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MSW and PhD student update: April 2012

Killian, Johnson win at University Research Day

At University Research Day, at UNC on March 26, doctoral student Candace Killian won the first place award in the Social Sciences category for her oral presentation, “The relationships between trauma, adolescent motherhood, and perinatal depression: Results from a prospective epidemiological study.”

MSW student Imani Johnson won an honorable mention award in the Social Science category for her poster presentation, “Back to the promised land: Healing historical trauma in the African American community and the emergence of the Africentric paradigm shift.” Johnson also presented her paper of the same title, March 31 at Duke, at “Triangle Race: 2012 Research & Resistance: Race Across the Disciplines.” The Triangle Race conference builds interinstitutional and interdisciplinary connections between Triangle area scholars, namely UNC, NCCU, and Duke students.

Also presenting at University Research Day were: Cindy Fraga Rizo, “Special Needs of Immigrant Partner Violence Survivors and Challenges to Providing Appropriate Services;” Rainier Masa, “Wealth Effects of an Asset-Building Intervention among Rural Households in Sub-Saharan Africa;” and Angela You, MSW/Ph.D. student, “The Use of Psychotropic Medications by Children in Foster Care.”

Doctoral Student News

Doctoral candidate Micaela Mercado, who successfully passed her dissertation defense this month, has accepted a position as Director of Research and Evaluation for a Promise Neighborhood Grantee (Zone 126) in Queens, NYC, at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

The UNC Graduate School has awarded Cindy Fraga Rizo a Dissertation Completion Fellowship for the academic year 2012-2013.

Tiffany Washington was awarded UNC’s 2012 APPLES Teaching Excellence Award. She was selected based on her contributions to the Spring and Summer Internship course, where she deepened the learning of civic engagement, social change and the role of nonprofits in our community. Her teaching strengthened the quality of learning in these courses by her use of local experts, reflection and intensive personal essays.

MSW Student News

Jessica Katz has co-authored a chapter in a book with Lisa Gwyther, one of our field instructors:

  • Gwyther, L. P. and Katz, J. L. (2012). Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias: complex Family Care. In Hoffer, E. F. and Clark, E. J. (Eds.) Social work matters: The power of linking policy and practice. Washington DC: NASW Press.

Jessica Jerald was accepted to the Interprofessional Fellowship in Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Oriented Services at Durham VA Medical Center, for the 2012-13 academic year.

Tamsin Woolley is featured in the “Volunteer Spotlight” on the Family Violence Prevention Center’s website. She has worked with the Center as a Hotline Advocate for about a year.