We are pleased to share the fall 2018 newsletter of the University of Maryland PhD Program in Social Work! This newsletter is designed to keep our alumni, students, and supporters informed of important developments. We are excited to celebrate the accomplishments of our students, faculty, and alumni. In this issue, we feature recent accomplishments and noteworthy achievements of students and faculty. Our program is growing – we recently welcomed 12 incoming students, the largest cohort in 6 years. We expect you will hear about their important work in future newsletters.
Please stay in touch and inform us of your newsworthy activities! The newsletter concludes with information on how to stay connected and give back.
Charlotte Bright, Associate Dean for Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Education
Jen Canapp, Academic Services Specialist
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Student Spotlights
Yanfeng Xu (shown above) is a fourth-year student and the 2018 recipient of the Susan J. Zuravin PhD scholarship. Hailing from China, Yanfeng focuses attention on child welfare and child well-being in the United States and globally. Here is some information about her research, in her own words:
“As an international child welfare researcher, I am seeking to understand child maltreatment and child well-being in the United States and a cross-culture context. Trained in China and the United States, I aim to make a significant difference in child protection in the national and international scale. My research trajectories reflect my child welfare philosophy: Culturally sensitive and family-centered practice by strengthening parenting skills and changing structural disadvantages.”
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Susan Klumpner, (shown above) fifth-year PhD student, is the co-founder and executive director of The Active Children Excel (ACE) Project. Susan recently shared some fantastic news.
In partnering with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Foundation, Chase, and the Riverdale Park District in the Chicago area, a major tennis courts renovation project took place to amplify the importance of public courts and their ability to provide youth with rich opportunities for growth, personal development, and culture. This national undertaking, known as The Art Courts Initiative, also includes courts in Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles, and Miami.
In addition to tennis instruction, the ACE Project provides free after school and summer learning opportunities that emphasize social and emotional skill-building and academic success.
Even though The ACE Project started in Chicago, Susan brought these excellent programs and services to Baltimore City in 2015. Matthew A. Henson Elementary, widely known as the elementary school Freddie Gray attended, became the first ACE Project site in Baltimore. These community efforts dovetail nicely with her research focus on after school programs that promote positive youth development (PYD) among racial minority children living in under-resourced communities.
To learn more, view the video below or read the article
here.
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Recognition at the Campus Level for Members of our “Family”
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Rachel Margolis, third-year PhD student, is part of the inaugural group of scholars in a collaborative training effort between the University of Maryland, Baltimore and Johns Hopkins University. Rachel joins pre- and post-doctoral trainees from JHU and the University of Maryland Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy in a 12-month interdisciplinary clinical and translational research program. The goal of the program is to train and mentor the next generation of clinical translational scientists, promoting excellence in clinical research skills across disciplines and specialties. Congratulations to Rachel for her selection into this elite group!
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PhD Candidate
Nicole Mattocks was recently highlighted in the UMB Champions of Excellence campaign for her research focusing on advancing positive community health outcomes. The Champions of Excellence campaign is a multi-year branding campaign at the University of Maryland, Baltimore in which individuals and teams that exemplify extraordinary accomplishments and represent excellence at the University are highlighted.
See Nicole's full profile here:
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Dr. Geoff Greif was named UMB Teacher of the Year for 2018. Geoff teaches the Theory and Practice of Social Work Teaching course in the PhD program and is a great source of support for our students. As Dean Barth noted, “This is a significant—and highly deserved—honor for Geoff who continues (after 34 years) to be an extraordinary teacher…His letter writers—including past and recent students—wrote with passion about what a difference Geoff made in their educational experience and their lives…Geoff brings great erudition, wit, wisdom, and caring to his teaching, and all else he does.”
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Remembering Dr. Donna Harrington
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Donna Harrington, a leader in doctoral education and the previous Associate Dean for Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Education, was especially known for being an exemplary mentor of doctoral students. For this reason, the 2018 Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work (GADE) board voted to re-name the GADE Award for Excellence in Mentoring doctoral students in her honor. This is a fitting tribute, as mentorship was not what Donna did, but who she was as a person. Donna was the recipient of this mentoring award in 2018.
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Emblematic of her mentorship, Donna made quilts for many of the students she worked with. The quilt featured in the picture above was handmade by Donna from fabric given to her by PhD students and is now hanging in the PhD student lounge, along with other mementos of Donna’s lasting impact on the program. Donna’s husband, Ken Braun, graciously gifted the quilt to the program.
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This Spring, We Were Proud and Excited
to Hood Eight New Graduates!
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Below are the newly-minted PhDs’ names, dissertation titles, dissertation chairs, and (where applicable) awards supporting their research.
Anusha Chatterjee, PhD
Decision-Making Among Philanthropic Foundations in the U.S.: Factors that Influence International Giving
Chair: Dr. Michael Reisch, Daniel Thursz Distinguished Professor of Social Justice
Recipient of UMSSW PhD Program Dissertation Grant, 2016
Lisa Fedina, PhD
Understanding the Health Consequences of Sexual Victimization: Assessing the Impact of Social and Economic Factors
Chair: Dr. Charlotte Bright, Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Education
Recipient of National Institute of Justice Dissertation Research Grant, 2016
Mary Theresa Hodorowicz, PhD
Teaching and Learning Motivational Interviewing: Examining the Efficacy of Two Training Methods for Social Work Students
Chair: Dr. Richard P. Barth, Professor and Dean of the School of Social Work and Professor
Brenda J. Jorden, PhD
Rural Veterans: Pathways to Homelessness
Co-Chairs: Dr. John R. Belcher, Professor, and Dr. Bruce DeForge, Associate Professor
Recipient of the The Nikki R. Wooten Dissertation Award for Research with Military, Veterans, and Vulnerable Populations, 2017
Judith Leitch, PhD
Understanding Factors Associated with Positive Social Work Practice with Sexual and Gender Minority Clients: A Comparison of Client Type and Assessment Tools
Chair: Dr. Bethany R. Lee, Associate Professor
Recipient of UMSSW Ph.D. Program Dissertation Grant, 2016
Catherine A. Moon
Neighborhood and Cumulative Ecological Risk: Predicting Physical Abuse and Neglect in an Urban Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) Sample
Co-Chairs: Dr. Donna Harrington, Professor, and Dr. Paul Sacco, Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Research
Recipient of Susan J. Zuravin PhD Scholarship, 2017
Helen M. Nichols
Healthcare Provider Communication with Young Adults: Patient-Centered Communication, Patient Satisfaction, Patient Trust, Social Support, Self-Care Skills, and Emotional Well-Being
Co-Chairs: Dr. Donna Harrington, Professor, and Dr. Paul Sacco, Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Research
Naeem Shaikh
An Examination of Social Dominance Orientation and Cultural Competence of Social Workers
Chair: Dr. Bruce DeForge, Associate Professor
Recipient of UMSSW PhD Program Dissertation Grant, 2014
Congratulations to our 2018 graduates!
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New Supports for PhD Students
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The PhD program is excited to announce new supports for PhD students and candidates beginning this academic year.
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The Jeongseok Kong & Sunmi Jin Memorial PhD Endowment
, to be awarded this Spring, was created to provide endowed support for PhD students enrolled at the School. Support may be in the form of scholarships, dissertation expenses, travel to educational conferences, or other education-related expenditures.
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Harrington PhD Fellowship Endowment, to be awarded this Fall, recognizes the outstanding leadership and mentorship of Donna Harrington. Awards will support the development of excellence among PhD students.
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With a generous allocation of funding from the Dean’s office, we are excited to offer a new, competitive dissertation award to be awarded this fall, in the amount of up to $4,000, to support “Research to Advance a Grand Challenge for Social Work and Society.” PhD candidates are invited to apply for this award by describing how their dissertation study addresses one of the
12 Grand Challenges for Social Work
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Check out a Sampling of our Students’ Recent Publications!
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Afkinich, J. & Klumpner, S. (in press). Influence of violence prevention programs and outside
organizations on school violence. Journal for the Society of Social Work and Research.
Afkinich, J. L., Winters, A. M., Gopalan, G., & Bright, C. L. (2018). Absorptive capacity in child welfare: Measurement challenges and item development. Journal of Public Child Welfare. DOI: 10.1080/15548732.2018.1508536
Chamberlain, S.,
Baik, S., & Estabrooks, C. (2018). Going it alone: A scoping review of unbefriended older adults. Canadian Journal on Aging/La Revue canadienne du vieillissement, 37(1), 1-11.
Cosgrove, J. A. (2018). Using a small cash incentive to increase survey response. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 45(5), 813-819.
Goering, E. S. (2018). The impact of organizational culture and climate on outcomes in child welfare: A modified systematic review. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership and Governance, 42, 68-85.
Hageman, S. A. & St. George, D. M. (2018). Social workers, intimate partner violence (IPV), and client financial concerns. Journal of Social Service Research, 44(3), 391-399.
Hageman, S. A., Tarzian, A. J., & Cagle, J. (2018). Challenges of dealing with financial concerns during life-threatening illness: Perspectives of health care practitioners. Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care, 14(1), 28–43.
Harmon-Darrow, C. & Xu, Y. (2018). Predictors of volunteer community mediators’ burnout. Conflict Resolution Quarterly. 35(4), 367-381.
Klumpner, S. & Woolley, M. (2018). Identifying and selecting evidenced-based early intervention
programs for elementary students displaying physical aggression. School Social Work Journal, 42(2), 20-38.
Lee, J., & Cagle, J. G. (2018). Social exclusion factors influencing life satisfaction among older adults. Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, 26(1), 35–50.
Margolis, R., Bellin, M.H., Sacco, P., Harrington, D., & Butz, A. (in press). Evaluation of MOS social support in low-income caregivers of African American children with poorly controlled asthma. Journal of Asthma.
Mattocks, N. O. (2018). Social action among social work practitioners: Examining the micro-macro divide. Social Work, 63(1), 7-16.
Nam, B., Hilimire, M. R., Jahn, D., Lehmann, M., & DeVylder, J. E. (2018). Predictors of suicidal
ideation among college students: A prospective cohort study. Social Work in Mental Health, 16(2), 223-237.
Nam, B., Wilcox, H. C., Hilimire, M., DeVylder, J. E. (2018). Perceived need for care and mental health service utilization among college students with suicidal ideation. Journal of American College Health, DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2018.1434779
Tuten, M., Fitzsimons, H.,
Hochheimer, M., Jones, H. E., & Chisolm, M. S. (2018). The impact of early substance use disorder treatment response on treatment outcomes among pregnant women with primary opioid use. Journal of Addiction Medicine, 12(4), 300–307.
Ware, O. D. & Cagle, J. G. (2018). Informal caregiving networks for hospice patients with cancer and their impact on outcomes: A brief report. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, DOI: 10.1177/1049909118792011
Xu, Y., Bright, C. L., & Ahn, H. (2018). Responding to child maltreatment: Comparison between the USA and China. International Journal of Social Welfare, 27(2), 107-120.
Xu, Y., Wang, X., Ahn, H., & Harrington, D. (2018). Predictors of non-US born mothers' parenting stress across early childhood in fragile families: A longitudinal analysis. Children and Youth Services Review, 89, 62-70.
Xu, Y. & Bright, C. (2018). Children’s mental health and its predictors in kinship and non-kinship foster care: A systematic review. Children and Youth Services Review. 89, 243-262.
Xu, Y., Harmon-Darrow, C., & Frey, J. (in press). Rethinking professional quality of life for social workers: Inclusion of ecological self-care barriers. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, DOI: 10.1080/10911359.2018.1452814
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Would you like to stay connected to the PhD program? Here are some opportunities to give back
If you are able to share advice or review materials for those on the academic job market, you may wish to volunteer to assist our “job club” by reviewing application materials! Email
phd@ssw.umaryland.edu for more information.
Interested in presenting at a professional development seminar? Previous seminars have covered such topics as the peer review process, preparing for non-academic careers, data collection and analysis methods, developing academic and non-academic products, and supporting international students. Please contact Jen and Charlotte if you would like to explore this possibility (
phd@ssw.umaryland.edu).
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Please share your contact information, updates, and accomplishments with us!
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