Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 1h

Eleven presentations featuring the work of five UConn School of Social Work faculty members, 12 Ph.D. students, and one UConn Alumni will be shared at the upcoming CSWE Conference in Denver!

View their schedule and topics at: socialwork.uconn.edu/.../uconn-sc...

UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 20h

A new School of Social Work travel study course in Germany will explore the complex moral issues surrounding the Holocaust.

Info sessions for students will be held at 3:15 p.m. on Oct. 9, and Oct 15; at 5 p.m. on Oct. 13 or Oct. 14; or noon on Oct. 15.
uconn-cmr.webex.com/meet/LWR

UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 2d

All students, faculty, and staff from the UConn School of Social Work are invited to “Navigating the Waters” — a Mental Health Awareness Workshop. The event takes place at noon, Wednesday, Oct. 8 in the Hartford Times Building at the UConn Hartford campus. 😀💙 Snacks provided!

UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 5d

On Oct. 9, UConn School of Social Work alumna Taylor Ford ’14 (MSW) will deliver the 2025 John and Valerie Rowe Scholars Visiting Lecture at UConn. Taylor, LMSW, is director of mental health education at Second Chance Educational Alliance, Inc. in Hartford.

honors.uconn.edu/the-john-and...

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UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 6d

Congratulations to UConn School of Social Work alumna Shannon Lane '09 Ph.D. for being named a 2025-26 Scholars Strategy Network (@scholars.org) Media Fellow! At UConn, Shannon is director of the Nancy A. Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work. scholars.org/media-fellow...

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UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 7d

Learn more about Connecticut ¡Adelante! - a specialized MSW option at Hartford Campus for bilingual Spanish-speaking social work students pursuing a concentration in Individuals, Groups, and Families (IGFP). Several info sessions will be offered in October. Register now!

UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 8d

Megan Berthold, professor in the UConn School of Social Work, is co-author of "Culturally Specific Trauma History is Associated with Dietary Intake Outcomes of a Healthy Eating Intervention Among Cambodian American Refugees: A Retrospective Cohort Study."
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 9d

With support of a $2.4 million federal grant, the School of Social Work is launching the Behavioral Health Scholars Program. Each year, 17 MSW students will receive specialized training, intensive practicums, mentorship, and a $25,000 stipend.

today.uconn.edu/2025/09/scho...

School of Social Work Awarded $2.4M to Address Youth Behavioral Health Crisis - UConn Today

With support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 17 Master of Social Work students will be selected annually as Behavioral Health Scholar ...

today.uconn.edu

UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 13d

💁‍♂️💁‍♀️Several UConn School of Social Work students stopped by the Office of Student & Academic Services (OSAS) on Sept. 23 and 24 for SSW Meet & Greet Days!

Students were treated to refreshments, snacks, stickers 🧚‍♀️🐻🦀, and conversation with OSAS staff. socialwork.uconn.edu/current-stud...

#UconnSSW

UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 14d

📚 The 2025 Scholars Strategy Network (SSN) Annual Report is out, and it highlights important work by three UConn leaders: Shannon Lane, Tanya Rhodes Smith, and Kerri Raissian.
scholars.org/sites/schola...

UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 15d

Learn how to make a lasting impact on the mental health of Connecticut children and families.
On Oct. 17, four experts will speak about available resources during a virtual webinar sponsored by the UConn School of Social Work. Register through the QR code.

UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 16d

📅 Save the date!
On Oct. 16, School of Social Work Professor S. Megan Berthold will deliver the Annual Lecture in Social Work titled:
“Healthcare Access Among Asylum Seekers and Refugees: Comparative Insights from Research in Canada and the U.S.” 🌍🇨🇦🇺🇸
✅ One CE credit will be available at no cost.

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UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 19d

Join us at the 2025 Connecticut Latino Policy Agenda Summit! The event takes place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 4 in Hartford. Leaders from across the state will begin shaping a long-term policy agenda for Connecticut’s growing Latino population.
Register for free at: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 20d

🌈 New Research Alert! 🧠✨
A new study, co-authored by SSW Assistant Research Professor Samantha Lawrence, used network analysis to better understand what puts LGBTQ+ youth at risk for mental health struggles—and what helps protect them.

Read more: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 21d

💃 UConn Hartford Campus/ UConn School of Social Work celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month at Viva la Salsa!
Read more: today.uconn.edu/2025/09/nati...

National Hispanic Heritage Month Celebrated at Viva la Salsa! - UConn Today

Students, faculty, and staff participated in a salsa dance class, sampled Hispanic snacks, and made cultural connections

today.uconn.edu

UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 22d

🗳️ Have you registered to vote?
📅 Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day!
SSW students are hosting two voter registration drives at the Hartford Times Building Atrium:

✅ Tuesday, Sept. 16 — 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
✅ Wednesday, Sept. 17 — 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Register and make your voice heard!

UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 23d

A new study co-authored by SSW Associate Professor Caitlin Elsaesser uplifts the voices of Hartford youth through a community-based participatory research approach in partnership with Compass Youth Collaborative (CYC).

📖 doi.org/10.1016/j.ch...

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UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 28d

Please help us welcome the School of Social Work's new MSW Stamford Cohort! Students met for their first in-person classes on Sept. 6.

More info: socialwork.uconn.edu/masters-soci...

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UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 28d

Assistant Professor Gio Iacono is co-author of a new study in BMC Psychology that focuses on the mental health of sexual and gender diverse adolescents and young adults (SGDAYA).

Read more:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

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UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 29d

Associate Professor Nate Okpych is the co-author of a new study: "Co-producing service experiences for transition-age youth in foster care: Exploring the connection between transitional independent living plan development and independent living service usage."

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 29d

This fall, the UConn School of Social Work welcomes 128 new BSW and MSW students to the UConn Hartford campus.

“By choosing social work, you’re choosing a profession rooted in courage, service, justice, and hope." — Convocation keynote speaker Ayesha Clarke ’06, ’18 MSW

Welcome!

UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 29d

Assistant Professor Kelsi Carolan received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Loan Repayment Award in recognition of her research on the impacts of long-COVID.

Her work examines how the illness affects employment, family and social relationships. 👩‍👩‍👦

today.uconn.edu/.../carolan-...

Carolan Awarded NIH Loan Repayment Award in Recognition of her Long-COVID Research - UConn Today

Kelsi Carolan, assistant professor in UConn’s School of Social Work, is investigating the effects of long-COVID on employment, family and social relationshi ...

today.uconn.edu

UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 29d

Associate Professor Nathanael Okpych received a prestigious two‑year grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to lead a groundbreaking study exploring what helps college students with foster care backgrounds succeed—especially in community colleges.

Read more: ow.ly/IK1s50WHxtj

Hilton Foundation Supports Okpych's Study on College Outcomes for Former Foster Care Youth - UConn Today

Associate Professor Nathanael Okpych will examine both the human stories and the institutional factors behind student success

ow.ly

UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 29d

In a new editorial published in “Families in Society,” Cristina Mogro-Wilson, Zachs Endowed Professor and director of the UConn School of Social Work Ph.D. program, stresses the importance of standing up for equity in the face of censorship.

Read more: ow.ly/aXbT50WM7xS

UConn School of Social Work @uconnssw.bsky.social · 29d

🎉 UConn School of Social Work received a $200,000 grant from the Connecticut Center for Education Research Collaboration (CCERC) to study how school social workers apply professional standards, navigate challenges, and impact their communities. 🎉

📖 Read more: today.uconn.edu/.../ccerc-gr...

CCERC Grant Supports SSW Study on Standards for School Social Workers - UConn Today

Co-Principal Investigators and School of Social Work faculty Gio Iacono and Caitlin Elsaesser will examine school social worker roles, stress, equity and wh ...

today.uconn.edu