Professor Tessa Evans-Campbell (left) and Professor Margaret Kuklinski (right).
July 30, 2026
The University of Washington School of Social Work is excited to announce that two of our faculty members, Tessa Evans-Campbell and Margaret Kuklinski, have been elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences (WSAS).
WSAS is a nonprofit organization established by the Washington State Legislature in 2005 to advise state policymakers on public policy issues involving science and technology. WSAS members are nationally recognized for their “outstanding record of scientific and technical achievement and willingness to assist the Academy in providing the best available scientific information and technical understanding to inform complex policy decisions in Washington.” New members are elected by current WSAS members or by their election to national science academies.
Margaret Kuklinski was recognized “for contributions to the economic assessment of prevention programs addressing substance abuse and mental health, and for advancing community-engaged research, and effective communication of findings to different audiences.”
Dr. Kuklinski is a social work endowed professor, and her expertise is at the intersection of prevention science and health economics. Her work promotes positive outcomes in young people and families through research, dissemination, and implementation of effective community-based and family-focused preventive interventions.
Kuklinski is also the director of the Social Development Research Group, where she supports a multidisciplinary team dedicated to prevention science research, practice and data collection.
“I am delighted to join the Washington State Academy of Sciences,” says Kuklinski. “This is an honor I share with SDRG and SSW, which have been my professional home for the past 17 years and have enabled and supported my contributions to prevention science and health economics. It will be a privilege to serve Washington State as a member of WSAS alongside Dr. Evans Campbell and other members.”
The WSAS recognized Tessa Evans-Campbell “for pioneering research across historical trauma, cultural buffers and healing; substance use/misuse prevention; indigenous health disparities and family wellness; and youth health interventions.”
Dr. Evans Campbell has extensive practice experience in Indian child welfare, adoptions, and community advocacy with American Indian communities, and her research focuses on historical trauma, substance use and mental health, and indigenous family wellness.
Evans-Campbell is also the co-executive director of the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute. She belongs to the Society for Social Work and Research, the National Associate of Social Workers and the Council for Social Work Education.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to be elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences,” says Evans-Campbell. “I want to acknowledge my amazing colleagues at the UW School of School Work and the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute who have influenced my work tremendously. I am also incredibly grateful to the communities I have the privilege to partner with and learn from. I look forward to serving as a member of WSAS alongside Dr. Kulinski and other members.”