Calling for Transparency When Children Die from Abuse or Neglect

March 17, 2026 — In an opinion article for the Livingston Parish News, Fellow Emily Putnam-Hornstein, MSW, PhD, John A. Tate Distinguished Professor for Children in Need at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work and faculty co-director of the Children’s Data Network, argues that Louisiana needs more transparency when children die due to abuse or neglect. She makes the case that consistent, publicly available data on child fatalities is essential to preventing future tragedies and strengthening accountability.

Read the op-ed at the Livingston Parish News.

Korean American Elders and Community-Based Care

March 30, 2026 — Fellow Yuri Jang, PhD, Professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, co-authored a new qualitative study in PLOS ONE examining community readiness for the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) among Korean Americans in Los Angeles. PACE provides integrated medical, social, and personal care that helps older adults remain in their homes and communities rather than move to nursing facilities — yet little has been known about how racial and ethnic minority communities perceive the program.

Read the full study at PLOS ONE. 

Politics and Social Work in Conversation

March 12, 2026 — In recognition of National Social Work Month, Charles E. Lewis Jr., MSW, PhD, Fellow, Board Secretary and Director of the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy (CRISP), moderated a panel discussion on "The Intersection of Politics and Social Work" at Columbia University. Hosted by the Sheila Y. Oliver Foundation in partnership with Columbia University School of Social Work, the event honored the legacy of the late New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Y. Oliver.  The panelists discussed how effective public service can be guided by social work principles and encouraged young people to create their own opportunities in government and civic engagement.

Read more from NJBIZ.

Carrying Forward a Civil Rights Legacy

April 9, 2026 — Fellow and Board Member Llewellyn J. Cornelius, PhD, LCSW, PhD, LCSW, of the University of Georgia School of Social Work's Center for Social Justice, Human and Civil Rights, served as a facilitator at the University of South Carolina College of Social Work's 2026 DeQuincey Newman Institute Symposium, led by Dr. Brandi Anderson. 

The central takeaway from the two-day gathering: meaningful change requires creating spaces where passionate stakeholders can challenge one another to be action-oriented and uplift a new generation of social justice and human rights leaders. The symposium also featured Dr. Martell Teasley, former Director of the National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work, in hands-on conversations between academics and local stakeholders on building partnerships through education, scholarship, and community service.

Learn more about the I. DeQuincey Newman Institute for Peace and Social Justice.