From the MFP Team
Society for Social Work Research 2025
Fellows Spotlight
Alumni Spotlight
MFP's Legacy
Apply Now: MFP 2025–2026 Doctoral Application
Interested in Becoming a Master’s MFP Fellow?
We Need You! Volunteer With CSWE-MFP
Update Your Contact Information
Resources
From the MFP TeamDear MFP Community, |
Society for Social Work Research 2025
In January, the MFP team attended the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) annual conference, where we had the privilege of supporting and learning from our talented doctoral fellows as they presented their research. Their work explored critical issues related to mental health and substance use among underserved diverse communities. Topics included financial well-being and mental health among Latinas and Latinos during the COVID-19 pandemic, mentoring strategies to promote healing and social change, and the relationship between moderate to severe depression and marijuana use among Black male college students. These presentations highlighted the fellows’ dedication to advancing research that informs policies and practices for more equitable mental health and substance use systems of support.
Above the MFP team is pictured with current MFP doctoral fellow Juliann Li Verdugo who is a 2nd-year PhD student at the University of Washington School of Social Work. Her presentations at SSWR included a scoping review of the experiences of Asian caregivers for loved ones with severe mental illness, a study evaluating oral health and food insecurity among Korean American older adults, and a qualitative study evaluating HIV prevention among Spanish-speaking Latino men who have sex with men.
Fellows Spotlight
D’Wayne James, MSW, LCSW, is a PhD candidate at Howard University School of Social Work. Born and raised in Boston, he earned his BSW and MSW from Adelphi University in Long Island, NY. His research focuses on intersectionality, occupational experiences, and social media engagement among clinical social workers. In addition to his academic work, he provides psychotherapy services to medical students at St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies. As a 2nd-year MFP fellow, D’Wayne has found the program to be a vital source of support and professional growth, reinforcing his commitment to completing his doctoral studies while maintaining a positive academic experience. His career aspirations include entering academia while continuing to provide mental health services to underserved communities and medical students. He is particularly interested in integrating social media and project-based learning into his teaching and research, ensuring accessibility and engagement for the populations social workers serve. D’Wayne is currently on the job market open to both assistant professor faculty positions, and post-doctoral research positions in the DMV area.
Amaya Reynolds is a 2024–2025 MFP MSW fellow who earned a bachelor degree in education with a minor in sociology from the University of Virginia and is currently pursuing her Master’s of Social Work degree at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. While her undergraduate studies were in education, her focus on youth mentorship and community engagement sparked her passion for social work, community service, and fostering a more equitable society.
Currently, Amaya is completing a school social work internship at an elementary school in Belleville, Illinois, and serves as the Core Programs Coordinator for LEADSTL, a St. Louis-based nonprofit that equips young people with leadership and advocacy skills to pursue social justice. These roles have allowed Amaya to work directly with youth, investing in their growth, resilience, and potential.
Over the past 4 years, she has worked with children and youth aged three to nineteen, primarily from marginalized backgrounds. Amaya finds deep purpose in creating spaces where young people feel safe, supported, and empowered—particularly in a society that often fails to provide them with such opportunities.
The MFP has connected Amaya to invaluable colleagues and resources, including the NASW, strengthening her ability to serve youth in her community. Networks like the MFP have reinforced Amaya’s confidence and hope in the transformative power of social work. She believes social workers are uniquely positioned to drive meaningful change across various sectors, and she is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to a more equitable, human-centered world. Amaya’s hope is that the field prioritizes proactive engagement at the micro-, mezzo-, and macro- levels ensuring all individuals not only survive, but thrive regardless of background or identity.
Alumni Spotlight
This past December 2023–2024 MFP doctoral alumna LaTisha Thomas successfully defended her dissertation at the University of Texas at Arlington’s School of Social Work. The MFP would like to extend a huge congratulations to Dr. Thomas who explored the impact of trauma exposure on Black women in her dissertation “Trauma Exposure’s Influence on How Black Superwomen Cope and Perceive Stress.” If you’d like to read her dissertation and findings, they can be accessed here.
MFP’s Legacy
In 1974, CSWE’s MFP was awarded a grant by the National Institute of Mental Health to increase the number of minority doctoral students majoring in mental health research. This first award was the catalyst for the program we celebrate today. Please take time to acknowledge those who paved the way with our ongoing MFP Legacy section highlighting those fellows who first were awarded fellowship. Find information on all 15 of the 1975–1976 cohort of MFP doctoral fellows here. Below is one fellow’s biographical profile from when they were a fellow.
“Anita Polk, after a career that included community relations director and deputy director of the Urban League of Cleveland, and editor for the Pittsburgh Courier, received her MSW in 1965 from the School of Applied Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. She now plans to return there to study for a doctoral degree.”
Apply Now: MFP 2025–2026 Doctoral Application
The 2025–2026 Doctoral MFP Application is open and submissions will be accepted until Monday, March 17, 2025, at 11:59 PM (ET). To assist you with the application process, the MFP Team has prepared a Frequently Asked Questions document, Application Guidebook and informative video detailing program goals and offerings.
Interested in Becoming an MFP Fellow?
If you are interested in learning more about the program, and would be interested in applying for the MSW fellowship during the 2025–2026 fellowship year, please sign up to be notified once the application opens by using the QR code below:
We Need You! Volunteer With CSWE-MFP
There are many opportunities to volunteer with CSWE’s MFP this upcoming fellowship year. You do not have to be an MFP alumnus or social work educator to volunteer! Volunteering for the MFP is not time consuming; you get back what you give, and the time to apply is now. Here’s how you can help:
1. Become an application reader: Support the selection of the next cohort of master’s and doctoral MFP fellows!
2. Mentor a master’s or doctoral student: Support the academic and career development of a student passionate about meeting the needs of BIPOC communities.
3. Be a guest speaker: Share your subject matter expertise by speaking on one of the topics, requested by incoming students (see below). Alternatively, if there’s a topic you believe to be of value to this group, please reach out to discuss it with our team.
- Abolitionist social work
- Disability-centered social work practice
- Grants 101
- Grief
- Inclusive sex therapy
- Innovative research methods
- Innovative treatment modalities
- LGBTQ+ youth mental health
- Narrative therapy
- Pathways to clinical licensure
- Postgraduation trials and tribulations
- Program evaluation
- Role of social work in reentry
- Social work and the arts
- Strengths-based approaches to working with BIPOC communities
- Supporting international students
Update Your Contact Information
Have you changed jobs in the last few years? Changed your primary email address? CSWE’s MFP relies on current contact information for our internal database, which we use to contact alumni and help us prepare our reports for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Please use this link to share your updated contact information. Additionally, you are encouraged to reach out to MFP alumni you are connected with and request that they share their updated information too. Thank you in advance for supporting MFP team efforts to enhance connectedness in the MFP community.
Resources
Join the Emerging Leaders Data Equity Cohort!
The Data for Social Impact (DSI), an initiative of the Center for Social Development in the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, is offering its first Emerging Leaders Data Equity Cohort this spring. This free opportunity is open to graduate students and recent graduates interested in cultivating equitable, collaborative data practices. The cohort is grounded in peer learning with no previous data experience required. A certificate will be given upon completion. The cohort will meet at 11:00 AM (CT) on March 6, March 27, April 17, May 8, and May 29. Register here.
Conference
National Association of Black Social Workers National Conference
The 57th Annual National Conference will be held (April 15–19, 2025) in Richmond, VA. Connect with Black social workers from across the USA. Dr. Hedrington-Jones, National President of the National Association of Black Social Workers, states, “This year's theme, ‘Social Work is Determination, Opportunity, Power, Equity,’ encapsulates the transformative impact of our profession and the legacy we continue to build. Social workers are at the forefront of change, harnessing our determination to overcome challenges, creating opportunities for communities to thrive, leveraging power to dismantle systems of oppression, and advocating for equity at every turn.”
Training
SUD 101 Core Curriculum (2023)
“The 23 modules in this 2023 curriculum provide an overview of evidence-based practices in the prevention, identification, and treatment of substance use disorders and co-occurring medical and psychiatric conditions for a variety of populations.”
Learn more.
Scholarship
The Carl A. Scott Memorial Fund was developed in recognition of Carl A. Scott’s contributions to CSWE and the social work profession. This scholarship opportunity upholds the legacy of equity and social justice in social work through building knowledge and furthering the well-being of individuals and their communities. These were the goals to which Scott devoted his life's work.
Two $500 book scholarships will be awarded to one BSW and one MSW student who have demonstrated their commitment to promoting equity, racial, economic, and environmental justice in their social work careers. To learn more about the eligibility requirements and how to apply, click here.