Ph.D. student Lisa Borntrager’s 1st-place award highlights 12 social work students’ research presentations
First-year Ph.D. student Lisa Borntrager‘s poster presentation was awarded first place in the Social Sciences, Business and Education category of VCU’s Graduate Research Symposium in April – one of 12 VCU School of Social Work students who participated in student research events across two days.
Borntrager’s presentation was titled “Does Trauma Type Matter When Evaluating Adult Suicide Risk Level?”
Other graduate student participants included:
Aya Caballero
First-year Ph.D. student
“Examining Life Satisfaction and Depression Among Biracial Black-White Emerging Adults”
- Summary: This study investigates how the intersection of parental race and gender shapes life satisfaction and depressive symptoms among Biracial Black-White young adults. While the complexities of Multiracial identity have gained increasing scholarly attention, the specific influence of parental racial and gender configurations remains underexplored. … Ultimately, the findings aim to inform more culturally attuned and intersectional grounded mental health supports that reflect the lived realities of Multiracial individuals.
- Quotable: “By unpacking these familial dynamics, this research seeks to illuminate the nuanced ways identity development and mental health are impacted within Biracial populations.”
Jeff Ciak
Third-year Ph.D. student
“Building a Better Estimate of Serious Mental Illness for the NSDUH: Comparing a Latent Profile Analysis with the Current Weighted Linear Regression”
Zoljargalan Gantumur
First-year Ph.D. student
“Prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases and Behavioral Risks Among Older Adults in Mongolia”
- Summary: Globally, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are major contributors to health complications and mortality among older adults. Mongolia is undergoing rapid population aging; however, research on the predictors of NCDs among older Mongolians remains limited. Using secondary data from Mongolia’s 2019 National NCD Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, we analyzed key determinants of NCDs in this population.
- Quotable: “We found that socioeconomic predictors matter more than behavioral
factors for most non-communicable diseases. This study indicates the need for targeted
health promotion and social service programs to prevent non-communicable diseases
among older Mongolians.”
Rose Miola
Second-year Ph.D. student
“Poetic Transcription as a Qualitative Method for Understanding Strategies for Violence Prevention Among College Students At Risk for Sexual Violence”
- Summary: The project explored qualitative data from a text-based group chat with different identities of students who are at higher risk for experiencing gender based violence (queer and trans students, people of color, and women) and considered their ideas for change. Blackout poetry was used as a qualitative analysis technique, to deepen thematic analysis and amplify participants’ powerful words, and distill overall sentiments from an interview into a poem.
- Quotable: “I am excited to share the results because research poems can also serve as a powerful tool for dissemination, and they can provide more accessible and evocative results for the reader.”
Sam Ochinang
Second-year Ph.D. student
“Suicide Risk in College Students: Exploring Alcohol Use and Belonging with a Multinomial Growth Model.
Summary: The study found that college students who drank alcohol to cope were more likely to report suicidal thoughts or attempts versus no suicidality.
Erin Trimmer
M.S.W. student
“Understanding Intimate Partner Violence Typology Experience in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Recipients”
- Summary: Understanding how institutional policies that are meant to help people, such as TANF, are creating situations that may put people in danger will help to create better policy in the long term and better screening and prevention tools for intimate partner violence in the short term.
- Quotable: “I think research is really where direct practice and macro practice come together in such a cool way. Social work research asks, ‘What are people experiencing? How are they experiencing it? How can we make things more effective and create change that aligns with our values?’ “
B.S.W. student participants in the VCU Poster Symposium for Undergraduate Research & Creativity included:
Kit Curtis
“Autonomic Testing in Pediatric Disorders of Gut-Brain Interface: Relationship with Child Vs. Parent Perceptions of Functional Limitations”
- Project insight: “I have always had a large interest in children’s health, and the importance of stress and how the body’s physiological stress response affects both mental and physical health has always been a fascinating and important subject for me. There are so many things that can cause stress in our lives, which can have very real physical health effects if they go unmanaged.”
- Importance of social work research: “Without research, I don’t believe there would be much of a foundation for social work. The history of social work was founded on the desire to help those in need, and with all of the advances in knowledge and technology in recent decades, things are always changing. The only way for us to make advancements is through conducting research to find what works and what doesn’t. Research – right alongside ethics – is the most vital part of creating and implementing interventions to further social work practice.”
Matthew Fuller, Olivia Adams & Brianna Fragosa
“Human Rights and Social Justice in Kerala, India: Photovoice for Transformative Learning in Undergraduate Study Abroad”
- Project insight (Matthew Fuller): “During our study abroad trip to Kerala, India, we were aware that assessments awaited us at the end of the journey. This included our photo voice project alongside daily journals, where we reflected on our experiences throughout the day. My photo voice group chose to delve into the topic of animal cruelty. Initially, the symposium wasn’t a part of our original plan unit. Our professor, Dr. Denise Burnette, sent an email inviting those interested in creating the symposium poster. Although I was initially hesitant about joining, I ultimately decided to volunteer as first author. I collaborated closely with Dr. Burnette and my classmates Olivia and Brianna.
- Importance of social work research (Olivia Adams): “Social work is a profession that is constantly evolving due to societal changes. Political climate, human behavior/development, cultural shifts, policy and law reform, and even technology have a huge impact on the practice. It is important to have a continuation of research so that practice is derived from accurate information and evidence-based strategies.”
Paloma Rodriguez Saucedo
“Effects of Black and Latine Children’s Academic Self-Efficacy and Skin tone on Self-Esteem”
- Project insight: “My newest poster is very closely related to the previous time I presented (in 2024, on “Does Ethnic Racial Discrimination and Alcohol Use Predict Anxiety Symptoms in Females”). This poster is still focused on race. It is specifically on skin tone affecting self-esteem in younger children (early childhood), and my interest has been in working with Black and Latine populations and the effects of discrimination on mental health and well-being. As I was involved in the same lab, my mentors’ interests and mine were still very similar, and we had the opportunity to use data from the study for which I helped design the surveys when I first came to VCU.”
- Importance of social work research: “Research-informed practice and practice-informed research are crucial to social work practice, as well as recognizing that social workers and researchers collaborate with communities, not just study them. The research being conducted should also aim to change systems and benefit both researchers and the population being studied.”
Paloma Rodriguez Saucedo, center, with co-authors Chelsea D. Williams, Ph.D., assistant professor, VCU Department of Psychology, left; and Arlenis A. Santana, Ph.D., senior research coordinator and analyst in the EMPOWER Youth Lab at VCU’s Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development
Categories Research, Students