From left, Sarah Mikhail, director of the Grand Challenge at A Way Home America, and social work professors Maurice Gattis and M. Alex Wagaman after Richmond was selected one of 10 Grand Challenge cities at the True Colors United Impact Summit in Washington, D.C., in 2019. (Courtesy photo)
Sept. 22, 2020
- VCU News: Social work professor’s research to explore outcomes for adult adoptees and foster care alumni
When Hollee McGinnis was a college student, questions about her identity as a transracial adoptee from South Korea raised in an Irish-Catholic family sparked her undergraduate thesis and questions that have shaped her career.
Sept. 9, 2020
- VCU News: A ‘life-changing award’: Two VCU social work researchers receive NIH grants that ease student debt
“It’s a big financial deal for me and everyone else whose applications were funded,” said Jamie L. Cage, Ph.D., an assistant professor beginning her fourth year with the school. That includes her colleague, Shelby E. McDonald, Ph.D., who received tenure and a promotion to associate professor over the summer and is starting her sixth year at the school.
April 29, 2020
Alisha Robinson, a senior in the School of Social Work, set out to study alternative education programs and how they can lead to positive outcomes for students who have been expelled or suspended long-term from other schools.
March 24, 2020
Over the past year, School of Social Work professor Shelby McDonald, Ph.D., and colleagues have conducted around 150 interviews with LGBTQ+ youth as part of a study into the kinds of stress they face and how different social supports can influence the impact of the stressors on mental health and resilience.
Feb. 26, 2020
The School of Social Work received one of 10 opioid-focused grants from the National Council for Behavioral Health to support new curriculum development, funding for field agencies to be involved, and stipends for eight second-year master’s students.
Jan. 30, 2020
Kyeongmo Kim, Ph.D., assistant professor, was part of a three-person research team whose work received a Society for Social Work and Research Excellence in Research Award-Honorable Mention; and Nicole A. Corley, Ph.D., assistant professor, was named one of 12 JSSWR Early-Career Mentored Reviewers. VCU social work professor Kia J. Bentley, Ph.D., LCSW, was recognized as Corley’s mentor.
Jan. 13, 2020
- Social Work blog: Mastering research: These VCU conference presenters are grad students, but not Ph.D.s
For John Gyourko, it was an opportunity to realize an envisioned project and help at-risk children in foster care. For Nicole George, it was a chance to change perceptions and make a difference in the learning environment of Spanish-speaking elementary school children. In both cases, the master's students' research efforts led to presentations at the Society for Social Work and Research Conference in Washington, D.C.
Jan. 7, 2020
- Social Work blog: 2020 Society for Social Work and Research Presentations
Twenty-five VCU School of Social Work faculty and students presented or participated in more than 30 sessions at the 24th annual Society for Social Work and Research Conference in Washington, D.C.
Sept. 26, 2019
“Folks in Richmond were largely saying that we don’t have an issue with youth homelessness here; we don’t need to do anything different than what we’re doing because it’s not one of our problems,” said Alex Wagaman, Ph.D., an associate professor in the School of Social Work, who worked on the grant with colleague Maurice Gattis, Ph.D.
Aug. 8, 2019
Kyeongmo Kim, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Social Work, seeks to understand why minority older adults living in racially segregated neighborhoods are less likely to use mental health services than their white counterparts.
May 10, 2019
“E-cigarette use has overtaken cigarette smoking among American adolescents. Those who have experienced childhood maltreatment may be at particular risk of using e-cigarettes, as these experiences have been linked to future nicotine dependence," said Sunny Shin, Ph.D., an associate professor in the School of Social Work.
Jan. 16, 2019
- Social Work blog: Faculty and student SSWR presentations and discussions
The School of Social Work is pleased to acknowledge the faculty and student scholars and researchers taking part in the 23rd annual Society for Social Work and Research Conference.
Nov. 6, 2018
- Social Work blog: Faculty and student APM presentations and discussions
The School of Social Work is pleased to acknowledge the faculty and student scholars and researchers taking part in the 64th CSWE Annual Program Meeting.
Oct. 10, 2018
To better understand how child-pet interactions influence child health and well-being in the context of adverse family environments, Shelby E. McDonald, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the School of Social Work, has received a $427,067 grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in the National Institutes of Health.
Jan. 12, 2018
- VCU News: VCU School of Social Work professor aims to improve life for older adults in Peruvian highlands
As the village’s youth flock to urban areas, older generations choose to stay and continue a traditional lifestyle on lands often held by families for generations. This trend can negatively impact older adults, who are left with minimal living assistance and are isolated due to Pampas Grande’s remoteness, said Denise Burnette, Ph.D., professor and Samuel S. Wurtzel Endowed Chair in the School of Social Work.
Jan. 9, 2018
School of Social Work is pleased to acknowledge the faculty and student scholars and researchers taking part in the 22nd Society for Social Work and Research annual conference.
Nov. 8, 2017
- Social Work blog: Professor collaborates on special issue of addictions journal
School of Social Work Assistant Professor Karen Chartier, Ph.D., had the honor of developing a special issue of the American Journal on Addictions, which was published in August of this year.
Oct. 12, 2017
- Social Work blog: CSWE Annual Program Meeting presentations
The School of Social Work is pleased to acknowledge the faculty and student scholars and researchers taking part in the 63rd CSWE Annual Program Meeting.
April 12, 2017
“I experienced unstable housing in my childhood, which led to homelessness in my adolescent years," said Elaine Williams, a senior in the School of Social Work.
April 4, 2017
“This is a place where young people can go to just generally get help or support and get their basic needs met,” said Alex Wagaman, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Social Work, and a convener, supporter and facilitator of the Advocates for Richmond Youth. “It’s about getting youth connected to the resources that they need.”
March 30, 2017
- VCU News: Trump’s entry ban on refugees will increase human vulnerability and insecurity, VCU expert says
Hyojin Im, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the School of Social Work, is an expert on mental health services and refugee communities, and discussed her research and the impact of Trump’s travel ban.
Feb. 23, 2017
Incarcerated women experience mental illness at a disproportionate rate and heavily use psychiatric medication. A new study by Kia J. Bentley, Ph.D., a professor in the School of Social Work, examines this phenomenon, and digs deeper into the incarcerated women’s experiences with and beliefs about mental health and psychotropic drugs.