School of Social Work

Muna Saleh is a doctoral candidate at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work. She is interested in research on refugee health outcomes and the social policies that aim to ameliorate them. Her work specifically examines the effects of resettlement and related policies on the health and well-being of refugees with chronic conditions. Saleh is committed to improving equitable access to health services as part of a sustained response to growing regional and global migrant health concerns.

Saleh received her bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (2015), where she double majored in sociology of law, crime and deviance and political science. She received her Master of Social Work, also from the University of Minnesota (2021), with a focus on mental health. She completed her clinical internship with critically ill children and their families at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Saleh’s research is informed by her practice experience. She is a co-founder of a community organization in Minnesota that assists new refugees in navigating community resources. As a practicing social worker, Saleh has worked extensively with refugees in Minnesota.

Saleh is currently a recipient of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Health Policy Research Scholar (HPRS) Fellowship and the CSWE-GADE-SSWR Policy Fellowship (2022-2023). She has also served in multiple service roles within the School of Social Work, including as the president of the Doctoral Student Association (2023-2024), and as a doctoral representative in multiple school-wide committees (2022-2024).

Areas of interest

• Immigrants and Refugees,
• Inequality Poverty and Social Welfare Policy
• International Social Work and Global Issues
• Race and Ethnicity

Education and credentials

M.S.W., University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
B.A., University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

View Muna Saleh's curriculum vitae.