Asia Bishop, a fifth-year PhD student at the School of Social Work, was awarded a 2020–2021 Magnuson Scholarship for her dissertation on gang-involved youth. The scholarship program, named after the late U.S. Senator Warren G. Magnuson, annually honors one outstanding scholar from each of the six UW health sciences schools, who are nominated for exceptional academic performance and potential contributions to research to improve the health of vulnerable communities.
Bishop’s research interests focus on understanding juvenile offending behavior, particularly for Latino and African American youth who are involved in gangs. Her dissertation, “Understanding the Service Needs of Gang-Involved Youth,” explores heterogeneity in mental, physical and sexual health among gang-involved youth, including the role of identity and social ecology in shaping variations in health-risk profiles. The multi-method dissertation includes a qualitative content analysis of youth-gang literature and a person-centered quantitative analyses of state-representative data.
Bishop’s scholarly identity and career objectives were shaped by her early years. She grew up in rural Washington where she saw first-hand persistent health disparities for youth who came from underserved populations. Her research draws on public health frameworks and social work practice ideology, going beyond broad characteristics to identify nuance in social service and health care needs to ensure that services are tailored and responsive.
Paula Nurius, the School’s associate dean for transdisciplinary scholarship and Grace Beals-Ferguson Scholar, praises Bishop’s work ethic and collegiality. “I have been consistently impressed with Asia’s talent and tenacity in her studies and research” says Nurius. “I have also been struck by her generosity. Although intensely busy, she has repeatedly reached out to other students to provide mentorship as well as peer-support collegiality. She will be an exceptional asset to future social justice and health promotion aims for the populations that she has chosen to serve.”
Bishop earned a BA in sociology from Western Washington University where she studied race relations, criminology and law. After earning an MSW with a focus on administration and policy practice from the UW School of Social Work, she began working with high-risk youth at a Seattle non-profit. In 2013, she joined UW’s Division of Public Behavioral Health and Justice Policy, working on projects related to juvenile justice reform in Washington state.