Several members of the UConn School of Social Work community are attending the 30th annual Society for Social Work and Research Conference.
The conference, titled “Leading for Transformative Change: Aligning Social Work Science with Policy and Practice,” takes place in Washington, D.C. Jan. 14-18, 2026.
SSW will offer 42 presentations at the conference, representing the work of 23 faculty members; 15 Ph.D. students, two MSW students, one BSW student, and one alum.
The schedule is below:
Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026
Presentation: “Research, Inspire, Support, and Excel (RISE) Seminar”
Speakers: Greer Hamilton, Ph.D., University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; and Qiana Cryer-Coupet, Ph.D., Georgia State University
Participants: Craig Mortley, MSc, Ph.D. student; 14 additional Ph.D. students; and five mentors
Time: 7:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Room: Monument, ML 4
Presentation: “Mending Broken Bridges: How College Students with Foster Care Backgrounds Transition to a Campus Support Program: The Role of Attachment Styles”
Authors: Nathanael Okpych, associate professor; and Lori Gray, Ph.D., Western Michigan University
Time: 1:30 – 3 p.m.
Room: Marquis BR 8, ML 2
Presentation: “The Associations between Internalized Stigma, Victimization, and Mental Health Service Utilization among a National Sample of Sexual and Gender Diverse Youth”
Authors: Chenglin Hong, assistant professor; Yuqing Wang, MPH, University of California – Davis; Yilin Wang, BA, Washington University in Saint Louis; Lisa Eaton, professor of human development and family sciences; and Ryan Watson, associate professor of human development and family sciences
Time: 1:30 – 3 p.m.
Room: Marquis BR 8, ML 2
Presentation: “The Effect of Early Adverse Health Experiences on Trajectories of Health-Related Quality of Life: Evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study”
Authors: Jie Zhao, MA, Ph.D. student; Jing Wang, Ph.D., Huazhong University of Science and Technology; and Zhenrong Su, MSW, Ph.D. student
Time: 1:30 – 3 p.m.
Room: Marquis BR 8, ML 2
Presentation: “The Role of Adjunct Faculty in Schools of Social Work”
Authors: Rachel Schwartz, MSW program director and associate professor in residence; Raymond Sanchez Mayers, Ph.D., Rutgers University; and Laura Curran, dean and professor
Time: 1:30 – 3 p.m.
Room: Marquis BR 8, ML 2
Presentation: “Legal Evolution of ‘Membership in a Particular Social Group’ in U.S. Asylum Law: Implications for Queer Asylum Seekers”
Author: Craig Mortley, MSc, Ph.D. student
Time: 3:15 – 4:45 p.m.
Room: Marquis BR 6, ML 2
Presentation: “Reaching out in Research: Challenges and Strategies for Work with Vulnerable and Reluctant Participants”
Speakers: Ramona Beltran, Ph.D., University of Denver; Shanna Kattari, Ph.D., University of Michigan – Ann Arbor; Meg Paceley, associate professor; Addie Weaver, Ph.D., University of Michigan – Ann Arbor; and Darren Whitfield, Ph.D., University of Maryland at Baltimore
Time: 3:15 – 4:45 p.m.
Room: Marquis BR 14, ML 2
Presentation: “Transformative Learning in Action: A Collaborative Autoethnography of a Youth Participatory Action Research Lab”
Authors: Martiza Vasquez Reyes, Ph.D., Georgia State University; Zoie Carter, clinical research coordinator, Stanford University; Kento Suzuki, graduate student, Penn State College of Health and Human Development; Emory Fairchild, therapist, private practice; Jeffrey Proulx, Ph.D., Brown University; Jolaade Kalinowski, assistant professor of human development and family sciences; and Caitlin Elsaesser, associate professor.
Time: 3:15 – 4:45 p.m.
Room: Liberty BR K, ML 4
Friday, January 16, 2026
Presentation: “The Short Game and Long Game: First-Year and Four-Year Community College Outcomes for Youth with Experience in Foster Care”
Authors: Nathanael Okpych, associate professor; Anthony Gomez, Ph.D., University of California – Berkeley; and Astha Agarwal, MA, University of California – Berkeley
Time: 8 – 9:30 a.m.
Room: Capitol, ML 4
Presentation: “Challenging the ‘School-to-Prison’ Pipeline: Pathways from Incarceration to College Among Youth in Foster Care”
Authors: Keunhye Park, Ph.D., Michigan State University; Andrea Eastman, Ph.D., University of California – Berkeley; Dominique Montgomery, Ph.D., University of Nevada – Reno; Nathanael Okpych, associate professor; and Mark Courtney, Ph.D., University of California – Berkeley
Time: 8 – 9:30 a.m.
Room: Capitol, ML 4
Presentation: “Contested TANF Spending: Pregnancy Resource Centers and the Politics of Public Funds”
Authors: Madri Hall-Faul, Ph.D., University of Kentucky; Elnara Klicheva, MSW, Ph.D. student; Gilean Chikwati, MSc, University of Kentucky; Emily Loveland, Ph.D., California State University – San Bernadino; and Kathryn Libal, professor
Time: 8 – 9:30 a.m.
Room: Liberty BR O, ML 4
Presentation: “Establishing the Real Cost of Child Care: Examining States’ Approaches to Determining Child Care Costs”
Authors: Jane Lee, MSW, MBA, Ph.D. student; Heather Hutchison, MA, Clinical Research Manager, Innovations Institute; Cheyenne Szarka, MA, Ph.D. student, Educational Psychology; and Margo Candelaria, associate research professor
Time: 8 – 9:30 a.m.
Room: Liberty BR O, ML 4
Presentation: “The Pitfalls of Progress: An Analysis of the Social Work Certification System in Mainland China”
Authors: Zhenrong Su, MSW, Ph.D. student; and Sitao Chen, MSW, University of Pittsburgh
Time: 8 – 9:30 a.m.
Room: Marquis BR 6, ML 2
Presentation: “Leveraging Large Language Models and Public Comments in Critical Qualitative Social Work Research”
Authors: Madri Hall-Faul, Ph.D., University of Kentucky; Gilean Chikwati, MSc, University of Kentucky; Elnara Klicheva, MSW, Ph.D. student, Emily Loveland, Ph.D., California State University – San Bernardino; and Kathryn Libal, professor
Time: 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Room: Marquis BR 13, ML 2
Presentation: “Tuned in! 12-Month Longitudinal Outcomes of an Affirmative Mindfulness Intervention for Sexual and Gender Diverse Youth and Young Adults”
Authors: Gio Iacono, assistant professor; Leah Holle, MAR, MSW, LCSW, Ph.D. student; Craig Mortley, MSc, Ph.D. student; Hsiu-Ju Lin, associate research professor; and Meg Paceley, associate professor
Time: 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Room: Monument, ML 4
Presentation: “Social Worker Preparedness to Work with Far-Right Clients”
Authors: Kylie Harrington, LCSW, Ph.D. student; Zhenrong Su, MSW, Ph.D. student; Jon Phillips, assistant professor; Kelsi Carolan, assistant professor; and Gio Iacono, assistant professor
Time: 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Room: Supreme Court, ML4
Presentation: “Intimate Partner Violence Among LGBTQ+ Populations in Southeast Asia: A Scoping Review”
Authors: Chenglin Hong, assistant professor; Samantha Luxmikanthan, MSW, Rutgers University; Carson Brooks, BA, Towson University; Arnav Mahajan, Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University; Ryan Watson, associate professor of human development and family sciences; and Lisa Eaton, professor of human development and family sciences
Time: 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Room: Marquis BR 6, ML 2
Presentation: “Intimate Partner Violence Among Sexual Minority Men in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Meta-Analysis”
Authors: Chenglin Hong, assistant professor; Patrick Muro, LCSW, MPH, Ph.D. student; Oluwafemi Adeagbo, Ph.D., University of Iowa; Oluwaseun Badru, University of Iowa; Stephen Bonett, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania; Susan Graham, MD, Ph.D., MPH, University of Washington
Time: 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Room: Liberty BR N, ML 4
Presentation: “Forging New Paths in Community Mental Health Treatment: Preliminary Findings from a Small-Scale RCT”
Authors: Amy Wilson, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Jon Phillips, assistant professor; Natalie Bonfine, Ph.D., Northeast Ohio Medical University; Robert Morgan, Ph.D., dean, College of Health and Human Sciences, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, IL; Faith Scanlon, clinical research fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital; Anna Parisi, Ph.D., George Mason University; Caroline Ginley, MSW, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Jaime Swaine, Project Coordinator, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC
Time: 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Room: Marquis BR 14, ML 2
Presentation: “Invited Journal Editors Workshop: Forum on Publishing Qualitative Research”
Authors: Jane Gilgun, Ph.D., University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; Johanna Creswell Baez, Ph.D., University of Colorado – Colorado Springs; Mery Diaz, New York City College of Technology; Robert Hawkins, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Lisette Piedra, Ph.D., LCSW, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Susan Robbins, Ph.D., University of Houston; and Cristina Wilson, professor
Time: 3:45 – 5:15 p.m.
Room: Marquis BR 12, ML 2
Presentation: “Are we Prepared to Support LGBTQIA+ Populations? A National Survey of Social Workers’ Preparedness to Practice with LGBTQIA+ Populations”
Authors: Gio Iacono, assistant professor; Vivien Roman-Hampton, MSW, LICSW, Ph.D. student; Leah Holle, MAR, MSW, LCSW, Ph.D. student; Kylie Harrington, LCSW, Ph.D. student; Zhenrong Su, MSW, Ph.D. student; Meg Paceley, associate professor; Jon Phillips, assistant professor; and Kelsi Carolan, assistant professor
Time: 5:30 – 7 p.m.
Room: Marquis BR 6, ML 2
Presentation: “Food Security and Mental Health in Adolescents: Exploring the Moderating Role of Race”
Authors: Alexandria Forte, assistant professor; Rainier Masa, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Trenette Goings, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Lisa Zerden, MSW, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Time: 5:30 – 7 p.m.
Room: Marquis BR 6, ML 2
Presentation: “’These are Clients of Ours and we Have a Duty and a Right to Serve and Honor Them:’ Therapists Experiences Supporting Transgender and Gender Expansive Clients with an Anti-Trans Political Climate”
Authors: Spencer Evans, LMSW, Ph.D. student; Meg Paceley, associate professor; Gio Iacono, assistant professor; Brianna McGeough, Ph.D., University of Kansas; and Dana Prince, Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University
Time: 5:30 – 7 p.m.
Room: Marquis BR 6, ML 2
Presentation: “Centering Care as Praxis in Counterspaces: Building Resilient Communities with Youth and Youth Workers in the Face of Structural Violence”
Authors: Maritza Vasquez Reyes, Ph.D., Georgia State University; Caitlin Elsaesser, associate professor; and Susan M. Snyder, Ph.D., Georgia State University
Time: 5:30 – 7 p.m.
Room: Marquis BR 12, ML 2
Saturday, January 17, 2026
Presentation: “Arts-Based Research Methods as Tools for Healing and Resistance Symposium”
Authors: Meg Paceley, Symposium Chair, associate professor; E. Alexander, Ph.D., University of Kansas; Melanie Sonsteng-Person, Ph.D., Salem State University; Jacob Goffnet, Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth University; Gio Iacono, assistant professor
Time: 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Room: Treasury, ML 4
Presentation: “Critical Hope and Resistance Through Collective Poetic Inquiry: A Response to Federal Attacks on Queer and Trans Communities by Scholar Advocates”
Author: Meg Paceley, associate professor; Sukhmani Singh, assistant professor; Breanna Bietsch, Ph.D., Bridgewater State University; Quinn Meehan, MSW student; Gio Iacono, assistant professor; Kylie Harrington, LCSW, Ph.D. student; Lisa Werkmeister Rozas, professor; Jennifer Manuel, professor; and Vivien Roman-Hampton, MSW, LICSW, Ph.D. student
Time: 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Room: Treasury, ML 4
Presentation: “Leveraging State and National Research Partnerships to Affect Change in Youth Sentencing Policies Symposium”
Authors: Daphne Brydon, Ph.D., LMSW, organizer, University of Cincinnati; and Sukhmani Singh, assistant professor
Time: 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Room: Congress, ML 4
Presentation: “Understanding the Experience of a Juvenile Life without Parole Sentence and Re-Entry Subsequent to PA 15-84: Findings from a Participatory Project”
Authors: Sukhmani Singh, assistant professor; Fernando Valenzuela, research assistant and alum; and Joshua Adler, B.A., Ph.D. student, City University of New York
Time: 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Room: Congress, ML 4
Presentation: “Exploring the Relationship between Community Participation and Sense of Community in China: The Mediating Role of Community Satisfaction”
Authors: Rong Tian, Ph.D., Nanjing University; Hao Qiu, School of Social and Behavioral Science; and Zhenrong Su, MSW, Ph.D. student
Time: 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Room: Independence BR F, ML 4
Presentation: “Exploratory Study on Caseworkers’ Identified Challenges and Workarounds in Engaging Families Having Limited English Proficiency”
Authors: Nivedhitha Thiruvenkadam, M.Ed, Rutgers University; Grace Felten, MSW, Ph.D. student; Meg Feely, associate professor; Patricia Carlson, assistant research professor; and Emily Bask, Ph.D., Rutgers University
Time: 4 – 5:30 p.m.
Room: Liberty, BR I, ML 4
Presentation: “Examining Social Workers’ Perceived Preparedness to Work with Clients with Chronic Illnesses and/or Disabilities”
Authors: Kelsi Carolan, assistant professor; Jon Phillips, assistant professor; Doreek Charles, MSW, Ph.D. student; Laura Moynihan, MSW, Ph.D. student; Zhenrong Su, MSW, Ph.D. student; Kylie Harrington, LCSW, Ph.D. student; and Gio Iacono, assistant professor.
Time: 4 – 5:30 p.m.
Room: Liberty BR K, ML 4
Presentation: “Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) for Women Migrants in Greece – a Qualitative Critical Case Analysis”
Author: Grace Felten, MSW, Ph.D. student
Time: 4 – 5:30 p.m.
Room: Marquis BR 9, ML 2
Sunday, January 18, 2026
Presentation: “Mental Health Outcomes, Associated Factors, and Help-Seeking Among Rural LGBTQ+ Populations in the United States: A Scoping Review”
Authors: Chenglin Hong, assistant professor; Patrick Muro, LCSW, MPH, Ph.D. student; Quin Meehan, MSW student; Rachal Conley, MSW student; and Madeline Fraenkel, BSW student.
Time: 8 – 9:30 a.m.
Room: Marquis BR 6, ML 2
Presentation: “Prioritizing Health Equity Research in Turbulent Times: A Collaborative Roundtable to Foster Dialogue Among Social Work Scholars”
Speakers: Kelsi Carolan, assistant professor; Noelle Dimitri, Ph.D., LICSW, Simmons University; Laura Moynihan, MSW, Ph.D. student; Keeneya Glenn, MSW, Hardin-Simmons University; and Rupal Parekh, assistant professor
Time: 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Room: Marquis BR 9, ML 2
Presentation: “Suicidality Among Adolescent Opioid Users: Individual, Interpersonal, and Community Level Risk and Protective Factors”
Authors: Shekh Farid, MSW, Ph.D. student; Yeqing Yuan, PhD, LCSW, Samuel Merritt University; and Jennifer Manuel, professor
Time: 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Room: Marquis BR 6, ML 2
Presentation: “Studying Political Participation in a Time of Turmoil and Vulnerability”
Speakers: Jesse Hartley, MSW, University of Houston; Suzanne Pritzker, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh; Shannon Lane, professor in residence; Jason Plummer, Ph.D., California State University – Long Beach; and Elisa Kawan, Ph.D., Arizona State University
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Room: Supreme Court, ML 4
Presentation: “County-Level Variation in Transition Housing Placements for Transition-Age Foster Youth in California”
Authors: Sunggeun Park, Ph.D., University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; Selena Liu-Raphael, Catalyst Center Learning Hub; Justin Harty, Ph.D., Arizona State University; Nathanael Okpych, associate professor; Andrea Eastman, Ph.D., University of California – Berkeley; Mark Courtney, Ph.D., University of California – Berkeley
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Room: Liberty BR K, ML 4
Presentation: “The Association between Sleep Quality and Activities of Daily Living: Empirical Analysis of Rural Elderly in Central and Western China”
Authors: Jie Zhao, MA, Ph.D. student; Yunyi Wu, MA, Naval Medical University; and Jing Wang, Ph.D., Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Room: Marquis BR 6, ML 2
Presentation: “Resilient Philanthropy in China: A Mixed-Methods Study on Sustainable Community Development in Jiangsu Province”
Authors: Rong Tian, Ph.D., Nanjing University; Hao Qiu, School of Social and Behavioral Science; and Zhenrong Su, MSW, Ph.D. student
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Room: Marquis BR 6, ML 2
Presentation: “Social Integration of Ukrainian Refugees in Bulgaria: Understanding the Role of Civil Society in Building Support Systems”
Authors: Rebecca Thomas, professor; and Fizza Saghir, MSW, Ph.D. student
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Room: Marquis BR 6, ML 2
Presentation: “Individual, Clinical, and Structural Predictors of Wait Time for Substance Use Treatment Among Pregnant Individuals”
Authors: Laura Curran, Ph.D., University of South Florida; Gilean Chikwati, MSc, University of Kentucky; Lynden Bond, Ph.D., University of Kentucky; Scarlett Rose Austin, BA, University of South Florida; and Jennifer Manuel, professor
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Room: Marquis BR 6, ML 2
Presentation: “Understanding Systems, Understanding Families: Child Welfare Caseworkers’ Perceptions of Structural Inequality and Attribution to Families”
Authors: Megan Feely, associate professor; William Schneider, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and Melanie Nadon, Ph.D., Wayne State University
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Room: Independence BR B, ML 4
Presentation: “Expanding Child Welfare Caseworkers’ Perspectives to Incorporate Structural Poverty into Individual Case Management Practice: The Empwr Program Training”
Authors: Ann Marie Garran, associate professor; and Megan Feely, associate professor
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Room: Independence BR B, ML 4
