Spotlight on giving
Annual spring breakfast focuses on the
impact of student scholarships
The seventh annual scholarship breakfast, held April 26, raised
$78,000 for the School’s endowed scholarship programs. More than 200
guests attended the early-morning event, emceed by Raymonda Reese (MSW ’16), a research fellow in the School-sponsored Communities in Action initiative. The keynote  speaker, Vikram Jandhyala—the
UW’s first vice president for innovation strategy—ignited attendees
with his ideas on how to create synergy among faculty, staff and
students and foster a University-wide innovation culture.
During the event, Dean Eddie Uehara described
the recently established Excellence in Social Impact Scholarship
Fund—made possible with a generous gift from long-term partners Steve
and Connie Ballmer—as the most ambitious scholarship fundraising goal in
the School’s history. “This gift allows us to double the amount of
scholarship aid we give to our students each year," said Uehara. "But
this is just the beginning. Our goal over the next five years is to
triple the amount of funding for students—to cut tuition by 40 percent
for those students with the greatest need.”
Nineteen of this
year’s 72 scholarship recipients attended the breakfast and were warmly
acknowledged during the event. A six-minute video profiling five of
these scholarship recipients was also screened. “Seeing these students
recognized for their innovation and impact, and hearing their personal
stories, was a thrilling moment,” said April Johnson,
Assistant Dean for Advancement. “Their presence and the testimonials
they shared really drove home how important this scholarship aid is—not
only to the lives of each student, but also to those who live in the
communities they serve.”
Upcoming events
Activist Loretta Ross addresses this year’s graduating class on June 9
The School of Social Work will hold its graduation celebration on
Thursday, June 9, with a graduating class of 269 students. The ceremony
will be held from 6 to  8:30 p.m. at the Alaska Airlines Arena with a reception to follow. Students are asked to arrive by 5 p.m. Loretta Ross,
co-creator of the Reproductive Justice framework and a well-known
speaker on human rights, racism, diversity and violence against women,
will be this year’s graduation speaker. She is the author of the new
book What Is Reproductive Justice?.
Find out more about the 2016 graduation celebration and get answers to all your questions here.
Join us for the inaugural School alumni reunion on October 23
 Save the date! The
first School of Social Work alumni reunion is scheduled for the
afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 23. The date coincides with the UW Homecoming
weekend. The event, to be held in the School of Social Work building,
will provide great opportunities for networking, making new friends, and
learning what’s new in our social work community. We'll be sending out
save-the-date cards soon. Update your contact information today so that we can keep you in the loop. If you would like to help with alumni outreach and become a class ambassador for this exciting inaugural event, please contact Marzette Mondin.
In the news
Jennifer Stuber authors Washington Post editorial on partnering with the NRA
New legislation in Washington state to address the number of suicides
by firearms and prescription drugs passed successfully a few months
ago. The surprising news is that  the
bill brought suicide prevention experts and local pharmacists together
with two unlikely partners: the National Rifle Association and the
Second Amendment Foundation, a Bellevue, Wash., gun rights group.
According to School of Social Work Associate Professor Jennifer Stuber, writing in an April 8 editorial in The Washington Post,
reaching out to involve the firearms industry from the beginning paid
off, allowing the legislation to be signed into state law March 31.
On May 24, Washington Ceasefire,
which has worked to reduce gun violence since 1983, recognized Stuber
with the Delores Jones Person of the Year Award. Washington Ceasefire
board president Ralph Fascitelli praised Stuber for her work on suicide
and shedding a light on its relationship to gun access. The award is
given annually to a private citizen who the organization believes has
done the most to reduce gun deaths in Washington state.
J. David Hawkins briefs U.S. Congressional members and staff on youth prevention programs
 J. David Hawkins,
endowed professor of prevention, School of Social Work, participated in
a half-day briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., which was
organized to call attention to behavioral health problems among children
and youth—a growing problem that costs some $247 billion a year.
Hawkins shared research developed by the School's Social Development Research Group
proving the effectiveness of 16 evidence-based, family-focused programs
that can be promoted through primary health care. The April 19
briefing, hosted by senators Patty Murray (Wash.) and Lamar Alexander
(Tenn.), was attended by legislators and their staffs, funders,
practitioners, and national and community organizations.
MSW student's Seattle Times piece brings personal focus to the cost of long-term health care
Long-term health care, which averages about $50,000 a year in Washington state, should not be considered a luxury, according to Lauren Bonazzo Camarda (MSW '16) in an opinion piece she wrote for the "My Take" column in The Seattle Times.
Camarda came face-to-face with that harsh reality when her mother was
diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer several years ago. Although the
Affordable Care Act has improved Americans’ access to health care,
coverage has not been extended to the elderly or the disabled because
Medicare does not consider long-term care services to be “medical” in
nature.
Alumni and School Updates
School maintains top ranking out of 206 graduate schools and programs
The School’s master's degree program ranked third in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. The School received a similar ranking in  2012,
the last year that graduate schools of social work were ranked. “We are
thrilled to see that we are once again ranked as one of the top schools
in the nation,” said Dean Eddie Uehara. “This reflects the high level
of social innovation and impact that our faculty, students and alumni
achieve every day through cutting-edge research, classroom engagement
and community partnerships.”
Social work students recognized for making a difference on and off campus
BASW students Ashley Alday, Kainen Bell and
David Inglish, along with MSW/MPH graduate student Tiffany Woelfel, were
selected to be part of the  inaugural University-wide program called the Husky 100.
The student recognition program acknowledges 100 undergraduate and
graduate students out of more than 54,000 students from the Bothell,
Seattle and Tacoma campuses who exemplify leadership, passion,
creativity and commitment.
Awards and accolades
Inaugural Sidney Miller Endowed Assistant Professor in Direct Practice named
 Megan Moore was
recently selected the School’s inaugural Sidney Miller Endowed
Assistant Professor in Direct Practice, cited for her broad expertise in
social work direct practice, interdisciplinary research on social work
intervention development, and stellar reputation in the classroom and as
a mentor. The professorship was established by David and Peter Miller
in memory of their father, Sidney, who was one of the School’s most
gifted and beloved professors in the 1970s and 1980s. Said Moore, "I am
honored and very grateful to the Sidney Miller family for this
opportunity to expand my research and teaching in direct social work
practice." Moore's research on the care and consequences of traumatic
brain injury was recently featured in U.S. News & World Report, UW Today, and the UW Institute for Translational Health Sciences News.
Farah Mohamed receives prestigious public health award for academic excellence
Farah B. Mohamed (MSW/MPH '16) received the 2016
Gilbert S. Omenn Graduate (Master's) Student Award for Academic
Excellence, making him the first concurrent degree student to earn this
distinction. The award was established in 1997
to honor Dean Emeritus Omenn of the UW School of Public Health.
Mohamed, a graduate of the School’s BASW program, will graduate in June
with master's degrees in social work and public health. “Your commitment
to public health and engagement with your Somali community are the
reasons you are receiving this award,” noted School lecturer J’May Rivara.
Omenn Award recipients are chosen for their academic contributions,
potential for leadership, and commitment to public health beyond their
research projects. Says Mohamed: “This recognition gives me a great
motivation to become the social change agent that I aspire to be."
New grants focus attention on health disparities and paid family leave
The School continues to garner national, state and local support for
innovative research on topics ranging from the minimum wage to
indigenous health. Recent grant awards include:
-
Joseph Mienko, a social work policy research scientist and doctoral student, received $175,000 from the Family Impact Network,
based in Eastern Washington, to provide performance monitoring. As part
of the grant, Mienko will develop measurement definitions, a protocol
for refining measurements and specific recommendations for future
modifications.
-
Jennifer Romich, associate professor and founder of the West Coast Poverty Center,
received nearly $85,000 from the Washington State Office of Financial
Management to study the connection between family leave programs and
state spending on public assistance. She will compare survey data from
other states and apply the findings to Washington state.
-
A $75,000 grant from National Institutes of Health to the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute will
improve mentorship and training opportunities for American Indians,
Alaska Natives and underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities focused
on eliminating health disparities.
|
