{"id":240278,"date":"2026-01-23T10:56:49","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T15:56:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=240278"},"modified":"2026-01-23T10:59:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T15:59:02","slug":"ssw-faculty-ph-d-students-share-recent-studies-at-society-for-social-work-and-research-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/01\/ssw-faculty-ph-d-students-share-recent-studies-at-society-for-social-work-and-research-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"SSW Faculty, Ph.D. Students Share Recent Studies at Society for Social Work and Research Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"

Several members of the UConn School of Social Work community attended, presented, and networked during the 30th annual Society for Social Work and Research Conference<\/a> held Jan. 14-18 in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n

The conference, titled \u201cLeading for Transformative Change: Aligning Social Work Science with Policy and Practice,\u201d offered more than 500 symposia, research workshops, networking receptions, roundtables, flash talks, paper and poster presentations.<\/p>\n

UConn School of Social Work offered 42 presentations at the conference, representing the work of 23 faculty members and 18 students<\/a>. Topics ranged from college outcomes for youth with experience in foster care, to an analysis of the social work certification system in China, to intimate partner violence among LGBTQ+ populations in Southeast Asia, to an examination of states\u2019 approaches to determining child care costs.<\/p>\n

The Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR), incorporated in 1994, is a non\u2010profit, professional membership organization. SSWR supports social workers, social welfare professionals, social work students, social work faculty and researchers in related fields.<\/p>\n

Additional photos taken at the conference are below: (Photos courtesy of Cristina Wilson, UConn School of Social Work)<\/p>\n

\"The
The School of Social Work offered 42 presentations at the conference, representing the work of 23 faculty members and 18 students.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Ph.D.
Ph.D. student Craig Mortley presented his research on \u201cLegal Evolution of \u2018Membership in a Particular Social Group\u2019 in U.S. Asylum Law: Implications for Queer Asylum Seekers\u201d on Jan. 15. He also presented at the conference’s opening presentation \u201cResearch, Inspire, Support, and Excel (RISE) Seminar.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Ph.D.
Ph.D. students Zhenrong Su and Kylie Harrington presented “Social Worker Preparedness to Work with Far-Right Clients” on Jan. 16. Their study is co-authored by Jon Phillips, assistant professor; Kelsi Carolan, assistant professor; and Gio Iacono, assistant professor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Ph.D.
Ph.D. students Zhenrong Su also presented his study titled \u201cThe Pitfalls of Progress: An Analysis of the Social Work Certification System in Mainland China” on Jan. 16.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Madri
Madri Hall-Faul, Ph.D.’24 (SSW) presented \u201cContested TANF Spending: Pregnancy Resource Centers and the Politics of Public Funds\u201d on Jan. 16. The study is co-authored by Professor Kathryn Libal; Ph.D. student Elnara Klicheva; and Emily Loveland, Ph.D.’24 (SSW).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"journal
At left, Cristina Wilson, Zachs Chair in Social Work and professor in the School of Social Work, spoke at the \u201cInvited Journal Editors Workshop: Forum on Publishing Qualitative Research” on Jan. 16. Wilson is editor-in-chief of Families in Society, a preeminent social work journal.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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