School of Social Welfare Dean's Update |
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Community engagement is at the heart of research in the KU School of Social Welfare.
Through research centers, funded projects, public scholarship and service, our faculty, staff and students use research to ask and answer tough questions, striving to create change that improves lives and communities.
In this month’s newsletter, we share stories about ways the School engages with communities through research:
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Researchers have developed resources for healthcare providers to prevent, identify and treat substance use disorders across Kansas as part of the Enhancing SBIRT project.
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Faculty connect with communities through public scholarship, including sharing insights in innovative ways. One professor adapted a journal article on climate justice into a graphic novel.
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Practitioner-scholars in the Doctor of Social Work program use research to solve problems of social work practice. Recent DSW graduates will share their capstone research in the DSW Spotlight Series this fall.
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We rely on collaboration with our alumni, friends and partners to meaningfully connect with communities across Kansas, the Midwest, the U.S. and the world. As always, we welcome your ideas and feedback at kusswdo@ku.edu.
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Take good care and Rock Chalk,
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Michelle Carney, PhD, MSSA
Dean and Professor
KU School of Social Welfare
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Study analyzes environmental impacts of academic conference travel, encourages rethinking alternatives |
A new study by a KU School of Social Welfare researcher examines the air travel required to attend many academic conferences from a climate-justice perspective.
Assistant Professor Joonmo Kang conducts research on climate justice and how extreme climate events affect some of the world's most vulnerable populations.
Kang and co-authors published a commentary that encourages reflection on how long-standing academic practices contribute to the climate crisis. Rather than calling for an end to academic gatherings, the research encourages the field to consider more sustainable and equitable alternatives.
"What I hoped to convey in this piece was not that we should stop flying to conferences, but that we should pause and question the practices we have normalized, consider the costs behind them, explore alternatives and take steps to make things better," Kang said.
Kang also collaborated with an illustrator and science communicator to produce a graphic‑novel adaptation of the piece, making the ideas and findings more accessible to a wider audience.
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| SBIRT training resources available |
Researchers in the KU School of Social Welfare have updated training materials that prepare health care providers to prevent, identify and treat substance use disorders across Kansas.
SBIRT — Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment — is an evidence-based approach to talking with people about their substance use.
SBIRT training materials include a video refresher course for providers who completed a previous SBIRT training, an updated training course and video series, and downloadable screening and intervention tools for healthcare providers to use in conversations with people they serve.
“These are tangible, nuts-and-bolts tools that they can use right away,” said Christina Boyd, project co-director for Enhancing SBIRT through Provider Workforce Development in Kansas.
Training, videos and resources are available at SBIRT.care.
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Graduating Student Spotlight: Nandhini Sachithanandham |
For Nandhini Sachithanandham, graduating with a BSW degree at times felt like a long, winding process. Social work wasn’t always the plan, but Sachithanandham spent years finding herself and found a career that shaped her moral compass, she said.
Whether it was the classes, the instructors, or the wide range of possibilities with a social work degree, Sachithanandham looks forward to the next stage of life.
"Most of my classes, before social work, I just didn’t feel seen at all. But all of my classes and instructors here made me feel part of this," she said.
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Graduating Student Spotlight: Yazmin Brown |
Yazmin Brown leans on her difficult upbringing as her motivation to be a great social worker. Brown, who grew up in the foster care system in Kansas City, Kansas, has ambitions for a career helping children who seek to be understood and heard.
Graduating with an MSW from KU is an achievement Brown never imagined for herself, but now it is here.
“What I want to do for the rest of my life is help people,” Brown said.
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A series of virtual continuing education events this fall highlights connections between research and practice from students in the online Doctor of Social Work (DSW) program.
The DSW Spotlight Series features presentations from KU DSW graduates and current students. They will share work from their DSW Capstone Projects on topics including health service access, mental health and intellectual disability, and child and family services.
Events include:
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Joshua S. Gillihan-Young, BSW 2018, graduated in May with a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree from Rockhurst University.
Whether you just received a promotion, started a new position or project, or moved across the country, the School of Social Welfare wants to stay updated on your life adventures. Update your contact information and share your alumni news.
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Arlice Gregory Smith, MSW 1974, passed away on June 10, 2026, at age 89. Read obituary.
Annette Rouleau, MSW 1983, passed away on May 30, 2026, at age 77. Read obituary.
Georgey Killgore Herron, BSW 1993, passed away on March 14, 2026, at age 54. Read obituary.
Darnell Johnson, MSW 2000, passed away on July 2, 2026, at age 57. Read obituary.
Adam James (AJ) Rain, MSW 2022, passed away on July 2, 2026, at age 44. Read obituary.
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Photos: KU Social Welfare at Garden City Art in the Park |
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KU School of Social Welfare hosted a stress-relieving art activity during Art in the Park in Garden City in June.
Attendees were invited to “create your calm” on a mini canvas. Faculty and research staff shared how social workers help individuals and communities with coping tools that reduce stress.
We enjoyed talking about social work with alumni, friends and Art in the Park attendees who stopped by our booth!
Faculty and research staff also visited practicum agency partners in Garden City and Salina before the event. These agencies provide behavioral health, early childhood programs, social services and healthcare to communities in western Kansas, and provide professional training and mentoring to our MSW students.
Photos from Garden City Art in the Park
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The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university’s programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and procedures and is the Title IX Coordinator for all KU campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY. Reports can be submitted by contacting the Title IX Coordinator as provided herein or using the Title IX online report form and complaints can be submitted with the Title IX Coordinator or using the Title IX online complaint form.
The University of Kansas is a public institution governed by the Kansas Board of Regents.
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