The history of social work practice has followed alongside the quest for women’s rights. In fact, Jane Addams, widely considered “the mother of social work,” was only the second woman — and the first American woman — to win a Nobel Peace Prize, in 1931. Her work set the stage for advocacy on many of the issues that remain central to the practice and research of the social work profession today, including homelessness, immigration and the needs of children and families. Addams’ leadership also established social work as a viable professional alternative for women. The majority of social work practitioners continue to be women, and often serve the needs of women and their families, as well as community building for all. 

As our society has grown and evolved, newly identified populations, needs and social issues have emerged, expanding the discipline and profession. Social work is recognized as one of the health science professions, including at USC, with an acknowledgement of how social determinants influence overall health. 

From research to teaching to practice, faculty at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work represent the wide range of important issues addressed by the profession today, and embody the theme of Social Work Month 2025: Compassion + Action. In honor of Social Work Month and Women’s History Month during March, we highlight three of our female faculty members and their dedication to improving the lives of children and families, individuals experiencing homelessness and the military and veteran population.

Supporting children by supporting families

Assistant Teaching Professor Lily Ross has been an instructor at USC Social Work since 2011, in addition to her community-based work with  schools, nonprofit organizations and contract agencies with the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health (LADMH). In 2020, she also received the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching Faculty Fellowship. Her work focuses on the needs of children and families, and she is co-lead of the Children, Youth and Families (CYF) track for the Master of Social Work (MSW) program, which provides students with specific training to support children through a holistic lens using a biopsychosocial model that includes parents. 

“I became a social worker because I love working with children,” Ross said. “However, I quickly realized that in order to support children, we really must support the whole family system. I became passionate about working with families and, in particular, caregivers of children. I believe firmly that when caregivers do better, kids do better.” 

Ross says she views her role within the family dynamic as helping parents learn how to advocate for their child, and serve on their behalf when needed. Initially, parents may feel that their voice is not powerful or they believe the system does not work for them. 

“I tell my students that our role is to become obsolete to our clients,” Ross said. “It’s similar to teaching someone to ride a bike. If I’m working with you as a parent, my goal is to be right by your side and only step in if you turn to me and tell me you need me to step in now. My job is to reflect your strengths so that you feel empowered.” 

Ross notes that in her 17 years as a licensed clinical social worker and educator specializing in children and families, how we conceptualize what a family is has changed considerably. The social work professional commitment to “meeting people where they are” enables social workers to shift their practice to accommodate the evolving family structure. 

An area of increasing focus for Ross is how to help parents and caregivers feel less isolated. This was particularly prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has continued in our post-pandemic world. Her research on this subject, “Promoting Social Support as a Protective Factor for Parental Stress and Child Behavior Problems During the COVID-19 Pandemic” was recently published in the Journal of Family Issues. 

“Connection and community are essential for family wellness,” Ross said. 

Leading research on veteran needs

Research Professor Sara Kintzle has earned a reputation as a national and international leader on issues related to military service. She is principal investigator on The State of the American Veteran: The Southern California Veterans Study, the first comprehensive needs assessment across Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego Counties. With a focus on providing insight into the experiences of service members and veterans, Kinzle’s work considers risk and protective factors related to successful military transition, psychological and physical health challenges, suicide ideation, sexual harassment, stalking and sexual assault. 

“Social work is one of the only professions that has a sub-field within it that’s dedicated to service members, veterans and their families,” Kintzle said. “I think that’s because social work examines very hard problems and finds solutions to them, the kind of complex challenges people who serve in the military face.”

Kintzle further explains that social work is embedded in every aspect of the military today. In fact, the Veterans Administration (VA) employs more social workers than any other institution. She believes this is because social work takes a systems approach that treats the individual and the environment. 

“The holistic nature and approach of social work is really important to providing adequate support for service members and veterans,” Kintzle said. “Military service impacts people in such a large way, including their identity, purpose, physical health, mental health and sense of community.” 

Kintzle is dedicated to translating her scientific findings into program and policy recommendations. In 2025, she was appointed to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on the Assessment of Department of Veterans Affairs Physical and Mental Health Examinations, undertaking a review of the VA's protocols regarding claims related to military sexual trauma. In 2024, Kintzle was invited to meet with Congressional and Department of Defense staff on how results from the Southern California Veterans Study might impact future policy. In 2021, she presented to President Biden's Department of Defense Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military. In 2017, she represented the United States on an expert panel for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) addressing sexual violence in the military.

 In addition to issues shared throughout military and veteran populations, she also has investigated issues particular to women service members and veterans. She notes that understanding the unique needs of sub-populations of the military is essential to recruitment and retention. 

“We want to understand how women experience military service and any specific challenges or experiences they have because women make up 15 to 20 percent of the U.S. military,” Kintzle said. “So, the recruitment and retention of women is really important to our national security. Women serve for the same reasons that men do. They are patriotic, they love this country and they want to serve, to advance their education and to advance their place in the world.” 

A nontraditional journey to social work

Suzanne Wenzel, the Richard M. and Ann L. Thor Professor in Urban Social Development, is an interdisciplinary researcher focusing on health and well-being of populations that are often overlooked, particularly persons experiencing homelessness. Although Wenzel has been part of the social work family at USC since 2009, she does not hold a degree in social work. Wenzel trained as a community psychologist, with a focus on issues around social good, and is a prolific researcher, including 12 years at the RAND Corporation. 

“I’m a psychologist who’s been adopted into a school of social work,” Wenzel said. “I feel very bound to the field of social work and its principles and ethics.” 

Wenzel first became active in research involving homelessness while still a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin. She quickly found that the people she spoke with did not fit stereotypes we often have of people experiencing homelessness. She was particularly interested in the women she met, the paths that led them to homelessness and the unique challenges they faced. She notes that until twenty or thirty years ago, much of the research focused exclusively on men experiencing homelessness. 

“Women were considered somewhat of a curiosity,” Wenzel said. “Women were experiencing homelessness as well, but the language about them was negative and there was an attitude that there wasn’t much you could do for them. It took a number of years before researchers and service providers began to focus on the unique experiences of these women and their needs and tailoring services to help them.” 

According to Wenzel, it is important not to generalize about this population, and to develop an understanding of the different sub-populations within the larger whole of persons who are unhoused or experiencing homelessness. Women often experience homelessness when they attempt to leave abusive relationships and are also more likely than men to have children living with them. While living on the streets women are more likely to experience violence inclusive of sexual assault, both by intimate partners and strangers, and to have extensive histories of trauma. These conditions can also increase the likelihood of substance use and mental health challenges. 

“Women experiencing homelessness have shared stories of really crushing events in their lives,” Wenzel said. “Yet in speaking and working with many of these women I have been inspired by their resilience and vision for a better future for themselves. They work toward goals including safe and stable housing, becoming healthier, getting jobs, reconciliation with families, and they speak of giving back to communities through volunteering. There’s a lot of hope in the midst of trauma, and so much more that can and should be done to address harsh and challenging circumstances.”   

Wenzel’s research involving persons experiencing homelessness has also included investigations around the social ecological context of service access and risks for HIV/AIDS, substance misuse and other behavioral health issues among women, men and transition age youth. Among persons experiencing long-term homelessness or physical and behavioral health challenges, she has investigated how health, service utilization, social relationships and quality of life indicators change over time as persons transition into housing and live in homes of their own.

“Social work is a profession that supports the whole person,” Wenzel said. “Social workers attend to multiple facets of our lives, including the family and community systems that surround us. That holistic caring and expertise is special and characteristic of the profession of social work.”