research Interests: Racial equity and inclusion in K-12 schools; school climate and culture; adolescent mental health; culturally responsive school-based and school-linked mental health services; school social work practice

Sophia Fantus, PhD

Assistant Professor

Research Interests: Reproductive ethics, specializing in LGBTQ advocacy and inclusivity, moral distress, and clinical social work ethics.

Noelle Fields, PhD , LCSW

Associate Professor

Personal Pronouns: She/Her

Noelle Fields

Research Interests: Aging in Place, Home and Community-based Services, Family Caregiving, Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia, Assistive Technology, Transportation Equity

Genevieve Graaf, PhD, MSW

Assistant Professor

Genevieve Graaf

Research Interests: Children's Mental Health Policy and Service Systems; Evidence-Based Practice in Community Settings; Implementation Science and Knowledge Translation in Social Work; Medicaid Home and Community-Based Service Policies; Medicaid and disparities in access to care

Kiva Harper, MSSW, LCSW

Associate Professor of Practice

Personal Pronouns: She/Her

Kiva Harper

Research Interests: Military Social Work, Trauma Therapy (PTSD, Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault), Traumatic Grief

Richard Hoefer, PhD

Professor

Research Interests: Program Evaluation; Nonprofit Management; Social Policy; Comparative Social Policy; and Nonprofit Advocacy

Hui Huang, PhD

Associate Professor

Hui Huang

Research Interests:: Child Welfare, Foster Care, Substance Use, Juvenile Justice, Dually-Involved Youth, Health Disparity, Administrative Data Research, Program Evaluation, Measurement Development

Darlene Hunter, LMSW, PhD

Assistant Professor of Practice

Darlene Hunter

Research Interests: Disability; Disability and Sports

Pamela Johnson, MSW, LCSW

Associate Professor of Practice

Personal Pronouns: She/Her

Pamela Johnson

Research Interests: School Social Work, Children and family connections, Parenting, Behavioral Health Integration, Trauma and Impact of experiential learning student populations

Poco Kernsmith, PhD

PhD Program Director

Professor

Poco Kernsmith

Catherine LaBrenz, PhD

Assistant Professor

Personal Pronouns: She/Her

Catherine LaBrenz

Research Interests: Child Welfare; Reunification; Permanence; Family Engagement

Kathy Lee, PhD, MSW

Assistant Professor

Research Interests: Health and well-being of older adults with cognitive impairment, non-pharmacological interventions, social engagement, minority older adults and family caregivers, home- and community-based services, and health disparities.

Karen Magruder, LCSW-S

Assistant Professor of Practice

Personal Pronouns: She/Her

Karen Magruder

Research Interests: Aging, mental health, health promotion, long-term care, hospice, dementia, sustainability, environmental justice

Rebecca Mauldin, LMSW, MSW, PhD

Assistant Professor

Personal Pronouns: She/Her

Rebecca Mauldin

Research Interests: Aging, Social Integration/Isolation, Social Network Analysis, Social Support and Generosity

Diane Mitschke, PhD, MSW

Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs

Associate Professor

Personal Pronouns: She/Her

Diane Mitschke

Research Interests: Health and Mental Health of Vulnerable Populations; Refugee and Immigrant Health and wellness

Marcela Nava, PhD, MPP, MSSW

Assistant Professor

Marcela Nava

Research Interests:: Health Equity, Community Based Participatory Research, Immigration, Policy Advocacy

Anne Nordberg, PhD, MSW

Associate Professor

Personal Pronouns: She/Her

Anne Nordberg

Research Interests: Problem-Solving Courts, Forensic Social Work, Populations At-Risk for Criminal Justice Involvement, Structural Violence, Qualitative Methodologies, Innovative Approaches to Reduce Recidivism

Tiara Okoruwa, PhD, LMSW

Assistant Professor of Practice

Personal Pronouns: She/Her

Dr. Tiara Thomas

Research Interests:: Social Work Faculty Preparedness; Controversial Conversations in the Classroom; Qualitative Methodology

Tracy Orwig, LCSW

Assistant Professor of Practice

Personal Pronouns: She/Her

Tracy Orwig

Research Interests: Health Interventions, Health Disparities, Health Literacy and the Impact of Interprofessional Education on Health Students

Yangjin Park, PhD

Assistant Professor

Yangjin Park

Vijayan Pillai, PhD

Professor

Research Interests: Adolescent social problems , Reproductive health , National and International social policy, Population, Community Planning, Demographic Techniques, Zambia, Social Policy, Reproductive rights, Development

Regina T. Praetorius, PhD, LMSW-AP

Professor

Personal Pronouns: She/Her

Regina Praetorius

Research Interests: Trauma, Suicide, Maternal Well-being, Suicide Bereavement, Qualitative Interpretive Meta-Synthesis (QIMS), and Social Work Education

Kelli Rogers, PhD

Assistant Professor of Practice

Kelli Rogers

Research Interests: : Advancing racial equity in public and higher education; social work practice in schools; intersection among child welfare, juvenile justice, and education; disproportionality and disparities in child welfare and juvenile justice systems; social policy for children and families; culturally responsive practice; and community-based social work

De’An O. Roper, PhD, LCSW

Assistant Professor of Practice

Personal Pronouns: She/Her

De'An Roper

Research Interests: Sexual and gender minority health disparities, the intersection of behavior change and technology, health risk behaviors, substance abuse, mental health and criminal justice.

Scott Ryan, MSW, MBA, PhD

Dean and Professor

Dean Scott Ryan

Marie Salimbeni, PhD, LCSW CAS

Assistant Professor of Practice

Research Interests: Forensic Social Work, Military Families and Children, Qualitative Research, Action Research, Race and Ethnicity, Relationship Violence and Prevention, Trauma, Higher Education, Student Development and Leadership, Community Education

Donald Schuman, PhD, LCSW, LCDC

Assistant Professor of Practice

Donald Schuman

Research Interests: Substance use disorders, addiction treatments and suicide prevention in the general population with emphasis on veterans and service members; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) treatment, group psychotherapy, developing interdisciplinary health treatment teams, and measuring the impact and relevance of feedback on the treatment experience.

Donna Schuman, PhD

Assistant Professor

Donna Schuman

Research Interests: Military social work; psychosocial and psychophysiological effects of war trauma and disaster; digital health interventions; heart rate variability biofeedback; social work education; systematic review methodology

Sherece Shavel, PhD, LMSW, HS-BCP

Assistant Professor of Practice

Personal Pronouns: She/Her

Shavel Sherece

Research Interests: Post-incarceration paternal experiences of African American males, the intersection of mental health, culture, spirituality, and criminality; post-traumatic growth development and functioning, legislative equity and equality, restorative forgiveness and reconciliation, social worker professional acumen, efficacy, and resilience; social work and law, cross-cultural collaborative social work education, qualitative and mixed methodology

Eusebius Small, PhD

Associate Professor

Eusebius Small

Research Interests: International Social Work, The Intersection of HIV and Contextual Social Norms, Adolescent Risk Behaviors, Comparative Social Policy

Rachel Voth Schrag, PhD, LCSW

Assistant Professor

Personal Pronouns: She/Her

IPVE Taskforce Development Subcommittee Chair

Rachel Voth Schrag

Research Interests: Violence Against Women, Trauma and Mental Health, Convergence of Poverty and Interpersonal Trauma, Violence Against Women in Diverse Educational Settings; Interpersonal Violence Prevention and Intervention

Christine Spadola, PhD, LMHC

Assistant Professor

Christine Spadola

Research Interests: : Sleep Health, Mental Health, Substance Misuse, Health Promotion and Health Disparities and Mind/Body Interventions

Allison Tomlinson, PhD, LCSW-S

Director of Undergraduate Programs

Assistant Professor of Practice

Allison Tomlinson

Research Interests: Maternal incarceration, stress theory and non-normative family stress, couple and marriage dynamics in African American families, and mental health.

Christian Vazquez, PhD, MSW

Assistant Professor

Christian Vazquez

Research Interests:: Health Disparities, Latino Populations, Cardiovascular Health, eHealth, Obesity, Socioeconomic Status

Micki Washburn, PhD, LMSW, MA, LPC-S

Assistant Professor

Personal Pronouns: She/Her

Micki Washburn

Research Interests: Health disparities related to mental health and substance misuse in historically underserved communities, applications of technology in behavioral health assessment and treatment, mindfulness based clinical interventions for women with co-occurring mental health and substance use concerns, social policy related to SOGIE for child welfare involved youth and families.

Joyce White, DM, LMSW

Director of Graduate Programs

Assistant Professor of Practice

Joyce White

Research Interests: Community and Administrative Practice

Bethany Wood, PhD

Assistant Professor

Bethany Wood

Debra Woody, PhD

Senior Associate Dean and Associate Professor

Debra Woody

Research Interests: Substance Abuse, School Based Social Work Services

Ling Xu, PhD

Associate Professor

Research Interests: Aging, grandparents, ethnicity (Chinese), assistive technology, Intergenerational Support and Healthy Aging, Health Disparity, Health Care Utilization, Acculturative Stress, Social support and Well-being of Older Adults, Asian American Older Adults

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