PhD Students
Elin Amundson
Pronouns: she/her
amund182@umn.edu
Research interests:
History of social work, Ethics in social work education and practice, Community-based interventions, Rural communities
Teaching interests:
Theory, history, and philosophy in social work, Group work, Practice with adolescents and families
Melissa Latchman
Pronouns: she/her
Research Interests:
Moral injury/burnout/compassion fatigue, Social Policy & Advocacy, Criminal Justice Reform for Defendants Deemed Incompetent to Proceed
Teaching Interests:
Clinical Social Work, Supervision, Social Policy, Culturally Responsive Practice, Mental Health, Social Justice, Trauma
Labibah Buraik
Pronouns: she/her
burai004@umn.edu
Research interests:
BIPOC student mental health, Culturally relevant interventions, Colonialism in academic institutions, Impacts of microaggressions
Teaching interests:
Social work history, Supervision, Direct practice, Mental health interventions
Will Carlson
Pronouns: he/him
carl2871@umn.edu
Research interests:
Implementation, Humanitarian immigration, Mental health, Cultural adaptation, Resilience
Teaching interests:
Clinical social work, Trauma treatment, Evaluation
Jessica Coleman
Research interests:
Child welfare, Discrimination, Disparities reduction, Socialization
Teaching interests:
Child welfare, Mental health, Social welfare history, Comparative racial and ethnic analysis
Amy Dorman
Pronouns: she/her/ella
dorm0039@umn.edu
Research interests:
Cross-sector collaboration, Social policy, Violence prevention
Teaching interests:
Research methods (qualitative, mixed, applied), Policy, Gender studies
Stephanie Hanson
Pronouns: she/her
hans7144@umn.edu
Research interests:
Perinatal mental health disorders, Empowerment, Maternal and child health
Teaching interests:
Research methodology, Social epidemiology, Maternal and child health, Public mental health, Program evaluation
Bonnie Horgos
Pronouns: she/her
horgo001@umn.edu
Research interests:
Multidimensional continuum models of alcohol and substance use, Alcohol and cultural hegemony, Critical feminist research methods and methodologies, Hungarian assimilation in the United States
Teaching interests:
Substance use and social work, Research methods (quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods)
Wonjoon Hwang
Pronouns: he/him
hwang330@umn.edu
Research interests:
Family conflict resolution, Family communication strategies, Family resilience, Children and families well-being, Child development, Emotional abuse, Trauma
Teaching interests:
Children and families, Trauma, Research methods (quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods)
Shelby Flanagan
Pronouns: she/her or they/them
flana064@umn.edu
Research interests:
Health equity and health care policy
Teaching interests:
Quantitative research methods, Research methods in social sciences, LGBTQ health
Channel Lowery
Pronouns: she/her
lower079@umn.edu
Research interests:
Black social workers, Self-care, Organizational culture
Teaching interests:
Research, Self-care education, Culturally responsive practice
Quinn Oteman
Pronouns: he/him
otema001@umn.edu
Research interests:
Aging, Community-Based Participatory Research, LGBTQ+, Neurodevelopmental disabilities
Teaching interests:
Disability policy & advocacy, Research methods, Sexual health & wellness
Jacob Otis
Pronouns: he/him
otisx055@umn.edu
Research interests:
Restorative justice, Intimate partner violence, Police misconduct
Teaching interests:
Quantitative research methods, Families & groups, Theory
Kazi Abusaleh
Pronouns: he/him
abusa029@umn.edu
Research Interests: Child protection, Culturally informed interventions, Immigrant and refugee family well-being, Immigration policies, Religious and spiritual approaches to mental health
Teaching interests: Child welfare, Emancipatory social work, International social work, Research Methods in Social Work (Qualitative, Mixed methods), Social policy analysis
Kayla Richards
Pronouns: she/her; they/them
rich2016@umn.edu
Research interests:
Intergroup dominance, Social work pedagogy as intervention, Juvenile legal system, Indigenous methodologies
Teaching interests:
Social policy, Group work, Field
Chittaphone Santavasy
Pronouns: she/her
sant0175@umn.edu
Research interests:
Youth work education and training, Youth work, Youth civic engagement
Teaching interests:
Qualitative research, Youth studies, Youth work
Laura Soltani
Pronouns: she/her
garlo017@umn.edu
Research interests:
Refugee resettlement, Welfare policy, Guaranteed income, Labor rights and exploitation, Immigration policy
Teaching interests:
Program evaluation, Policy, Trauma, Research methods, Migration
Johara Suleiman
Pronouns: she/her
sulei024@umn.edu
Research interests:
Child welfare policy, Race and racialization, Immigrant communities, Systems of acculturation, Parenting
Teaching interests:
Child welfare history and policy, Family and group practice, Trauma, Race and immigration
Kenny Turck
Houa Vang
Pronouns: she/her
vang1078@umn.edu
Research interests:
Hmong mental health and holistic healing practices, acculturation and socialization of Asian immigrant/refugees
Teaching interests:
Clinical social work, Assessment and engagement, Qualitative research
Siyu Gao (Louise)
Pronouns: she/her
gao00517@umn.edu
Research interests:
Older adults with dementia and ADRD and their caregivers, Immigration, Micro-aggression, Cultural adaptation, Health disparities, Community-based intervention, Effects of fatphobia
Teaching interests:
Program evaluation, Supervision, Older adults, Asian studies, International social work