A ‘Shakespearean sprite’ and a ‘giant’: Remembering the lives of Jane Reeves, Marilyn Biggerstaff
They both came east, to Richmond and VCU, in the 1970s. They overlapped at the School of Social Work for approximately 23 years. In their final years, they both resided at the Cedarfield Retirement Community in Richmond. And when they passed away earlier this year, only 29 days separated the deaths of Jane Reeves and […]
Alum’s book spotlights workplace attunement; new textbooks focus on anti-racist research, school social work practice
VCU School of Social Work alum Nidhi Tewari learned a deeply personal – and disappointing – lesson about workplace culture, used it to develop a philosophy of care and fine-tuned her message speaking in front of Fortune 500 companies. This month, the culmination of her knowledge is being published in the book “Working Well: How […]
From service to research: Student-led volunteerism turns into presentation at national social work conference
VCU’s Bachelor of Social Work Student Association led a yearlong community service initiative that earned three of its student officers a trip to Las Vegas for a national conference in the spring semester. Seniors Joey Kniceley and Julia Stodard, who graduated with their B.S.W. degrees in May, and junior Autumn Matusiak participated in the Association […]
Undergraduates get national exposure as research presenters
Focused on alcohol and addiction, VCU’s Institute for Research on Behavioral and Emotional Health prepares students for graduate school with opportunities such as conferences and networking. Developing graduate school-ready future researchers is just one of the VCU Institute for Research on Behavioral and Emotional Health’s goals, and there’s no better practice than presenting at a […]
Focusing on public mental health, Rosemary and David Farmer fund a new M.S.W. scholarship
With a career devoted to clinical social work and social work education, it’s no surprise Rosemary Farmer’s philanthropy would focus on helping students follow in her footsteps and pursue internships and employment in the public sector. Along with her husband, they have established the Drs. Rosemary L. and David J. Farmer Public Mental Health Scholarship […]
Collaborating with student researchers, Hyojin Im leads an inclusive approach to reexamining refugee health and mental health
When Hyojin Im, Ph.D., convened a symposium at the Society for Social Work and Research 2024 conference on refugee health and mental health, the goal was to examine critical systems that serve these groups and to emphasize the role of Community-Based Participatory Research. “CBPR is a collaborative ethos that involves direct engagement with refugee communities […]
High-demand, social work-led course puts an anti-racist lens on serious mental illness
The creation – and quick evolution – of a new course on serious mental illness at VCU reflects the high demand for mental health professionals and a professional passion among not only social work students but those from other disciplines around the university. Leveraging the experience and expertise of Cassie DeSena-Jacobs, D.S.W., LCSW, assistant professor […]
Grandfather’s need for aging-in-place resources inspires award-winning research from doc student Sunny Kim
The origin of VCU social work Ph.D. candidate Seon “Sunny” Kim’s dissertation dates to the Korean War, deeply personal work that is receiving national recognition. The Korean American Social Work Educators Association in the fall honored Kim’s dissertation work with its Outstanding Dissertation Proposal Award for contributions to aging research, policy and practice. “As a […]
In lifelong quest to reduce violence, Ph.D. alumni award winner McLeod was ‘empowered to grow’ at VCU
As David McLeod, Ph.D., thinks about his time at Virginia Commonwealth University, his reflections turn to the people and culture that accepted and poured into a doctoral student with an atypical background. A place where both his daughters were born, bookending his time in Richmond. No wonder, then, that he uses a parental analogy when […]
The writing doctor will now see you: Meet the School of Social Work’s Rebecca Johnson
Rebecca Johnson, Ph.D., has seen a lot in 15 years of working as a higher education writing coach, mentor and administrator. Even a technological thumbs down for the Bard from Stratford-upon-Avon. That would be William Shakespeare – not Google’s artificial intelligence tool. Dr. Johnson joined the School of Social Work as the student success writing […]