Meet Christopher J. Ward, Ph.D. candidate
Ward is a Ph.D. candidate and adjunct professor at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Social Work. His research interest focuses on the distribution and access of health care infrastructure from a perspective committed to social justice. Specifically, his dissertation, “A Collective Case Study Analysis of Nursing Home Certificate of Need (CON) Decision Making,” explores how […]
Meet Amy Prorock-Ernest, Ph.D. candidate
Prorock-Ernest is a doctoral candidate at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work. Her research interests include exploring the ways in which social, economic, political, environmental, cultural and historical factors influence the health and well-being of communities. Foundational to this is Prorock-Ernest’s interest in understanding localized conceptualizations of health, particularly using qualitative research methods. […]
Meet Cynthia George, Ph.D. candidate
George is an innovative, tech-savvy Ph.D. candidate and an award-winning evaluator working at the national level to systemically improve both peer-to-peer education and school-based prevention programs. She is a systems-level thinker with significant real-world experience developing interventions, securing and managing grants, and guiding policy change initiatives. Her interest areas include theory, philosophy, methods and a […]
Meet Matthew P. DeCarlo, Ph.D. candidate
DeCarlo is a Ph.D. candidate and adjunct instructor at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work. His scholarship interests are in social welfare policy, with a focus on self-directed supports for individuals with disabilities and the lived experience of receiving social welfare for individuals experiencing poverty.
Meet D. Crystal Coles, Ph.D., recent Ph.D. Program graduate
Coles, a recent Ph.D. graduate and CSWE Minority Fellowship Program alum, works as a post-doctoral fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she manages the daily operations of a federally funded project that partners with maternal and child health home visiting programs in Virginia to infuse behavioral health risk screening and mental health promotion interventions into […]
Meet Andrew C. Schoeneman, Ph.D., recent Ph.D. Program graduate
Schoeneman completed his Ph.D. at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work in spring 2015. His dissertation, “Community Collaboration in Virginia Legal Aid Programs: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Investigation,” was funded in part by the Legal Services Corporation of Virginia and the Hans Falck Scholarship. With particular emphasis on social and economic justice, Schoeneman’s […]
School alumnus’s graphic novel seeks to inspire children with learning disabilities
A Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work alumnus has authored a graphic novel that he hopes will inspire children with learning disabilities and help destigmatize special education.
School staff member helps keep folk festival free
Laura Napky, executive assistant to the associate deans in the VCU School of Social Work, utilizes her Community Service Leave to serve with theRichmond Folk Festival. The event is held annually each October and attracts more than 200,000 people to downtown Richmond’s riverfront to celebrate the roots, richness and variety of American culture through music, […]