Molly Allwein wins award

Congratulations! Director of Professional Education Molly Burke Allwein is the recipient of Vitamin C Healing’s Third Annual 2023 S.W.A.G: Social Worker Change Maker Award. The Social Worker Change Maker Award was created to acknowledge the social worker who has made significant contributions to the profession through leadership, advocacy, and change for this heart work.

The 3rd Annual SWAG Awards is Saturday, March 25, 2023 from 4:30PM to 7:30PM . If you would like to be added to the wait list, visit their website.

Do kinship navigation programs impact permanency and equity for youth?

The Casey Family Programs' website highlighted an article written by Postdoctoral Fellow Daniel Lee, Doctoral alumna Christina Huerta, and Dean Betsy Farmer for Children and Youth Services Review. Research demonstrates the benefits of kinship care for children who must be removed from their parents, yet nationally fewer than 1 in 3 children in foster care live with relatives. Kinship navigation programs help locate relative caregivers and provide them information, education, and support. This article examines permanency outcomes for youth in the kinship navigation program of A Second Chance, Inc. (ASCI), in Allegheny County, Pa., compared to youth served by other agencies without kinship navigation. Read more.

Ohmer's AmeriCorps-funded project profiled

Associate Professor Mary Ohmer's Research for Equity and Power (REP) project is highlighted on the AmeriCorps website. This CBPR project will apply key concepts from REP's Equitable Development Playbook, a tool for advocacy and organizing, to identify and act on equity issues, including tangible projects in existing REP communities and a regional advocacy and organizing training and action plan developed alongside residents and advocates across the Pittsburgh region. Read more.

Ohmer also spoke to Public Source about the recent violence on Pittsburgh's North Side.

Recent Publications: December 2022

• Professor Valire Copeland's article "2022 Beyond the Pandemic: Sustaining Telehealth Practices for Tomorrow’s Social Workers” was published in Intersections in Practice.
• The Anti-Racist Doctoral Program Student Committee's article "Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to Promote Anti-Racism in Social Work Higher Education" was recently published in Advances in Social Work. Authors include a group of current and former Pitt doctoral students: Dashawna Fussell-Ware, Kess Ballentine, Ana Flores, Laurenia Mangum, Serwaa Omowale, Kristen Mackenzie, Adrian Ballard, Christopher Thyberg, and Laura Ellen Ashcraft. 
• Doctoral student Christopher Thyberg's sole-author paper in the Journal of Social Work Education-"Preparing Social Workers for Anti-Oppressive Practice: Evaluating the Role of Critical Social Work Education" has just been published.
• Generalist MSW Student Seongbo Son published "Effects of an E-Mentoring Program to Improve Youth Financial Empowerment" in Family and Environment Research.
• MSW alumna Medha Kadri published "A Review of Gender Representation in Primary School Textbooks in India" in the Cambridge Educational Research e-Journal.

Doctoral alumna in NYT

Doctoral alumna and Wayne State faculty member Kess Ballentine's article, Understanding Racial Differences in Diagnosing ODD Versus ADHD Using Critical Race Theory, continues to be a top trending article for Families in Society due to having been downloaded over 5000 times and has just earned her a mention and a quote in the New York Times. Please see the full article here: When Black Psychiatrists Reach Out to Teens of Color - The New York Times (nytimes.com). 

CommUNITY Champion: Pittsburgh social worker discusses addiction, disabilities in book

MSW alumnus Jeff Parker faced some dark chapters in his life. Now, he wants to help others escape those places by sharing his story. He spoke with WTAE-TV about his journey and his book about his experiences. Watch or read here.

Pitt Social Work 2022 Holiday Gift Guide!

Looking for some gifts this season? Check out all of the wonderful goods and services our alumni are creating! From jewelry and clothing to children's books and gym memberships, shop to support our SSW alumni!

Find the gift guide here.

2023 Excellence in Social Work Practice Awards

Excellence in Social Work Practice Awards recognize Master’s students in the Pitt School of Social Work who demonstrate exemplary commitment to their social work professional development. The awards are given to students completing specialized study and displaying outstanding potential as social workers. These awards are made possible by the generosity of alumni and friends of the School. Each award carries a small monetary recognition. Read more about the awards and nominate a student today!