The National Network for Social Work Managers: 20th Annual Management Institute will be held in Orlando, April 30-May 1, at the Regal Sun Resort. The theme for this year’s conference is “Managing in Turbulent Times.” For more information and to register visit: www.socialworkmanager.org/.

The School of Social Work will hold the 2009 Social Work Graduation Celebration on Thursday, May 7, at 1 pm in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union.

The School of Social Work presents the First Annual Infant Mental Health Institute, May 13-14. The Institute features instruction by Dr. Anne Hogan, director of the Harris Institute for Infant Mental Health Training at Florida State University. For more information and to register visit: www.iog.ucf.edu/CourseStatus.awp?~~009-0513-1.

The annual FL–National Association of Social Workers Conference will be held June 4-6 at the Renaissance Orlando Hotel Airport. For more information or to register, visit the Florida Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers’ Web site at: www.naswfl.org/conference.html.

 Recent Events

The School of Social Work, UCF Alumni Association, and NASW collaborated to present the Third Annual School of Social Work Conference, “Latinos in the New America: Responding to the Needs of a Diverse Population,” on March 6 at the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center. The conference drew over 80 diverse participants including social workers, social work students, nursing students, and other clinical professionals. The keynote address was given by Dr. Jose Maunez-Cuadra, director of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies at UCF. An expert panel on the issues faced by the Latino community comprised the Honorable Jose Rodriguez, Sister Anne Kendrick, and Dr. Bernardo Ramirez. School of Social Work faculty Dr. Olga Molina, Dr. Ana Leon, and Mr. Estelli Ramos led and co-led workshops on Intimate Partner Violence, Infant Mental Health, and Immigration respectively. The day ended with a panel discussion on community-based practice with the Latino community. To read more about the event visit: http://news.ucf.edu/UCFnews/index?page=article&id=0024004156d7b43f011fbacc5975007d51.

School of Social Work students and social work faculty attended Lobby Day in Tallahassee on March 30 and 31. An impressive 140 students attended the Rally in Tally and UCF reclaimed the prize for being the school that brought the largest number of social work students to the two-day event! Overall, approximately 600 social work students from across the state of Florida attended to lobby for professional social work, mental health, child welfare, health care, and social welfare. Thanks to Ms. Robin Kohn, BSW coordinator, who again this year planned and coordinated the event.

The First Annual Social Work Research Colloquium was held April 22 in HPA II and featured Dr. David Pollio, director of research at the University of Alabaman School of Social Work.
Dr. Pollio presented “Mapping the Geospatial Dimensions of Community-based Social Services: Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Social Work Research.”

Judge Jose Rodriguez, of the Ninth Judicial Circuit and a member of College of Health and Public Affairs' Dean’s Advisory Council, has been selected as the State Elected Official of the Year by Florida Chapter of the National Association for Social Workers.

Cindy Carlson, LCSW, director of case management for Winter Park Memorial Hospital, was selected as the Social Worker of the Year by the Central Florida Unit of the FL-NASW.

Cindi Copplemam, executive director of Shepherd’s Hope, was selected as the Public Citizen of the Year by the Central Florida Unit of the FL-NASW.

The School of Social Work faculty actively engages in individual and collaborative research resulting in high-quality publications and presentations. There is considerable breadth to the scope of work, encompassing women, youth, immigrants, health, mental health, aging, disability, and sexuality.

Dr. John Bricout has been appointed to the editorial board of the Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics. In addition, he is collaborating with Dr. Tamar Makharadze, a psychologist and fellow of the Caucasus Research Resource Centers in the Republic of Georgia, on a study of “service outcomes, perceptions and behaviors for youth with disabilities receiving community-based services.”

Dr. John Bricout has been selected to present at the 24th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference in Los Angeles in March 2009. His presentation is entitled
“Teleworking, disabilities and the socially inclusive workplace.”

Dr. Shawn Lawrence is currently collaborating with Dr. Wendell Lawther, Tory Jennison and Peggy Hightower, an MSW student, on an evaluation of the Office of the State Attorney, 9th Judicial District, Truancy Intervention Program in Orange County. In addition, Dr. Shawn Lawrence is also collaborating with Thomas Hall from the UCF Counseling Center on an article entitled “The Walk of Shame,” which depicts the students’ experiences of negative consequences from binge drinking.

Dr. Ana Leon was recently interviewed on UCF in Print as an expert on the challenges faced by Latina women living in the United States.

Dr. Olga Molina and Rebekah Hazlett are collaborating on an article entitled “Engaging BSW students in macro level roles through service learning” which examines service learning as a tool for BSW macro-level education.

Dr. Julie Steen was awarded a UCF In-house grant to support her project entitled, “Foster Parent Perspectives of Foster Care Privatization”.

Recent Faculty Publications

Leon, A.M. (2008). Child mental health services: Integrating cultural considerations when

       engaging Hispanic parents. Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults, 2, 1, 3-5.

Bricout, J.C., Baker, P.M.A., Ward, A., & Moon, N. (In press). Teleworking and the digital

        divide. In E.Ferro, Y. Dwivedi, R. Gil-Garcia, & M. Williams (Eds.). Overcoming digital

        divides: Constructing an equitable and competitive information society. Hershey, PA: IGI Publishing. 

Steen, J.A. (2009). Attitudes of domestic violence shelter workers toward mandated reporter

         laws: A study of policy support and policy impact. Journal of Policy Practice, 8, 21-33.

BSW Program & Student News

Whitney Johnson, a BSW student, displayed a research poster entitled, “Pet Abuse and Domestic Violence,” during the 2009 UCF Research Week.

Xavier Lutchmie-Persad, a BSW student, was a recipient of the NextGen Scholarship at American Humanics Management/Leadership Institute in Indianapolis, IN. The NextGen program is designed to assist students who demonstrate leadership potential complete the requirements for the American Humanics certificate.

Andrea Predl, a BSW student, was selected as the State Student Social Worker of the Year by the Florida Chapter of the National Association for Social Workers!

The UCF BSW Association recently held its annual garage sale and raised close to $900, which will be used to support the organization’s activities. The BSW Association has continued its involvement with the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Women and Children. Its members have also been busy with the completion of the Angel Tree, several food drives, and multiple guest speakers.

MSW Program & Student News

Elizabeth Engelman, an MSW student, was named the student Social Worker of Year for the Volusia/Flagler chapter.

Stephen Chase, an MSW student, was named the student Social Worker of Year for the Space Coast Unit.

Jacqueline Kupsky, an MSW student, helped to initiate a new partnership between the School of Social Work and the Marriage and Family Research Institute (MFRI). The MFRI is one of eight nationally funded SHM Together Project sites, which research the effects of marriage education and support systems on the quality and longevity of marriages in low-income couples and their children. Thanks to this partnership future MSW field education students placed within this setting will have the option to experience an integration of research and clinical work.

Joanna Wallenberg, an MSW student, and Assistant Professor Denise Gammonley presented a poster presentation entitled “College students’ perceptions of potential barriers and factors contributing to successful completion of a M.A. in gerontology” at the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education Conference in San Antonio, TX.

Sarah Webb, a first-year MSW student, has been elected as the new president of the UCF MSW Association. Sarah has a background as an educator and now seeks her MSW to pursue her interests in mental health counseling, research, and advocacy for the rights of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Community. Sarah is very involved in volunteer efforts locally and nationally.

The UCF MSW Association held its final meeting to plan the upcoming year’s volunteers and speakers. Over the summer students can stay connected to classmates and upcoming events through the Association’s Facebook page. If you are a Facebook member search for the UCF MSW Association under the Groups search.

Great News! With the working professional in mind, the UCF Daytona Beach regional campus part-time MSW program can now be completed in 3 years instead of 3 ½ years. To find out more about the Daytona MSW program’s course progression contact Dr. Maralee Walsh at 386-506-4094.

The School of Social Work is exploring the option of establishing a part-time MSW program in Osceola County to begin in the fall 2010 semester. Stay tuned to future newsletters for more information about this exciting possibility. For more information contact Mr. Estelli Ramos at
407- 823-2114.

PAF Program & Student News 

On March 19, Kathryn Frahm successfully defended her dissertation, “Family support and mental health care quality in nursing homes serving residents with a mental health history.” Congratulations
Dr. Frahm!!

Rebekah Hazlett, a PhD student in the social work cognate area of the Doctoral Program in Public Affairs, was selected as the College of Health and Public Affairs' winner of the 2008-09 Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Teaching and was nominated for the Graduate Student Teaching Excellence award at the university level.

The social work cognate area of the Doctoral Program in Public Affairs has added two new social work students to its ranks. We extend a warm welcome to Terrance Ruth and Mike Mason!! 

The School of Social Work Community Advisory Council continues to meet regularly. The most recent meeting was held on Feb. 18 and the next meeting is scheduled for May 20. To learn more about our Community Advisory Council, click here.

The Social Work Alumni Chapter recognizes and congratulates its committee members: Peggy Hightower, chair for 2008; Jill Davis, chair-elect; and Paula Lupton, communications officer. This Chapter is currently looking for a special events officer and membership officer.

A COPHA Alumni Facebook page has been established for those interested in staying connected with colleagues. If you are a Facebook member, you may find this link by searching for UCF College of Health and Public Affairs Alumni under the Groups search.

To find out about upcoming meetings, visit www.ucfalumni.com and go to the chapter/club section. For questions email cohpa@ucfalumni.com or call 407-823-1600.

Social Work Works! is produced by the faculty, staff and students of the School of Social Work with assistance from COHPA External Relations. Please email your comments and news to be included in the next issue to socialworknews@mail.ucf.edu.