GCSW Initiatives Aim to Strengthen Curriculum and Affordability
GCSW students are saving anywhere from $1,900 to $12,800 in tuition following The Office of the Provost and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) approving the GCSW's proposal to reduce the semester credit hours associated with the college's MSW program over the summer of 2023.
Message of Safety and Support to Cougar Family
"Whether you've been affected directly or not, violence and the senseless loss of life can take its toll on the heart and mind. We wish to affirm that the safety, both physical and emotional, of every individual within our community remains a steadfast priority."
Sustain Center Commemorates Five Years of Combatting AIDS/HIV Epidemic
The SUSTAIN Wellbeing COMPASS Coordinating Center has made a lasting impact in the fight against the HIV epidemic in the Southern U.S. over the past five years.
A Fort Bend County Cohort and the Value of Online Learning
A large percentage of the UH Graduate College of Social Work’s students live in Fort Bend County, prompting the GCSW to pilot a hybrid master’s degree program for a Sugar Land cohort.
Racial Justice and Liberatory Practice Series Fall 2023
This series will explore the historical and modern-day context of racism, white supremacy, and oppression from a systemic and interpersonal perspective. Register today! GCSW Alumna, Erica Solis, transforms spaces in the GCSW
"It must be intentional spatial design for social justice. Furthermore, the application of decolonization into these spaces must also be intentional as to not be performative or contribute to stereotypes . . . it is an ongoing journey, a connection to mother earth that never."
GCSW Alum, Laura Reid, Enhancing Family Advocacy in Germany
"I am providing prevention, education, and training services on family violence for a rapidly growing community of 18,000+ military service members, DoD contractors, civilian employees, and their families," Laura Reid said.
Empowering Social Workers through Continuing Education Courses
With the commitment to provide high-quality course instruction on relevant topics for social workers, the GCSW continuing education courses offer a valuable platform for professional development.
GCSW Graduation Recap - Congratulations to the Class of 2023
We loved celebrating our graduates earlier this month! During our Spring 2023 commencement ceremony we also honored the amazing students, faculty, and staff who have made a difference at the GCSW.
GCSW Alumn, Melissa I.M.Torres, participating in the Argiro Fellowship for the Study of Modern Slavery
"I see human trafficking as the ultimate injustice because it’s a culmination of human rights violations. It’s not just violence, or poverty, or suffering, but it’s the fact that someone is exploiting those things and then profiting from it."
GCSW Associate Professor helps fortify HILSC’s Clinical Network
“For some, a forensic evaluation can be what contributes to a positive outcome in their case. This is the reason I provide mentorship. Because we need others that can effectively do this work and provide this service to a vulnerable population of immigrants."
GCSW Faculty Member discusses options for pregnant women in Texas in light of the new abortion law
GCSW Faculty Member and Director of UH Healthy Start McClain Sampson was a guest on Houston Public Media’s Town Square with Ernie Manouse, where she speaks about current options and resources available to women in Texas now that abortion is completely banned in the state. TUNE in.
New Podcast Makes Research Discoveries Accessible
The Action Research Podcast embodies the mission of the HEAR Lab to support scholars in making research accessible and impactful. Listeners will hear from GCSW students, faculty and community partners as they share their experiences engaging in public impact research. READ more.
Racial Justice Principles
As part of our commitment TOWARD Liberation, our College has formally adopted seven Racial Justice Principles developed in community with our Students, Faculty, Staff, Adjunct Faculty, Alumni, and Practicum Instructors. Since adopting our strategic vision to achieve social, racial, economic, and political justice in 2016, the GCSW has been engaged in integrating our commitment to racial justice across our work.
READ more.
GCSW Names Inaugural Director for Inclusive Teaching and Learning
The Graduate College of Social Work recently named Kyee Young to the newly crafted role of Director for Inclusive Teaching and Learning. This role will serve as support for teaching instructors on how they can incorporate, guide, and expand abolitionist and anti-oppressive pedagogical approaches in their classrooms.
Associate Professor Explores Trauma of Migrant Separation After Reunification
In a recent study published in the journal Social Work Research, Associate Professor Jodi Berger Cardoso and Liza Barros-Lane (MSW '13/PhD '18) found there to be a critical need for interventions to help reduce the physical and emotional trauma experienced by migrant children after the reunification process. Assistant Professor Participates in College Collaborative Program Aimed at Improving Public Health
Assistant Professor Chiara Acquati and Bernice Hernandez Becerra (MSW '16) are featured in an article highlighting the Household Centered Care Program, a collaborative program with the UH College of Medicine, College of Nursing, and the University of Houston-Downtown's BSW Program led by Dawn McCarty (MSW '95/PhD '02). Clinical Assistant Professor Spotlighted in Social Work Podcast
Clinical Assistant Professor Melanie Pang (MSW '12) is featured in a podcast interview with Paths In Progress to discuss her experiences as a professor, community organizer, and social worker.
Associate Professor Interview on COVID-19, Mental Health, and Police Brutality in the Black Community
Dr. Sheara Jennings is the focus of a podcast interview focusing on her research collaboration with the Center for Justice Research exploring racial, social justice, economic, and health disparities brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Associate Professor Discusses Impacts of Police Brutality and COVID-19 on Black Communities
"The issue of police violence has been framed as a public health crisis in this country because it affects a large population of Black people as a community and a population. We also have COVID, which is impacting everyone but has exacerbated long-standing health and racial disparities." - Associate Professor Sheara Jennings
New International Mental Health Research Collection Led by Professor Robin Gearing
Professor Robin Gearing has been named co-editor of an international panel of mental health experts for a special edition of the academic journal Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services entitled "Mental Health: Learning Locally to Impact Globally." Associate Professor Opinion Piece on Afghan Children Published in Richmond Times-Dispatch
Associate Professor Nicole Bromfield penned a recent article in the
Richmond Times-Dispatch focusing on the dangers Afghan children face now that the Taliban have regained control of the region.
GCSW New Grant Award
GCSW has received a grant to continue the work of upEND, which began as a collaboration between the Center for the Study of Social Policy and the GCSW.
“At the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, our vision is to achieve social, racial, economic, and political justice for all. Part of this commitment includes confronting the systems that maintain injustice and oppression and working to achieve liberation,” said Alan Dettlaff GCSW Dean.
Associate Professor Awarded Grant to Research Civic Engagement Among AAPI Youth
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Associate Professor Suzanne Pritzker has been awarded a grant totaling $276,000 from Houston Endowment. This grant is being awarded as a collaboration between the GCSW, OCA-Greater Houston, and five other local AAPI-serving community organizations to better understand civic engagement amongst AAPI youth in Houston.
Assistant Professor Publishes Research On U.S. Citizen Migrant Children in Mexico Lacking Adequate Health Insurance
Assistant Professor Sharon Borja lead a recently published research article in the peer-reviewed journal Health Affairs that takes an in-depth look at U.S.-born children who lack health coverage once in Mexico with their migrant parents.
Assistant Professor Aims to Improve Access to Mental Health Services in Low-Income Communities
Assistant Professor Quenette Walton, principal investigator and lead author of a study published in Child & Youth Care Forum, evaluated and identified effective strategies that can be used by health care professionals to improve mental health outcomes among low-income communities. Assistant Professor Awarded $2.9 Million in New Phase of Gilead COMPASS Initiative® to Combat HIV/AIDS
Led by Assistant Professor Samira Ali, the SUSTAIN Wellbeing COMPASS Coordinating Center has received $2.9 million to combat the spread of HIV in the South as part of the new phase of funding for the Gilead COMPASS Initiative®.
Faculty Members Collaborate with Fort Bend County To Reduce Justice System Involvement for Those with Mental Illness
Assistant Professor Juan Barthelemy and Professor Robin Gearing are collaborating with Fort Bend County Behavior Health Services on an initiative to prevent the prevalence of individuals with mental health or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse problems from subsequent justice system involvement.
Clinical Assistant Professor Ginger Lucas Awarded UH Teaching Excellence Award
Clinical Assistant Professor Virginia "Ginger" Lucas has been named a recipient of the UH Office of the Provost's Teaching Excellence Award in the Instructor/Clinical category. Recognition in the Instructor/Clinical Category aims to acknowledge "excellence in teaching demonstrated by faculty who do not have tenure or tenure-track positions" and comes with an $8,000 award.
Houston Public Media Highlights Associate Professor's Work as Director of Healthy Start Initiative
Associate Professor and Director of Healthy Start at UH, McClain Sampson, was featured as part of Houston Public Media's UH Moment for her work in addressing health disparities faced by those with a higher risk of death and complications brought about by pregnancy.
Associate Professor Sheara Williams Jennings Appointed Humana Endowed Chair
GCSW Professors Awarded Grant from Houston Coalition Against Hate
Clinical Professors Donna Amstberg and Aabha Brown and Assistant Professor Juan Barthelemy, were jointly awarded a grant totaling $115,000 from the Houston Coalition Against Hate. This grant provides the opportunity to expand understanding of how community-based organizations can respond to hate crimes while also supporting victims of hate crimes.
Associate Professor Jodi Berger Cardoso Leads Study Into Latino Students Mental Health and Deportation Enforcement
Associate Professor Jodi Berger Cardoso, whose research focuses on how trauma and stress affect the mental health of Latinos, helped lead a study with the Migration Policy Insitute reporting the detrimental effects of strict deportation policies on Latino students.
GCSW and the Center of Social Policy (CSSP) Launch New Effort to Upend the Child Welfare System
The new movement spearheaded by the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work and the Center for Study of Social Policy seeks to #upEND the child welfare system and create anti-racist supports for children and families. The #upEND movement seeks to end the current child welfare system as we know it and to reimagine new, anti-racist means of keeping children safe and protected in their homes.
Dean Dettlaff Challenges Social Workers to Address Systemic Issues of Racism and White Supremacy
"As social workers, we also need to continue to demand justice for those whose lives have been tragically taken. At the Graduate College of Social Work, we are committed to standing against injustice through leadership, advocacy, and action. Together we can demand change. And together, we will prevail." - Dean Alan Dettlaff Spring 2020: GCSW’s College-Wide Antiracist Initiative
GCSW faculty, staff, and students are beginning the first semester of 2020 with a series of initiatives designed to help us explore what it means to be an antiracist College of Social Work. Our efforts are in keeping with our vision of achieving social, racial, economic, and political justice, local to global, and in recognition that the change we want to see begins with us.
GCSW Moves to #22 from #24 in National Ranking
“Our latest ranking is a testament to everything our faculty, staff, students, and alumni do every day to realize our vision of achieving social, racial, economic, and political justice,” said Alan Dettlaff dean of the Graduate College of Social Work and the inaugural Maconda Brown O’Connor Endowed Dean’s Chair. Associate Professor Sheara Williams Jennings Appointed to City of Houston's Health Equity Response Task Force
Associate Professor Sheara Williams Jennings has been appointed by Mayor Sylvester Turner to serve on the City of Houston's Health Equity Response (HER) Task Force to address the disproportionate amount of African-Americans dying from COVID-19 and provide the most impacted communities with additional information, supplies, and services.
Clinical Assistant Professor Donna Amtsberg Discusses Domestic Violence During COVID-19
Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Trauma Education Program Donna Amtsberg recently spoke with Reform Austin to discuss the increase of domestic violence cases during the COVID-19 pandemic and how community agencies are responding.
Associate Professor Nicole Bromfield Earns Fulbright
Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Nicole Bromfield has received a Fulbright Scholar award to teach and conduct social work research at the University of Namibia beginning January 2021.
Conversations on COVID-19 | Social Work and Social Justice Perspectives
Conversations on COVID-19 | Social Work and Social Justice Perspectives is a series of interviews featuring alumni of the UH Graduate College of Social Work who are responding to COVID-19 pandemic. Sign Up: Make or Donate Masks for Social Workers
Social workers are often overlooked members of those on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic. They provide essential services for children and families who are especially vulnerable to both the health effects and social consequences of the virus.
We want to help and we need your help in supplying the critical and growing need for protective face masks for social workers providing face to face services and the clients they serve.
Dean Alan Dettlaff Calls for Release of Low-Risk Inmates and Suspension of Arrests of Non-Violent Offenders During Coronavirus Outbreak
Dean Alan Dettlaff recently published opinion piece in the Houston Chronicle calls for action from state and local officials to save the lives of vulnerable prison populations as the spread of coronavirus worsens.
GCSW Faculty Member, Jodi Berger Cardoso, Joins Panel Discussion at Harvard to Address Public Health Crisis along U.S.-Mexico Border
Associate Professor Jodi Berger Cardoso, was a panelist at the Harvard Global Health Institute event "The Public Health Crisis on the U.S. Border: An Urgent Conversation." She offered perspective from her research on how trauma and stress during the migration process can significantly affect the mental health of Latinos and their children.
Professor Awarded $4.9 Million Grant to Address Racial Disparities in Maternal, Infant Mortality
Led by Associate Professor McClain Sampson, the UH Healthy Start Initiative is the largest program in Houston designed to explicitly address these longstanding perinatal health disparities. “By effectively implementing this program, the staff and I can work directly toward racial justice for expectant and pregnant mothers in Houston.” – Dr. McClain Sampson
Professor Receives $250K Grant to Address Longstanding Health Disparities
Assistant Professor Sharon Borja is the recipient of a $250,000 federal grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to address diabetes, hypertension, obesity, comorbid depression & anxiety--longstanding disparities among Hispanics in the U.S.
Professor Receives Federal Funding to Study Civic Engagement in Diverse Communities
Associate Professor Suzanne Pritzker is a recipient of a $99,651 federal grant awarded by the Corporation for National and Community Service to conduct a participatory study that will lead to concrete practical strategies to build civic engagement in diverse Houston-area communities.
COMPASS Initiative® Funds 32 Organizations to Transform the HIV Epidemic in the South
On World AIDS Day, the COMPASS Initiative® is proud of the selected partners’ collective commitment to having a positive impact on known challenges in addressing the Southern HIV epidemic, particularly in underserved and rural communities where prevention efforts and services are limited," Director of SUSTAIN Wellbeing COMPASS Coordinating Center and Associate Professor Samira Ali said.
$15M Gift Establishes Healthcare Collaboration
The gift establishes the Humana Integrated Health System Sciences Institute which unites the GCSW with the UH Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Optometry, and Pharmacy to provide healthcare access to underserved communities.
Professor Empowers Citizens with Voter Engagement & Political Justice Initiative
The GCSW Voter Engagement and Political Justice Initiative is partnering with Houston-area community organizations that focus on non-partisan voter engagement with marginalized minority communities to make sure everyone’s voice is heard in the November midterm elections.
Professor Shares Expertise for Tackling Suicide
In response to a rapid growth in suicides, GCSW Associate Professor Robin Gearing offers his expertise as a social work researcher to social work practitioners in the Greater Houston area through a new CE course, "Identifying, Assessing, and Treating Suicidal Behavior."
GCSW Faculty Respond to a Conversation on Race and Privilege
GCSW Associate Professor Dr. Sarah Narendorf, Assistant Professor Dr. Juan Barthelemy, and Assistant Clinical Professor Ginger Lucas share their insights on the 2018 Social Justice Solutions series, A Conversation on Race and Privilege with Angela Davis and Jane Elliott from a social work perspective.
Assistant Professor Opening
We invite applications for a full-time tenure-track assistant professor. At the GCSW, our vision is to achieve social, racial, economic, and political justice, local to global. We invite applicants whose research, scholarship, and teaching advance the social work profession and contribute to achieving this vision. We are particularly interested in applicants whose scholarship includes a focus on critical issues of race and racial justice.
Professor Discusses HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Houston
Dr. Samira Ali discusses HIV/AIDS in advance of a community event to announce the launch of the Gilead COMPASS Initiative in Houston. The GCSW received a $5M grant from Gilead Sciences to establish the SUSTAIN Wellbeing COMPASS Coordinating Center for HIV/AIDS prevention focused on the Gulf Coast region. Professor's Research Details How Cancer Affects Sexual Functioning
An article in Medical Research explores the implications of Dr.
Chiara Acquati's recent
study published in the American Cancer Society's journal, Cancer.
John Ross Palmer Gallery Selects GCSW as Nonprofit of the Year
“I am thrilled about this year’s partnership for numerous reasons. I have personally reaped the benefits of therapy and I’m an advocate for its use in self-awareness and personal growth. Also, I believe social workers can serve as a conduit in our society to help level the playing field when our culture has pervasive issues with racial, gender, socioeconomic and other inequities.” – John Ross Palmer, Artist Professor Leads Program to Address Shortage of Behavioral Health Workers
Dr. McClain Sampson's has received another grant funded by a $1.9 million workforce training grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to expand the reach of The Global Leaders of Behavioral Health Education (GLOBE) Team Training Program.
$5M Grant Establishes New Research Center Focused on HIV/AIDS Prevention
- The GCSW has received a $5M grant from Gilead Sciences. Here, Dr. Samira Ali discusses the new SUSTAIN Wellness COMPASS Coordinating Center and how the new initiative will enhance HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in five states along the Gulf Coast.