RESEARCH & IMPACT
social progress
powered by science
At the UW School of Social Work, we are in the business of turning powerful new ideas into lasting social change. We have been developing and testing the science needed to transform communities and improve lives for decades. Today, our unwavering commitment to social justice informs, drives and strengthens everything we do.
Let's Talk Tech
The first tool to empower families to make informed, shared decisions about using digital health technologies to support people with memory problems at home, developed by SSW researcher & professor, Dr. Clara Berridge.
WA State Academy of Sciences
Professor and Associate Dean for Research Rona Levy has been elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences. WSAS members are nationally recognized for their scientific and technical expertise.
The Alliance
Through innovative and accessible training and supports, The Alliance empower those caring for and serving families and communities to provide anti-racist, culturally relevant, trauma-informed service.
Grand Challenges for Social Work
Social progress powered by science
From stopping family violence to closing the health gap and ending homelessness, the most pressing issues facing America today have one thing in common: a social factor.
The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare launched the Grand Challenges for Social Work in 2016 to galvanize social work expertise, education, research and practice. This groundbreaking initiative champions social progress powered by science and provides a structure to explore innovative approaches, build unique partnership and work across sectors to strengthen the social fabric in 12 key areas.
See Progress and Plans for the Grand Challenges: An Impact Report at Year 5 of the 10-year Initiative, published January 2021.
In July 2020, the AASWSW added a 13th grand challenge, Eliminate Racism, during a pivotal moment when the nation’s and the world’s attention were focused on racial injustice against Black people. UW School of Social Work Ballmer Endowed Dean in Social Work Michael Spencer co-chairs this grand challenge.
Additional School of Social Work faculty are taking the lead of several grand challenges, including Close the Health Gap, Reduce Extreme Economic Inequality, Ensure Healthy Development for All Youth, and Create Social Responses to a Changing Environment. The School of Social Work has been at the center of the Grand Challenges initiative since the beginning, when the idea grew out of a 2012 gathering co-sponsored by former dean Eddie Uehara.
Innovations in Behavioral Health
Shaping the future of behavioral health in Washington state
The UW School of Social Work is growing the skills, diversity and number of Washington state’s behavioral health workers in three critical areas: public and tribal schools, community mental health centers and crisis response services.
The School of Social Work originated a new behavioral health workforce development model to reduce worker shortages, increase diversity and improve workforce skills. This innovative model provides generous scholarships to students seeking careers in behavioral health in exchange for their commitment to work in community-based mental health agencies serving high-need and tribal populations.
Based on this model, Ballmer Group made a substantial gift in 2021 to fund a three-year statewide effort called the Washington State Behavioral Health Workforce Development Initiative or WDI. In total, the initiative placed 140 highly skilled graduates in community-based behavioral health agencies across the state while strengthening knowledge-sharing between the participating universities and local agencies. The conditional scholarships also made it possible for students from diverse backgrounds to graduate with little or no debt.
The Washington state legislature recognized the pilot program’s real and measurable impact and in 2024 enacted a new law that creates the Washington Health Corps Behavioral Health Scholarship Program, which offers conditional scholarships for students seeking careers in community-based mental health.
The legislative action fulfills a long-sought goal of the School’s behavioral health effort to establish a permanent publicly funded mechanism that guarantees a pipeline of highly skilled professionals in behavioral health. “We are using philanthropic gifts and grants to develop pilot programs that we can test, measure and evaluate,” says Michael Spencer, professor and dean of the UW School of Social Work. “This strategic approach makes it possible to scale successful programs and secure public funding for the greatest reach and impact in our state.”
Our behavioral health workforce transformation is supported with three state-wide initiatives and an established center of excellence:
groundbreaking research & innovation centers
At the UW School of Social Work, we are dedicated to teaching excellence, cutting-edge research, and deepening our commitment to the communities we serve. We champion the role of science in accelerating social good and the importance of trust in sustaining partnerships that create real and lasting change.
Today, we are redefining student engagement, elevating public service, demonstrating socially responsible research, and building authentic relationships with our community partners. Our foundational tenets of economic, social and racial justice drive everything we do and advance our greater goal of equity for all.
MAKE AN IMPACT
The School of Social Work is an international leader in science-driven social change. If you're interested in supporting the groundbreaking work underway at our school, as well as our research and innovation centers, considering a charitable gift today.