Pitt Social Work Weekly E-blast August 15, 2022

August 15, 2022

Doctoral students awarded research funds

Doctoral students Jacob Gordon and Emil K. Smith were awarded two LBGTQIA+ Endowed Research and Outreach Funds. The fund, which became an endowment in 2020, has been enthusiastically supported by the Pitt community, especially Pitt Queer Professionals.

Jacob Gordon for a project about the use of social media for support by LGBTQ persons of color
Emil K. Smith for a project investigating eating disorders among transgender and gender diverse populations.

Learn more about awardees here.

Siblings take social work journey together

Siblings Rosie and Charlie Hogan are both currently attending the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. Rosie graduated with her BASW from Pitt in the spring of 2021 and began the MSW program in August of 2021. She is currently completing her MSW with a COSA concentration and will graduate this month. Charlie is focusing on social work within the criminal justice system in his undergraduate program and is expected to graduate in May 2023. Read their story here.

Duquesne City schools build out mental health supports as district grows

The Duquesne City School District has partnered with the Just Discipline Project at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, which provided a social worker to help with restorative practices. Read more in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

August 2022 Publications

Dr. Aliya Durham's Dissertation: If Not Us, then, Who? The Homewood Children's Village: A Case Study of Applied Collective Impact Theory
Dr. Alicia Johnson (2022). Adverse Childhood Experiences: How Incidents From the Past Affect a Student's Classroom Behavior Today. In Research Anthology on Interventions in Student Behavior and Misconduct. IGI Global, 2022. Pgs. 246-264.
PhD student Cortney VanHook: Police brutality, heightened vigilance, and the mental health of Black adults. Study published in the American Psychological Association's Psychology of Violence journal.

Upcoming Events

August 28, 2022: August 2022 Afternoon of Recognition. 2:30pm. University Club. RSVP and find more details.

September 1, 2022: Colloquium with Amy Watson “The Mental Health Crisis Response Continuum: CIT, Co-response, Community Response, Mobile Crisis and 911/988.” 12-1:30pm. 2017 Cathedral of Learning or Virtually: https://bit.ly/3SFX0Zj

For a complete listing of upcoming events please visit the

Pitt School of Social Work website

Please share our e-blast with your contacts and send any story ideas to shm87@pitt.edu.