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AASWSW President: 10 New Fellows Ready to ‘Meet the Moment’
The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW) welcomed 10 new Fellows on January 15, 2025, at an induction ceremony during the 2025 Society for Social Work Research conference in Seattle.
The occasion comes at a time when we stand on the precipice of profound change during a time of growing social needs in our nation, said Academy President Michael A. Lindsey. “It is hard to know what the future holds. However, we do know that each and every one of our Fellows possesses the talents, passion and drive to meet the moment.”
Dr. Lindsey’s remarks harkened back to last year’s induction address, when he spoke about the importance of using the Academy’s collective platform to elevate the power of social work and social welfare to address society’s most pressing concerns.
Since then, the Academy has hosted a groundbreaking webinar series titled “Transformative Research and Practice in Community Collaboration,” with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Casey Family Programs, and William T. Grant Foundation, the series covered a wide range of topics related to innovations in research practices for improved community connections, with special attention to child welfare, families and early life development. Former Academy President Mary McKay and the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis had a leading role in that initiative.
Additionally, the Academy news blog was revived as a weekly series that trumpets the individual accomplishments and impact of our Fellows. The blog and the companion Twitter and LinkedIn accounts were reinstated to ensure that the news of Fellows’ achievements is amplified and acknowledged.
Dr. Lindsey also outlined upcoming plans to continue elevating the Fellows’ thought leadership with policymakers and to deepen connections between the members through website upgrades.
Meet the new Fellows:
Dr. Joanne Cacciatore is a Senior Global Futures Scientist and Professor at Arizona State University’s School of Social Work, where she directs the Graduate Certificate in Trauma and Bereavement Program. She is the founder of the MISS Foundation, an international NGO, and has served on Oprah and Prince Harry’s Mental Health Committee for the Apple TV Series The Me You Can’t See.
Ramona W. Denby-Brinson, Ph.D.
Dr. Ramona Denby-Brinson is the Dean and Wallace H. Kuralt, Sr. Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. With over 30 years of experience in social work education, her scholarly work focuses on child welfare, children’s mental health, and culturally specific service delivery. She is also the President of the Society for Social Work and Research.
Dr. Karen Tabb Dina is a Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a faculty affiliate at Carle Foundation Hospital, the Lemann Institute for Brazilian Studies, and the Women and Gender in Global Perspectives program. Her research identifies risk factors for morbidity and mortality among perinatal women and seeks to improve minority health outcomes.
Dr. Jeremy Goldbach is the Masters & Johnson Distinguished Professor in Sexual Health and Education at Washington University’s George Warren Brown School of Social Work. His research focuses on minority stress and discrimination among LGBTQ+ youth, and his work has been funded by numerous organizations, including the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense.
Dr. Hyeouk Chris Hahm is the Associate Dean for Research and Professor at Boston University’s School of Social Work. She conducts groundbreaking research on health disparities among Asian American populations, with a focus on self-harm, suicide, and HIV risk behaviors, supported by funding from the National Science Foundation and other agencies.
Dr. Anthony Hassan is the President and CEO of the Cohen Veterans Network, where he oversees the establishment of mental health clinics nationwide and globally. A veteran of the United States Army and Air Force, Dr. Hassan has over 30 years of experience in military behavioral health, serving as a social work officer, clinician, and academic.
Dr. Jin Huang is the William and Helen Reichmann Professor at Saint Louis University’s School of Social Work and the Associate Director of Research at the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis. His research focuses on enhancing financial capability and asset building through global social policy and the Saving for Education, Entrepreneurship, and Downpayment (SEED) experiment.
Christopher P. Salas-Wright, Ph.D.
Dr. Christopher Salas-Wright is the Barry Family Professor in Social Work and Assistant Dean for Doctoral Education at Boston College. His research examines stress and resilience among Latin American crisis migrants and their impact on mental health, earning him numerous awards, including the National Hispanic Science Network’s National Award of Excellence in Research.
Gina E. Miranda Samuels, Ph.D.
Dr. Gina Miranda Samuels is a Professor at the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice and the Faculty Director of the Center for the Study of Race Politics and Culture. Her research focuses on the well-being of young people in foster care, adoption, and multiracial families, and she is the founding director of the Black Adoption Project.
Dr. Heather Taussig is a Professor at the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work, with joint appointments at the University of Colorado’s Kempe Center. She developed and directs Fostering Healthy Futures, a mentoring and skills training program tested through rigorous randomized controlled trials and listed on several evidence-based registries.
Established in 2010, the Academy is an honorific society of distinguished scholars and practitioners dedicated to achieving excellence in the field of social work and social welfare through high-impact work that advances social good. Its membership includes more than 200 Fellows who are prominent scholars, top researchers and practitioners. The nomination and election of new Fellows is conducted annually, and new Academy Presidents are elected every 3 years.