March 2022

From the Director Happy Social Work Month!  I LOVE the month of March. While many people host various celebrations throughout the year, social workers celebrate our awesome profession during this month, and women social workers get to have a double celebration! So… bring out the balloons and cake, and let’s celebrate!  In honor of our awesome profession, the Minority Fellowship Program has a number of events slated to occur throughout the month. We began the month last week by hosting our final MFP Doctoral Application Q&A session, and then we held our own launch party on Thursday! That was so much fun, but it was only the beginning of our celebrations.  We hope you will join us in celebrating our accomplishments and our call to greater service. I encourage us to join in celebration with all the social workers around the world who facilitate change for individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. May we join in unity with those who promote the well-being of people from all walks of life. May we demonstrate a greater awareness and practice of the values that we hold dear: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. May we be reminded of our call to transform ourselves and others into persons who are destined to fulfill a greater purpose. May we be members of our community who are consistent enough to be trailblazers, captivated enough to withstand the challenges that so easily beset us, compassionate enough to continue displaying empathy and integrity even in situations that have the potential to bring great despair, and committed enough.  In the spirit of sankofa and harambee,  Kesslyn Brade Stennis, PhD  Director, Minority Fellowship Program

 

Featured Fellow: Laurenia Mangum

Laurenia Mangum is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh and is also earning her master of public health in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences in the School of Public Health. Her current research focuses on understanding the interplay of structural and social determinants of health on HIV health inequities among Black women and identifying pathways for health equity integration in established biomedical HIV prevention and treatment interventions (e.g., preexposure prophylaxis). Laurenia’s dissertation study examines the impacts of psychosocial and structural factors and network-level factors on antiretroviral therapy treatment adherence among Black mothers living with HIV in the United States. 

Of note, Laurenia has been selected as a Brown University clinical and community-based HIV/AIDS research training (CCRT) fellow for the 2021 cohort. This educational and mentoring program in clinical and community-based research trains new investigators in HIV research who are from or who conduct practice-oriented research in geographic hotspots of HIV infection. This program is led by Dr. Amy Nunn, with support from many other mentors around the United States. 

The CCRT program aligns with the U.S. Plan to End the HIV Epidemic (EHE). The program prioritizes training the next generation of investigators from communities historically underrepresented in the sciences, with emphasis on training investigators from or conducting practice-oriented research in geographic hotspots of HIV infection, with a focus on the South. This mentoring program trains scholars in HIV disparities and health equity research, community-engaged research, geographically circumscribed interventions, implementation science with health departments, and novel delivery of HIV prevention and care interventions. 

Furthermore, the MFP team is ecstatic to announce Laurenia will be joining the Jane Addams College of Social Work at University of Illinois Chicago as a tenure track assistant professor beginning in August 2022.  

Bridging the Macro–Micro Divide

Annie Grier is a macro social worker championing inclusion, diversity, equity, antiracism, accessibility, and sustainability in practice, research, and education. On February 23, 2022, she joined MFP master’s fellows to discuss how they can fully embrace the spectrum of possibility and responsibility social workers in the mental health and/or substance use spheres possess.  

The key to bridging the divide between micro and macro social work, in Ms. Grier’s words, is to recognize that there was never a need for a bridge. Macro and micro social work are on equal grounds; they are one and the same. 

In addition to sharing her experience of operating across the spectrum of social work practice, Ms. Grier provided fellows actionable advice on how to seek out careers that use social work skills at scale—a preview of the “LinkedIn for Social Workers” workshop she will lead for fellows on March 23, 2022, as part of their March training series.  

Doctoral Application Open

The application period for the 2022–2023 doctoral fellowship is open until March 16. Access additional details and application instructions here.  

Since the January 24 launch, CSWE MFP staff members have been making concerted efforts to get the word out. Most recently, staff members presented information sessions geared toward recruitment from historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, and tribal colleges and universities. In total, these sessions reached 132 potential applicants and university faculty and staff members who engage with them.  

Please direct questions about application requirements, eligibility, and award information to [email protected]. 

Master’s Application—Coming Soon!

The MFP staff is pleased to announce the upcoming opening of the 2022–2023 master’s fellowship application period! The application will open on April 5, 2022. The deadline for submissions is May 25, 2021, at 5:00 PM (EDT). A series of information sessions will be held between April 11–15, with application support sessions to follow on April 18, May 4, and May 18.  

On April 8 at 2:30 PM (EDT), master’s MFP alumni are invited to gather virtually for a Launch Party to celebrate the beginning of our 2022–2023 master’s fellowship application cycle! Please register for the event and be sure to invite MFP alumni in your networks. The MFP staff looks forward to seeing you then!  

To receive an email notification of the application opening and details about upcoming information and application support session, please share your information here by March 28, 2022.   

Upcoming Doctoral Events

The MFP is excited to offer Lunch and Learn sessions on the fourth Wednesday of each month. These sessions are designed to discuss matters that are relevant to current MFP doctoral fellows. Alumni interested in sharing their expertise with fellows in such sessions are encouraged to reach out to [email protected] to coordinate. Please register to attend March’s session on the Mock Defense, scheduled for March 23, 2022, at 12:30 PM (EDT).

Upcoming Master’s Events

March is Social Work Month, and what better way to spend it than in the (virtual) company of social work students/soon-to-be social work professionals? Beginning with a Social Work Month kick-off event on March 3, 2022, the MFP’s MSW fellows will embark on the annual March master’s training, held this year as a series during the month of March. Training content throughout the month will be geared toward discussing current mental health/substance use disorders opportunities and challenges, workforce development, and career preparation. Specific sessions will include the following: 

• Licensure Essentials, A Webinar With the Association of Social Work Boards 
• Lessons Learned: A Conversation With Alumni About Graduating and What Comes Next 
• A Path Forward for Addressing Mental Health in BIPOC Communities 
• LinkedIn for Social Workers 

Update Your Contact Information 

Have you changed jobs in the last few years? Changed your primary email address? The 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 staff efforts to enhance connectedness in the MFP community.  

Prepare Students for the Future of Technology in Social Work—CSWE Technology Summit 

Registration is now open for CSWE’s Technology Summit taking place on Tuesday, March 22. During this virtual event, social work educators will support attendees in teaching with technology and instructing students on the use of technology in social work practice. Attendees will also participate in breakout sessions to discuss ways to advance social work education to prepare students for leadership in a high-tech world. Sessions will focus on information literacy, using design-based practices and e-simulations to prepare students for telehealth practices, optimizing technology to transform the social work curriculum, and more. Sponsorship opportunities are available; please contact Chrissie Hahn at [email protected] for further information. Register here.

International Social Work Education Grant Cycle Now Open 

CSWE’s Katherine A. Kendall Institute for International Social Work Education (Kendall Institute) is excited to announce that the 2022 grant cycle is now open. 

The Kendall Institute awards grants for the development of projects to create international social work education materials and curricula that bring the global context into social work classrooms in the United States. These projects combine creativity and innovation with existing knowledge and practice to influence the future of international social work education nationwide. 

The 2022 grant cycle spans 3 years, from July 2022 to June 2025. Proposals must be submitted to CSWE by Monday, April 18, 2022, at 11:59 PM (EDT). Read the request for proposals for more information on how to apply.  

Job Fair Alert 

The Metro New York Social Work Consortium is holding their annual Master’s Level Social Work Job Fair on Friday, March 25, 2022, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.  

This year, they will be hosting the virtual job fair through the CareerEco platform. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to connect with many employers in one place for current or future openings, including full-time positions and fellowships. Learn more and register here by Friday, March 18, 2022. 

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CSWE Diversity Center’s March Educator|Resource

Visit CSWE’s Center for Diversity and Social & Economic Justice on March 15 to view the latest edition of the Educator|Resource.