Graduates from the School of Arts and Sciences cheering at the end of the Rutgers’ 257th Anniversary Commencement.

Student & Alumni Accomplishments

Discover recent accomplishments from Rutgers School of Social Work Doctor of Social Work (DSW) students.

DSW Student & Alumni Accomplishments

Ren Winnett
Ren Winnett, MSW, LICSW is a DSW third year student.

Winnett, R. (2022) The Experiences of Hospital Social Workers Who Care For Homeless Patients: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Social Work in Health Care, DOI: 10.1080/00981389.2022.2033379

Bethany Chase
Bethany Chase, LSW, CESP, is a second year DSW student. Bethany is currently a Training and Consultation Specialist at The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, where she provides training, consultation, and education to professionals, advocates, and families on pathways to employment, post-secondary and adult education, community-based supports, and transition to adulthood.

Chase, B. (2022). The Unexpected Comfort of Feeling It All: A Support Group for Mothers of Autistic Adolescents Using the Lens of Ambiguous Loss. Clinical Social Work Journalhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-022-00834-2

Bushra Husain
Bushra Husain, MSW, LCSW is a DSW third year student.

Husain, B. (2022). EMDR with First-Generation College Students At-Risk of Facing a Forced Marriage. Clinical Social Work Journalhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-021-00828-6.

Tam Le Rovitto
Tam Le Rovitto is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in New Jersey and New York. Tam earned her BA in Psychology and Sociology from Rutgers University and MSSW from Columbia University, School of Social Work. Tam’s professional experience include the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and District Council 37 (the largest public employee union in NYC). In 2013, Tam returned to Rutgers at the Counseling Center, and currently is the Group Programs Coordinator. In this role, Tam manages and supervises staff and trainees in group psychotherapy. Tam is a third year student and anticipated to graduate in May 2022. 

Rovitto, T. L. (2021). Narratives and Assets: Enhancing Counseling Center Clinicians’ Knowledge and Skills in Working With First-Generation College Students. Journal of First-generation Student Success. https://doi.org/10.1080/26906015.2021.1985929

Stephanie Cedeño
Stephanie is a school social worker for over 10 years in the Union City Public Schools district. As a school social worker, Stephanie has and continues to learn from the immigrant students she works with. Among the experiences and stories she has heard throughout the years are those of youth who migrated to the United States as unaccompanied minors. Their stories share themes of courage, searching for opportunities, loss, trauma, and connection. The article is a composite case example that illustrates the importance of helping unaccompanied minors in secondary schools make important connections that foster resiliency and healthy youth development.

Cedeño, S.,M. (2021). Conexiones: Brokering connections with unaccompanied immigrant adolescents in secondary schools. School Social Work Journal, 45(2), 1-20. Retrieved from Proquest.

Allison Bates

Emily Buchenhorst

Stephanie M. Cedeño

Deborah Dumont

  • Dumont, D. (2020). Helicopter parenting during emerging adulthood and the loss of grit.  In J.L.M. McCoyd, J. M. Koller, & C. A. Walter., Grief and loss across the lifespan: A biopsychosocial perspective (3rd ed.) (pp. XX). Springer Publishing
  • Dumont, D.E. (2019). Facing adulthood: Helicopter parenting as a Family Projection Process. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy (on-line first), doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/87568225.2019.1601049
  • NASW Conference April 2019: Facing Adulthood: Helicopter Parenting as a Function of the Family Projection Process
  • Hopewell Valley Parenting Conference, January 2018

Karie McGuire

  • McGuire, K. (2018). The embodiment of complex trauma in domestic minor sex trafficking victims and the dangers of misidentification. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 29(4),535-547. 
  • McGuire, K. (2019). Straight on the streets and gay for the stay: The emerging bisexuality of a trafficked female. In M. Jaffe, M. Conti, J. Longhofer & J. Floercsh (Eds.) The social work and LGBTQ sexual trauma casebook (Chapter 8).  London, United Kingdom: Routledge.
  • McGuire, K, (2020) Releasing Rosie: A Case of pediatric hospice. In McCoyd, J. L. M., Koller, J. M. & Walter, C. A. (2020).  Grief and loss across the lifespan: A biopsychosocial perspective (3rd ed).  New York: Springer Publishing Co.
  • NASW National Conference, June 2020 - Topic:  Unwanted Consensual Sex: Addressing the Hidden and Unspoken Education of Submission in Practice 
  • NASW New Jersey Conference, April 2020 - Topic: Sex Trafficking in the USA: The Voices of Survivors Here at Home
  • NASW New Jersey Conference,  April 2019 - Topic: Complex Trauma in Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking and the Dangers of Misidentification
  • International Human Trafficking and Social Justice Conference,  September 2018 - Topic: Complex Trauma in Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking and the Dangers of Misidentification

Kira O'Brien

  • O'Brien, K (December, 2020) Lonely This Holiday Season? It's Ok To Be Pissed https://queersforacause.com/all/f/lonely-this-holiday-season-its-ok-to-be-pissed
  • O’Brien, K., Cauchois, E. (June, 2020). Sounds of Social Justice in the Era of COVID-19. Social Work Today. https://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/exc_061220.shtml
  • O’Brien, K., Ryan-DeDominicis, T (May, 2020). Looking Past Parking Lots: Socially Just Interventions for Our Homeless Neighbors During COVID-19. The New Social Worker. https://www.socialworker.com/feature-articles/practice/looking-past-parking-lots-socially-just-interventions-homeless-covid19/
  • IIDEA: Inclusion, Intersectionality, Diversity, Equity & Advancement          
    • Elected Representative, Rutgers School of Social Work- Doctorate of Social Work Program
  • American College Personnel Association National Conference, Presenter, March 2020
    • Presented “Civic Engagement Programs & Their Role in the Acclimation of Forced Migrant Students to Higher Education"
  • Montclair State University, Invited Panelist, Montclair, NJ
    • Discussed the role of resettlement agencies in the effective and ethical support of recently arrive refugee and asylee youth and families
  • NASW-PA, Presenter, National Association of Social Workers, Pennsylvania
    • Presented “The Roles of Social Work in Higher Education: Faculty, Administration, & Community Partnership.”
  • Association of American UniversitiesSpeaker, Washington, D.C.
    • Invited to present a talk titled “Rooted in Values,” which explored student civic identity development.
  • Awards/Certificates
    • Leadership Certificate Programs, Cornell Certificate Program, Cornell University, eCornell
    • NASW-NJ Leadership Development Certificate
    • TigerWell Grant Award Winner (with fellow cohort member Taji Karim-Reisch) Death Over Dinner
    • PrincetonWrites Prize Winner Wine, Water & Marinara (Spring 2019) https://pwrites.princeton.edu/water-wine-marinara/ 

Kayti Protos

  • Protos, K. (2020). Restricting the gendered body: Understanding the trans-masculine adolescent with anorexia. Clinical Social Work Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-020-00758-9.
  • Co-author of the book A clinician’s guide to gender identity and body image: Practical support for working with transgender and non-binary clients
  • https://www.lgbthealtheducation.org/courses/eating-disorders-and-body-dissatisfaction/ 
  • Panelist, “Understanding the opioid epidemic in rural counties: Stories from healthcare professionals on the front line” with the Interprofessional Behavioral Healthcare Regional Summit in Pittsburgh, PA, March 4, 2020
  • Invited co-lecturer, “Eating disorders and body dissatisfaction” at the Advancing Excellence in Transgender Health Conference sponsored by the Fenway Institute and Harvard Medical School, November 3, 2019
  • Presentation, “Restricting the gendered body: Understanding the trans-masculine adolescent with anorexia” as part of the LGBTQIA+ and Two-Spirit Track at the Council on Social Work Education, October 27, 2019
  • Presentation, “Becoming a safe space for LGBTQ+ clients” at the NASW-PA and PASWE conference, September 24 2019
  • Co-presenter, “Social work roles in higher education: Faculty, administration, and community partnership” at the NASW-PA and PASWE conference, September 23, 2019
  • Co-presenter, “Queering the body: Body image and gender expansive adolescents and young adults” at the Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference, July 25, 2019
  • Presentation, “Queering recovery: Substance use and eating disorder recovery in transgender and gender expansive young adults” at Innovations in Behavioral Health Conference, June 20, 2019
  • Co-presenter, “Healing through creativity: The body in LGBTQ+ clients” at the Renfrew Center Foundation Conference, November 10, 2018

Tam Le Rovitto

Tara Ryan-DeDominicis

Edith Lori Slater

Sherri Wilson

  • 2020 NASW National Conference, Social Workers Make a Difference:How do learning disabilities & ASD go undetected and how can socials workers effectively intervene?

Ren Winnett