September 2020

From the Director Dear Fellows and Alumni,   As we close out our 45th year, I hope you were able to view the videos from my conversation with Dr. Aracelis Francis. Her historical perspectives on social work and social work education serve as a lighthouse as we navigate life’s changes—from the COVID pandemic to the racial reckoning throughout American society. September is Hispanic Heritage Month, and we are proud to recognize the work that Viridiana Sigla is doing in El Paso, TX. A member of the inaugural MFP master’s cohort, Viridiana shares her perspective on working with Latinx migrants and American Indians. View the full newsletter to watch her interview. In Fellowship,  Duy Nguyen, PhD

MFP Fellowship

Viridiana Sigla on the Pressing Issues Facing Migrants
“Mental health is a pressing issue that social workers and other mental health workers should be aware of and must know about migrants. They not only need assistance for accessing housing or accessing health care. When they come here, they have these hopes and dreams, and not being able to achieve them or not being able to access the services adds another level of trauma. Like migrating from your country of origin, leaving your family behind, leaving everything that you know of, and acculturating to this new country brings in so many difficulties. So as social workers and mental health providers, we must be aware of all these barriers when we are helping these clients because of the complexity. We should be aware, and we should be able to advocate for them and connect them with other agencies and provide psychoeducation, so they know that we are there for them, and then they're not alone in this new country.” —Viridiana Sigla




Call for Volunteers Deadline Extended
Good news—we are extending our call for volunteers until September 28, 2020! We are especially interested in applications for the master’s and doctoral advisory committees from individuals who have lived experience with a behavioral health condition. Additionally, we seek applications for master’s and doctoral mentors. Access more information and the online application here.

Congratulations MSW and Doctoral Students!
CSWE and the MFP staff would like to congratulate all the fellows who graduated from master’s and doctoral programs this past academic year! Although we are living in unprecedented times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we hope that you will remain encouraged to seek new beginnings, new careers, new identities, and new roles as social work educators and clinicians. The work you do is important, and you must stay vigilant to the cause. Congratulations on this significant milestone! In the words of Dr. Seuss, “Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!”

 

Featured Alumni

Tina L. Dothard Peterson, PhD
Dr. Tina L. Dothard Peterson (Doctoral 2010) is receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program in Health Disparities through the National Institutes of Minority Health and Disparities. The initial award is for 2 years and valued at $100,000. Learn more about Dr. Peterson here. 


Keith Chan, LMSW, PhD
Dr. Keith Chan (Doctoral 2013) is joining the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, City University of New York. Dr. Chan is the co-investigator for a $100,000 planning grant to bring Lori's Hands, a program providing home-based support services to older adults and their caregivers, to Eastern Michigan University. Dr. Chan is also a member of the new Health and Aging Policy Fellows cohort for 2020–2021, where he will work with federal and state agencies to advance the lives of older adults, particularly Asian American older adults who have experienced disparate rates of chronic illness and unaddressed or under-addressed mental health issues. Connect with Dr. Chan here.

Carmen Monico, PhD
Dr. Carmen Monico (Doctoral 2011) will mentor PhD students in the joint NCAT-UNCG social work graduate programs. Dr. Monico’s scholarship includes bilingual and transnational dissertation on illegal adoptions from Guatemala. She has published extensively on intercountry adoption, global migration, human trafficking, and civic engagement and social accountability. Dr. Monico’s global scholarship extends to the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar. Connect with Dr. Monico here.

Maurya Glaude, PhD, MSW, LCSW-BACS
Dr. Maurya Glaude (Doctoral 2017) is the field director at Tulane University School of Social Work. Dr. Glaude aims to build a top-tier clinical training program to improve the standard of care in BIPOC communities by strengthening ties with local agencies and developing and sustaining partnerships in diverse communities across New Orleans and nationally. Connect with Dr. Glaude here. 

 

 

Resources

Interdisciplinary MFP Partnership
The CSWE Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) is partnering with other MFP grantees to develop an interdisciplinary MFP (IMFP). Led by our colleagues at the American Psychological Association, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration-funded project will bring together master’s and doctoral IMFP fellows across behavioral health disciplines to collaborate on a community-based project while receiving interdisciplinary training and mentoring. Our traditional MFP remains in place, and the IMFP adds another pathway for students to address the behavioral health needs of our target population. Applications for the inaugural cohort are extended through October 4, so please share this application information with your networks!

CSWE Diversity Center’s September Educator|Resource
Visit CSWE’s Center for Diversity and Social & Economic Justice to view the September Educator|Resource. Dr. Guia Calicdan-Apostle, associate professor of social work at Stockton University in New Jersey, turns to the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has posed for social workers globally. Focusing on her home country of the Philippines, she conducts a virtual self-care training webinar for social workers, revealing rich cultural nuances of international social work.