Rutgers School of Social Work at SSWR’s 2026 Annual Conference
Rutgers School of Social Work will be represented at the Society for Social Work (SSWR)’s 30th Annual Conference from January 14-18, 2026 by a number of presentations by faculty, postdoctoral associates, doctoral students, and staff.
Rutgers School of Social Work also congratulates Assistant Professor Durrell M. Washington Sr. for receiving the 2026 Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Outstanding Social Work Doctoral Dissertation Award for his dissertation “Invisible Wounds and Sibling Dynamics: A Narrative Study Investigating the Influence of Juvenile Incarceration on Black Family Life.”
Wednesday, January 14
Plenary Panel for the Grant Challenges Ideas Festival: The Grand Challenges Futures: Anticipating the Next Decade of Social Work
Time: 4:00-5:00pm
Amml Hussein, Associate Teaching Professor
Thursday, January 15
Pre-Workshop: Spatial Data Science: Visualizing and Analyzing Community Needs
Time: 8:00am-12:00pm
Woojin Jung, Assistant Professor; Andrew Kim, PhD Candidate
Improving Cross-Sector Collaborations between Healthcare and Housing: Challenges and Strategies Identified by Unhoused People with Complex Health Needs
Time: 9:45-11:15am
Nora Sullivan, PhD Candidate; Emmy Tiderington, Associate Professor
Examining the role of social support in shaping perceptions of adolescent well-being by ethnicity and sex in the UK
Time: 1:30-2:30pm
Abigail Williams-Butler, Assistant Professor
How Racial-Ethnic Socialization Science Can Transform Social Work Policy and Practice with Adolescents
Time: 3:15-4:45pm
Adrian Gale, Assistant Professor
A Quantitative Exploration of the Effects of Intimate Partner Violence on Mother’s Mental Health in Informal Settlements in Nairobi, Kenya
Time: 3:15-4:45pm
Enoch Boafo Amponsah, PhD Candidate
Navigating Policy Shifts: Advancing and Sustaining Substance Use Research in Social Work
Time: 3:15-4:45pm
Jamey Lister, Associate Professor
E-Poster: Characteristics of social work license examinees
Time: 3:15-4:45pm
Michael Joo, Associate Professor; Joy Kim, Associate Professor
Friday, January 16
Special Interest Group: Understanding Policy and Practice Implications Regarding the Well-Being of Black Women
Time: 8:00-9:30am
Abigail Williams-Butler, Assistant Professor
Using concept mapping to assess the theoretical congruence and content validity of existing child well-being measurements based on the two sources theory
Time: 8:00-9:30am
Abigail Williams-Butler, Assistant Professor
Exploring the Implementation Functions of Older Adults’ Participation in Age-Friendly Community Initiatives
Time: 8:00-9:30am
Natalie Pope, PhD Candidate
E-Poster: Validation Study of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory with Romanian Social Workers
8:00-9:30am
Yuhan Wei, PhD Candidate
E-Poster: Using Campus Climate Data to Create Action Plans to Address Workplace Harassment and Incivility
Time: 8:00-9:30am
Sarah McMahon, Professor and Director, Center for Research on Ending Violence; Julia Cusano, Assistant Professor of Research; Sara Thomas, PhD Student; Alli Brachmann, Lecturer
E-Poster: Validation study of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory with Romanian social workers
Time: 8:00-9:30am
Antoinette Farmer, Professor, Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Building Leadership in Substance Misuse Prevention Coalitions: Organizational Empowerment and Its Differential Effects on Skill Development Among Staff and Volunteer Members
Time: 8:00-9:30am
Kristen Gilmore Powell, Associate Research Professor and Associate Director, Center for Prevention Science; Samantha Luxmikanthan, PhD Student; Cory Morton, Assistant Research Professor; N. Andrew Peterson, Distinguished Professor and Director, Center for Prevention Science
The Important Role Black Female Social Workers Play in Helping Young Black Women Transition into Adulthood from Foster Care
Time: 8:00-9:30am
Tawanda Hubbard, Associate Professor of Professional Practice
Contending with Imposter Participants: Another Strategy for Ensuring Authentic Data Background
Time: 8:00-9:30am
Angela Malorni, Assistant Professor; Yan (Stella) Zhu, PhD Candidate; Judith L. McCoyd, Associate Professor and Associate Director of Doctoral Programs
HSO Journal 50th Anniversary Special Issue Invited Authors Session
Time: 9:00-11:00am
Amml Hussein, Associate Teaching Professor
Lifetime Trauma Exposure and Traumatic Symptoms in Latina Women: A Latent Profile Analysis Among a National Sample
Time: 9:45-11:15am
Chiara Sabina, Professor, Chancellor’s Scholar for Inclusive Excellence in Interpersonal Violence Research & Associate Director, Center for Research on Ending Violence; Maria Alejandra Guevara-Carpio, PhD Student
Forecasting the Impact of Licensing Regulatory Scenarios on Scaling-up the Social Work Workforce and Mitigating Harm: Using System Dynamics Simulation Modeling
Time: 9:45-11:15am
Katherine Marcal, Assistant Professor
Intimate Partner Violence Among LGBTQ+ Populations in Southeast Asia: A Scoping Review
Time: 9:45-11:15am
Samantha Luxmikanthan, PhD Student
A Rural-Urban Comparison of Healthcare Access for Gambling Disorder in the United States: A Hurdle Model Approach
Time: 9:45-11:15am
Mark van der Maas, Assistant Professor; Jamey Lister, Associate Professor; Lia Nower, Associate Dean for Research, Distinguished Professor and Director, Center for Gambling Studies
E-Poster: Prevalence and Correlates of Individuals Who Died During their First Overdose Emergency in New Jersey, 2017-2021
Time: 9:4511:15am
Sarah Cooper, PhD Candidate
E-Poster: The Effect of Race and Ethnicity on Social Work Clinical License Exam Outcomes
Time: 9:45-11:15am
Michael Joo, Associate Professor; Joy Kim, Associate Professor
Special Interest Group: Children and Youth Behavioral Health Policy & Services Research
Time: 12:45-1:45pm
Cassandra Simmel, Associate Professor & PhD Program Director
"Why doesn’t she just leave?”: Using digital simulation in MSW education to illuminate IPV survivors’ help-seeking barriers
Time: 2:00-3:30pm
Jessica Willard, PhD Student; Gabrielle Gault, Senior Coordinator, Training and Technical Assistance; Sarah McMahon, Professor and Director, Center for Research on Ending Violence
Invited Symposium I: Advancing Inclusive Economic Security across the Life Course: Research and Policy Pathways Forward
Time: 2:00-3:30pm
Stephen Crystal, Distinguished Research Professor
E-Poster: A Scoping Review of Psychosocial Factors Influencing Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Access and Outcomes of Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in the United States
Time: 2:00-3:30pm
Jamey Lister, Associate Professor
E-Poster: From Thoughts to Actions: Predicting Suicidal Ideation and Attempts in Youth Using Sex-Based Machine Learning Models
Time: 2:00-3:30pm
Andrew Kim, PhD Candidate
E-Poster: Israeli expatriates’ perceptions and experiences of antisemitism post-October 7th
Time: 2:00-3:30pm
Uri Amir-Koren, PhD Student; Judith L. McCoyd, Associate Professor and Associate Director of Doctoral Programs
Short and Long-Term Impacts of Sports Team Participation on Adolescent and Young Adult Mental Health
Time: 2:00-3:30pm
Malya Hirshkowitz, PhD Student; Lenna Nepomnyaschy, Professor
Contemporary conceptualizations and operationalizations of child well-being: A scoping review of child well-being measures
Time: 3:45-5:15pm
Abigail Williams-Butler, Assistant Professor
E-Poster: Rural Behavioral Health: A SWOT Analysis from the Special Interest Group
Time: 3:45-5:15pm
Jamey Lister, Associate Professor; Mark van der Maas, Assistant Professor
Grounding and Advancing the Canon of Culturally Congruent Care: Black Women's Reimagining of Mental Health Care and Implications for Social Work Theory and Practice
Time: 3:45-5:15pm
Chelsea Allen, Postdoctoral Associate
Symposium: Technological Advances in Artificial Intelligence and Informatics That Drive Policy and Practice Innovations in Social Work “Digital Pulse of Development: Leveraging Social Media Discourse for Poverty Analysis”
Time: 5:30-7:00pm
Woojin Jung, Assistant Professor
E-Poster: Victimization Against Latina with Sexual and Gender Minority Identities: A Scoping Review
Time: 5:30-7:00pm
Chiara Sabina, Professor, Chancellor’s Scholar for Inclusive Excellence in Interpersonal Violence Research & Associate Director, Center for Research on Ending Violence; Maria Alejandra Guevara-Carpio, PhD Student
Policing Families: The Long-Term Consequences of Parental Police Contact on Adolescent Legal Cynicism
Time: 5:30-7:00pm
Ashley Jackson, Assistant Professor; Riley King, PhD Candidate; Lenna Nepomnyaschy, Professor
Symposium: Technological Advances in Artificial Intelligence and Informatics that Drive Policy and Practice Innovations in Social Work
Time: 5:30-7:00pm
Lia Nower, Associate Dean for Research, Distinguished Professor, and Director, Center for Gambling Studies; George Leibowitz, Dean and Distinguished Professor; Jackie Stanmyre, Assistant Research Professor & Assistant Director, Center for Gambling Studies; Woojin Jung, Assistant Professor
Saturday, January 17
Special Interest Group: Rural Behavioral Health
Time: 7:00-8:00am
Jamey Lister, Associate Professor
Special Interest Group: Well-Being for Black Women and Girls
Time: 7:00-8:00am
Abigail Williams-Butler, Assistant Professor
Defining well-being and missed opportunities to promote child development: The passing of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act
Time: 7:00-8:30am
Abigail Williams-Butler, Assistant Professor
Right-to-Counsel Policies and Mothers’ Eviction Stress: The Role of Vacancies
Time: 8:00-9:30am
Katherine Marcal, Assistant Professor; Nora Sullivan, PhD Candidate
Conducting community-engaged research amid heightened anti-migrant rhetoric: Insights from a mixed-methods study with Latino sexual minority migrant men
Time: 8:00-9:30am
Edward Alessi, Professor; Michael Zuch, PhD Student
How does necropower shape the everyday experience of LGBTQ+ people seeking asylum
Time: 8:00-9:30am
Edward Alessi, Professor; Lillian Alexander, PhD Candidate; Michael Zuch, PhD Student
Resilience Among Latina Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: A Systematic Review of Protective Factors and Mechanisms
9:45-11:15am
Chiara Sabina, Professor, Chancellor’s Scholar for Inclusive Excellence in Interpersonal Violence Research & Associate Director, Center for Research on Ending Violence
E-Poster: Death By Suicide and Russian Roulette: Using National Registry Data to Inform Public Policy and Social Work Practice Among Young Adults
Time: 9:45-11:15am
Ryan DiMeglio, PhD Student, Assistant Professor of Teaching & Co-Director, Addiction Counselor Training Certificate Program; Jackie Stanmyre, Assistant Professor of Research & Assistant Director of the Center for Gambling Studies; Lia Nower, Associate Dean for Research, Distinguished Professor, and Director, Center for Gambling Studies; Mark van der Maas, Assistant Professor
E-Poster: Exploring the Effects of School-Related Factors on Student Behavior Outcomes: The Mediating Role of Substance Use
Time: 9:45-11:15am
Jordan Goodwin, PhD Candidate; Lillian Alexander, PhD Candidate
Special Interest Group: Strength-Based Approaches to Studying Black Male Youth: Implications for Social Work Practice
Time: 12:30-1:30pm
Adrian Gale, Assistant Professor; Durrell Washington, Assistant Professor
Grand Challenges for Social Work Roundtable: Introduction to the Social Work Grand Challenges Futures Project (2025-2026)
Time: 12:45-1:45pm
Amml Hussein, Associate Teaching Professor
Speculative Healing: AI Expressive Arts and World Building for Trauma Recovery and Workplace Readiness
Time: 4:15-5:45pm
Amml Hussein, Associate Teaching Professor
E-Poster: Serving Evacuees: Identifying Needs and Sources of Strength
Time: 4:15-5:45pm
Michael Zuch, PhD Student
The Climb Toward Equality: Examining Women’s Empowerment in Trinidad and Tobago through a Mixed Methods Study
Time: 4:15-5:45pm
Alisha Cupid, PhD Candidate
Exploratory Study on Caseworkers’ Identified Challenges and Workarounds in Engaging Families Having Limited English Proficiency
Time: 4:15-5:45pm
Nivedhitha Thiruvenkadam, PhD Candidate
Sunday, January 18
Crime and Criminal Justice Flash Talk Session
Time: 8:00-9:30am
Caroline Harmon-Darrow, Assistant Professor
The Association Between Adolescents’ Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence and Behavioral Problems: An Examination of the Form of Violence and Gender Differences
Time: 8:00-9:30am
Lauren Manley, PhD Candidate
E-Poster: Preserving independence: Evaluating an innovative model for low-income seniors living in subsidized housing
Time: 8:00-9:30am
Uri Amir-Koren, PhD Student; Karen Zurlo, Associate Professor; Ayse Akincigil, Associate Professor
Evidence Based Practices in Family First Prevention Services Act State Plans: A Policy Surveillance
Time: 9:45-11:15am
Cassandra Simmel, Associate Professor & PhD Program Director
Trajectories of Childhood Housing Insecurity and Links to Emerging Adulthood Depression: A Repeated Measures Latent Class Approach
Time: 9:45-11:15am
Katherine Marcal, Assistant Professor
E-Poster: Opportunities and Challenges for Implementing Integrated Care Services in Primary Care: A Mixed Methods Study in Medically Underserved Communities of New Jersey
Time: 9:45-11:15am
Jamey Lister, Associate Professor; Andrew Kim, PhD Candidate; Shalyse Sangster, PhD Candidate
E-Poster: Opportunities and Challenges for Implementing Integrated Care Services in Primary Care: A Mixed Methods Study in Medically Underserved Communities of New Jersey
Time: 9:45-11:15am
Andrew Kim, PhD Candidate
Dating violence and housing insecurity among college students: Examining disability and racial disparities to inform institutional action
Time: 9:45-11:15am
Julia Cusano, Assistant Professor of Research; Sarah McMahon, Professor and Director, Center for Research on Ending Violence
Symposium: Anchored in Relationship: Understanding Pathways to Building Neighborhood Cohesion to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health in Informal Settlement Areas in Kenya
Time: 11:30am-1:00pm
Enoch Boafo Amponsah, PhD Candidate
“Out of Luck”: How Service Accessibility Impacts Child Welfare Decision-Making
Time: 11:30am-1:00pm
Yan (Stella) Zhu, PhD Candidate
Beyond the Screen: Understanding the Impact of Virtual Sexual Harassment in Academia
Time: 11:30am-1:00pm
Sara Thomas, PhD Student
Exploring barriers and facilitators to inclusivity in humanitarian response to sexual violence: A qualitative inquiry of key informant perspectives
Time: 11:30am-1:00pm
Lillian Alexander, PhD Candidate; Edward Alessi, Professor; Michael Zuch, PhD Student
Family Diversity, Family Policy, and Well-Being in Separated Families Around the World
Time: 11:30am-1:00pm
Laura Cuesta, Associate Professor
Regulations for Clinical Supervision in Social Work
Time: 11:30am-1:00pm
Joy Kim, Associate Professor
E-Poster: State Earned Income Tax Credits and Intimate Partner Violence
Time: 11:30am-1:00pm
Katherine Marcal, Assistant Professor
