Academic Faculty

Anita Farel, MSW, PhD, anita_farel@unc.edu

A faculty member in the department of MCH, SPH, for 18 years, Dr. Farel specializes in program and policy development for children with special health care needs and their families. She has worked with state Title V programs to improve the ability of program staff to collect, analyze and use data. She is currently directing a project that focuses on conducting such training using the World Wide Web. Dr. Farel assists in the review, implementation, and evaluation of curriculum modules for the MCH Public Health Social Work Leadership Training Program.

Kathleen Rounds, PhD, MPH, MSW, karounds@email.unc.edu

Kathleen A. Rounds, PhD, MPH, MSW, is a professor at the School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Director of the Public Health Social Work Leadership Training Program, and Co-Chair of the Dual Degree Program between the School of Social Work and the MCH Department, School of Public Health. She is also Director of the Doctoral Program at the School of Social Work. Dr. Rounds is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Social Work and the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Dr. Rounds’ research includes evaluations of support services for people with HIV, services for pregnant and postpartum women using drugs and alcohol, and adolescent parenting programs. Her practice interests focus on work force development of social workers in public health and community health settings, specifically in the area of maternal and child health.

Training Site Faculty

Sarah Verbiest, MSW, MPH, DrPH

As the Director of the Eastern Branch of the NC March of Dimes, Ms Verbiest is an experienced field instructor, providing excellent opportunities for trainees to develop skills in working with coalitions, designing, marketing and implementing programs, writing and reviewing grant proposals, and program evaluation. Ms Verbiest is a graduate of the Dual Degree Program at UNC-CH.

Research Assistants

Veronica Sunderland Perez, vsunderl@email.unc.edu

Veronica Sunderland-Perez, an international student from Mexico, has lived in Australia, Mexico, and most recently Oregon. After graduating from the University of Oregon in 2003 with a BS in Psychology, Veronica worked as a research assistant at the Child and Family Center, where, among other duties, she assessed the Latino cultural sensitivity of the Early Steps Project. During her first year of graduate school at UNC, Veronica worked as a research assistant for Dr. Paul Smokowski on the Latino Acculturation Health Project and also served as a Maternity Care Coordinator at Siler City Community Health Center for her social work field practicum. In her spare time, Veronica enjoys cycling, hiking, and traveling. Her professional interests include access to comprehensive women’s reproductive health services and the process and consequences of acculturation for Latino families in the US.

Program Assistants

Jennie Vaughn, MSW, jsvaughn@email.unc.edu

Jennie Vaughn grew up in Clemson, SC, and graduated from Wake Forest University with a bachelor's in psychology in 1992. She spent the following ten years in a variety of work situations, including reporting for a local weekly paper; copy-editing for a midsize daily paper; assisting with festivals, contracts, and publicity at the City of Asheville Parks and Recreation Department; and serving as a fund-raising assistant at Warren Wilson College in western North Carolina. She enrolled in the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work in the fall of 2002 and received her MSW in 2004. She now serves as Project Coordinator for a short-term state-funded research study determining the cost-effectiveness of supportive housing for persons who are chronically homeless. Jennie's research interests include mental health policy, homelessness issues, and chronic mental illness. When not working, Jennie plays mallet percussion in the Triangle Wind Ensemble and Triangle Brass Band.

Web Development

John Anderson, johna@email.unc.edu

John Anderson received a BA in English from North Carolina State University in 1998, but soon changed career aspirations to follow Internet technologies and the growing e-learning sector. John worked as a web developer for a Durham software development firm for six years before joining the School of Social Work at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2005.

Trainees

Tashuna Albritton, MSW, talbrit@email.unc.edu

Adriene Casalotti, BA, amcasa@email.unc.edu

Emily MacGuire, BA, emilymac@email.unc.edu

MCH Public Health - Social Work Leadership Training Program
School of Social Work
CB# 3550, 301 Pittsboro Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3550

Jordan Institute for Families
School of Social Work

Phone: (919) 962-6429
Fax: (919) 962-0890
Email: mchphsw@unc.edu