Social work faculty, students, alumni presenting at SSWR 2025
More than 50 VCU School of Social Work faculty, students and alumni have had presentations accepted or are serving in other roles with sessions such as special interest groups, roundtables or symposia at the Society for Social Work and Research 2025 conference in Seattle, Jan. 15-19, 2025. In total there are 69 presentations or sessions involving […]
Gary Cuddeback named VCU School of Social Work dean
Gary S. Cuddeback, Ph.D., has been named dean of Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Social Work, effective Oct. 28, 2024. Cuddeback, who has served as interim dean since July 2023, was named following a national search. “I’m honored by this appointment as I believe there has never been a better time to be part of VCU’s School […]
2024 Council on Social Work Education conference presentations
As the Council on Social Work Education‘s 70th Annual Program Meeting opens in Kansas City on Oct. 24, 2024, the VCU School of Social Work is proud to recognize our faculty, student scholars and social work alumni who are presenting or participating. CSWE Program Director Academy A special congratulations to two of our program directors who […]
How she found her research: Josselyn Valenzuela
Josselyn Valenzuela began working on a School of Nursing-based project, the Mindful Moms Study, as a B.S.W. student and has continued after graduating in May 2024 and enrolling in the School of Social Work’s M.S.W. Program. Mindful Moms examines mental health – particularly depression – and well-being during pregnancy for both Spanish- and English-speaking participants. The team […]
Spit for Science is a growing data registry for researchers
Led by the School of Social Work’s Karen G. Chartier, Ph.D., associate professor, VCU’s Spit for Science initiative is collecting data for the first time since 2021 – one test tube (of spit) at a time. Spit for Science is the nation’s largest genetic and environmental study of college students with more than 13,000 students […]
Alex Wagaman, associate professor, working at federal level to end youth homelessness
Alex Wagaman, Ph.D., an associate professor in the School of Social Work, began a one-year contract in May as a special advisor with the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. To complement the council’s federal strategic plan, All In, which launched in December 2022, Wagaman will be leading the creation of a population-specific plan for youth homelessness. A key […]
Gary Cuddeback leads interdisciplinary team securing $2 million SAMHSA grant
The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has awarded a five-year, $2 million grant to a Virginia Commonwealth University-led project that will provide a range of services, including drug treatment, employment, housing, case management and peer support, for people with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental illnesses who are involved in the criminal justice system. […]
Ph.D. student Samuel Ochinang’s finds spot at intersection of military service, social work
VCU School of Social Work Ph.D. student Samuel Ochinang grew up in a military family and has found his calling at the intersection of social work and serving as an active-duty Army major with the Medical Service Corps. “My journey in the Ph.D. program, along with my position, will improve my technical and managerial skills […]
Research Weeks 2024 presentations: Social work student researchers and faculty mentors
Five VCU School of Social Work graduate students, two undergraduates and four faculty mentors are part of nine research presentations sponsored by the university as part of Research Weeks 2024. Graduate Research Symposium 9-11:30 a.m. ET Wednesday, April 24Student Commons, Commonwealth Ballrooms Assessing the Impact of Race, Ethnicity and English-Speaking Status on Traffic Stop Outcomes […]
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 […]