Community Engaged Scholarship Forum (CESF) highlights Pitt School of Social Work faculty's good work!

• Director of Community Engagement Aliya Durham has won the CESF Collaboration Champion Award
• Associate Professor James Huguley is on this year's plenary panel
• Associate Professor Mary Ohmer will present her research: “Engagement in Community-Based Participatory Research: Strategies and Lessons Learned”
• Principal Investigator Child Welfare Education and Research Programs Helen Cahalane will be on a panel for Pitt Horizon Scholars: Broadening Horizons While Empowering Youth,, with Dean Betsy Farmer doing the introduction.

REGISTER HERE FOR THE EVENT TOMORROW!

Flourishing Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Communities and Beyond: Developing Cross-Cultural Awareness, Advocacy, and Alliance

The School of Social Work and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) - PA chapter is co-hosting an AAPI Mental Health Symposium titled "Flourishing AAPI Communities and Beyond: Developing Cross-Cultural Awareness, Advocacy, and Alliance." This is a hybrid event (breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be provided to in-person participants), and registration is free. 7 continuing education credits will be offered to social workers ($15 for NASW members and $25 for non-members). The keynote speaker Jessica Kim will talk about racial trauma in AAPI communities and Marian Lien from Asian Pacific American Advocates will discuss local resources. For the DEI leadership panel, panelists who have been leading DEI work focusing on Asian, Black, and Latinx populations will discuss strategies to develop alliances, partnerships, and synergy among DEI advocates. From our school, Drs. Kyaian Conner and Victor Figuereo will participate as panelists, and Dr. Deborah Moon will facilitate the panel. To close the event, a world-renowned singer, composer, artist, and activist Mai Khoi will perform. Please RSVP as space is limited. and share this link within your network!

Parenting While Black supports children’s healthy development and parents’ wellness

Dr. James P. Huguley, Associate Professor of Pitt’s School of Social Work, and chair of the Race and Youth Development Research Group (RaYDR) at the Center on Race and Social Problems, studies how to improve the educational and mental health outcomes of Black youth, including how Black parents can best support and nurture their children in unjust systems — and take care of their own health, too.

“We gathered a good amount of research about the best ways Black parents can help their children build resilience to racism in social and school settings and promote physical and mental well-being,” he explains. “The question became how to get this information directly into families’ hands.”

Read more in the New Pittsburgh Courier.

NASW LEAD Poster making and event day registration!

NASW LEAD Sign Making Events: March 6th and March 8th. Check below and website for more details.

NASW Legislative Education and Action Day (DAY) Registration: Tuesday, March 19th. Bus leaves Pitt at 5am returns 7:30-8pm. Register here.

"Healing Overflow with Dr. Toy" Features Super Bowl Champ Mike Logan

Check out the latest podcast episode on "Healing Overflow with Dr. Toy," which was broadcast live from Pitt Studios this past Friday!

This special episode features Super Bowl champion and retired NFL Pittsburgh Steelers star Mike Logan!

Discover Mike's inspiring journey to the NFL, delve into discussions on his personal struggles with mental health and explore his impactful community work with youth exposed to violence.

Click here to watch!

Mental Health, Disability & All of Us feat. Dr. Nev Jones

Seeking out mental health support is challenging for many of us. The conversation around mental health often gets more complicated when you’re disabled, LGBTQIA+ or a person of color. Join us on March 27th at 2:00pm ET / 11:00am PT for a conversation with self-advocates and policy experts on mental health and disability including Pitt School of Social Work Associate Professor Nev Jones. Learn more about the mental health research currently taking place with the All of Us Research Program, and how you can help make it more inclusive. Register here.

"Healing Overflow with Dr. Toy" Features Super Bowl Champ Mike Logan

Check out the latest podcast episode on "Healing Overflow with Dr. Toy," which was broadcast live from Pitt Studios this past Friday!

This special episode features Super Bowl champion and retired NFL Pittsburgh Steelers star Mike Logan!

Discover Mike's inspiring journey to the NFL, delve into discussions on his personal struggles with mental health and explore his impactful community work with youth exposed to violence.

Click here to watch!

ICYMI: Lunar New Year celebration

On February 9, the Pitt School of Social Work PhD students organized a wonderful Lunar New Year celebration!

Introducing MSW SEC Newsletter

We would like to introduce the SEC newsletter. This will hold information about SEC-related events, campus and community events, brain breaks, etc. If you want to receive the newsletter, please sign up using the link below! 

Also, if you are a faculty member, staff member, or student who has events that could be interesting/beneficial to MSW students, please send them to mswsec@pitt.edu. Please let us know if you have any questions! 

Newsletter Sign Up

CHKD'S first male NICU social worker reflects on ancestry during Black History Month

MSW alumnus Kevon Purdie was raised in Suffolk and is the first man to work as a social worker at CHKD's NICU in Norfolk. "It's very rewarding to be able to help families, especially when they have a new baby that has multiple challenges and navigating that," Purdie said. Read more.

Alumna named Woman of Influence

MSW alumna Samantha Balbier was named "A Woman of Influence by the Pittsburgh Business Times. Balbier serves as Director of Pitt’s Institute of Politics and Elsie Hillman Civic Forum. Read more.