Researchers from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work will have a significant presence as social work scholars from across the nation gather this week for the 21st Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research.

Attendees from the school include 59 faculty and staff members and 28 doctoral students. These USC representatives will lead or participate in approximately 125 presentations during the five-day gathering, in addition to special events including 13 roundtable discussions and four symposia. The conference takes place from January 11 to 15 in New Orleans.

“More than 20 percent of the presentations at the conference involve USC researchers,” said Charles Kaplan, associate dean for research. “It shows our research is really strong. But we still have a lot to do as a school in coordinating our growth so our research continues to be showcased.”

In particular, he is hopeful that the school’s presence at the conference will help highlight the interdisciplinary nature of its faculty, which includes engineers, anthropologists, sociologists, and others, and emphasize the role of school leaders in major national initiatives involving the profession of social work.

“We have a responsibility as a top-tier research university that our research is cutting edge and fits the national priorities and resources,” he said. “We also have a deep leadership role and commitment to addressing the grand challenges of social work and advancing social work to have its own specific disciplinary science and method.”

The school has a particularly strong showing of PhD students this year, who will be involved in more than 40 presentations during the conference.

“We continue to bring outstanding students into the program,” said Michael Hurlburt, associate professor and director of the school’s doctoral program. “Clearly they are receiving opportunities to work on interesting research, interesting projects that make it possible for them to bring their findings and energy to the conference.”

The next generation

In addition to reflecting well on the school and its faculty, Hurlburt said having doctoral students present at and attend a professional conference is a critical part of their development as independent scholars.

“It’s important to be a part of the research community where we share ideas and listen to the ideas of others,” he said, noting that the conference will be a valuable opportunity for students to meet academic leaders in their areas of interest and develop future collaborations across institutional boundaries.

The Society for Social Work and Research is one of social work’s most prominent professional organizations and is dedicated to advancing, disseminating and translating research that addresses issues of social work practice and policy and promotes a diverse, just and equitable society. This year’s conference, featuring the theme “Ensure Healthy Development for All Youth,” boasts more than 500 events, including workshops and paper and poster presentations.

Highlights include the Grand Challenges Roundtable, which will focus on the topic of “Advancing the Grand Challenges: Pathways and Issues” and feature Marilyn Flynn, the school’s dean and 2U Endowed Chair in Educational Innovation and Social Work.

Flynn has been instrumental in advancing the Grand Challenges Initiative, a focused effort overseen by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare to tackle the nation’s toughest social problems.

Engage and inspire

Assistant Professor Jeremy Goldbach will headline a new event, the Inaugural Brief and Brilliant Session, during which participants are tasked with engaging the audience through storytelling, media and imagery to address the most important issues in social work research and practice.

“The idea is to convey some piece of your work that gets at a shared experience that people can take something away from,” Goldbach said.

The event is styled after TED talks — short, powerful performances that garner millions of views online — and Goldbach will have just 10 minutes to share his thoughts. His research is broadly focused on social stigma, stress and health among minority populations, and he plans to discuss the universal experience of loneliness.

“We can all relate to this idea of feeling alone and feeling left out,” he said.

Other than a few illustrative quotes from participants involved in his research, including one project exploring the experiences of young people who call into a crisis hotline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, Goldbach plans to use images and other interactive approaches during his presentation.

He is hopeful the new event will be well attended and prompts others to use similar strategies in presenting their research findings in the future.

“It’s much easier to present at a conference using a traditional format. It requires much less planning,” he said. “But this new format is much more effective and engaging.”

Finally, USC researchers will also be recognized for their scholarly contributions during the conference.

A book coauthored by Assistant Professor Benjamin Henwood received honorable mention for the society’s 2017 Outstanding Social Work Book Award. Titled Housing First: Ending Homelessness, Transforming Systems and Changing Lives, the book outlines an innovative approach to addressing homelessness by providing housing and support services without prerequisites such as sobriety or substance use treatment.

An article coauthored by Associate Professor Erick Guerrero and PhD student Karissa Fenwick, along with other colleagues, earned honorable mention for the 2017 Excellence in Research Award. The article, “Improving Coordination of Addiction Health Services Organizations with Mental Health and Public Health Services,” appeared in Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment and explores coordination between mental health and public health agencies and addiction health services providers in low-income racial and ethnic minority communities.