Awards History

Wendy Haight, PhD
University of Minnesota

“Understanding Stigmatization and Resistance through Ethnographic Research: Implications for Practice”

Roberto G. Gonzales, PhD
Harvard Graduate School of Education

For the Book

Gonzales, Roberto G. (2016). Lives in Limbo: Undocumented and Coming of Age in America. Oakland: University of California Press.

Kristin Seefeldt, PhD, University of Michigan

For the Book
Seefeldt, Kristin. (2015). Abandoned Families Social Isolation in the Twenty-First Century. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Larry E. Davis, PhD, University of Pittsburgh

For the Book
Davis, Larry E. (2016). Why Are They Angry With Us? Essays on Race. New York: Oxford University Press

Desmond U. Patton, PhD
Columbia University

In recognition of Dr. Patton’s notable influence on understanding the links between traditional forms of gang violence and threatening social media communication and his noteworthy contributions to advance the social work profession.

Larry E. Davis, PhD
University of Pittsburgh

Larry E. Davis has spent his life and career dedicated to issues of race, civil rights, and social justice. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Michigan State University and a Masters in social work and a Masters in psychology from the University of Michigan. He then decided to work in the trenches, joining VISTA and spending three years in one of New York City’s poorest neighborhoods.

He returned to academia and became the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. from the dual-degree program in social work and psychology at the University of Michigan. He pursued both degrees because he believed that the methodology of
psychology combined with the tools of social work would enable him to bridge the gap between analysis and application.

Over the years, Dr. Davis’ work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Science Foundation. He was the first African-American in any discipline to be awarded tenure at Washington University in St. Louis, where he was a Professor of Social Work and Psychology and the holder of the E. Desmond Lee Chair in Ethnic and Racial Diversity.

In 2001, Dr. Davis was recruited to the University of Pittsburgh, where he serves as Dean of the School of Social Work and holds the Donald M. Henderson Chair. At Pitt, he also became the founding Director of the Center for Race and Social Problems which conducts applied social science research on race, ethnicity, and color, the first such center to be created in any American school of Social Work.

Sameena Azhar
The University of Chicago

“HIV Stigma and Gender: A Mixed Methods Study of People Living with HIV in Hyderabad India”

Jill Spielfogel The University of Chicago

“Relationships Between Birth Parents and Foster Parents: Do They Matter for Child Well-Being and Permanency?”

Cecilia Ayón, PhD
University of California, Riverside

For the article
Ayón, Cecilia. (2016). Talking to Latino children about race, inequality, and discrimination: Raising families in an anti-immigrant political environment. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 7(3), 449-477.

Malitta Engstrom, PhD, LCSW, University of Pennsylvania

For the article

Engstrom, Malitta, Winham, Katherine, and Gilbert, Louisa. (2016). Types and characteristics of childhood sexual abuse: How do they matter in HIV sexual risk behaviors among women in methadone treatment in New York City?. Substance Use and Misuse, 51(3), 277-294.

Eric L. Garland, PhD, LCSW, University of Utah

For the article

Garland, Eric L., Roberts-Lewis, Amelia, Tronnier, Christine D., and Graves, Rebecca. (2016). Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement versus CBT for co-occurring substance dependence, traumatic stress, and psychiatric disorders: Proximal outcomes from a pragmatic randomized trial. Behavior Research and Therapy, 77, 7-16.

Jordan Davis, PhD
University of Illinois at
Urbana- Champaign

“Effect of Mindfulness-Based on Relapse Prevention on Developmental Trends, Stress, and Substance Use among Young Adults in Residential Substance Use Treatment”

Vincent A. Fusaro, PhD
University of Michigan

“The Spirit of ‘96: States & the Implementation of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families”

Mikail DeVeaux, PhD, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York – Hunter College

“Fitting-In: How Formerly Incarcerated New York City Black Men Define Success Post-Prison”

Michael Sherraden, PhD
Washington University in St. Louis

In recognition of Dr. Sherraden’s record of accomplishment that demonstrates distinguished achievement across an extended
career of research in social policy.

Enola Proctor, PhD Washington University in St. Louis

“The Pursuit of Quality for Social Work Practice: Three Generations and Counting”

Ian Holloway, PhD
University of California, Los Angeles

In recognition of Dr. Ian Holloway’s research in examining the health risk and protective behaviors of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, and his noteworthy contributions to advance the social work profession.

Rami Benbenishty, PhD
Bar Ilan University

Rami Benbenishty is a professor at Louis and Gabi Weisfeld School of Social Work at Bar Ilan University. He received his BA and MA from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and his Ph.D. in Social Work and Psychology from the University of Michigan.

His main area of interest is the safety, welfare, and wellbeing of children. He is studying children and youth both in community normative settings, such as schools and in out of home placements, such as foster homes and residential care. With his colleague, Anat Zeira, he has conducted multiple studies on issues relevant to children aging out of care.

He investigates and tries to improve decision processes that lead to referral to protective services, removal of children from their biological families, and their reunification thereafter. He is studying the decision making processes of child protection teams in hospitals which report children to community protective services.

Benbenishty has developed a conceptual, methodological, and technological framework for monitoring processes and outcomes in human services. This framework was implemented in foster care services in the US and is being utilized to monitor school violence and climate in schools, districts, and at the national level.

With his colleague, Ron Avi Astor from USC, he is studying multiple aspects of school climate and victimization. He has conducted a series of studies that examined school violence from an ecological perspective. The insights gained from this work contributed to an ecological theory of school violence in context and to consultation with several educational systems around the world.

In all these area of research, Benbenishty has conducted multiple international comparative studies, that aim to identify what is common and what is unique across contexts. He is consulting with governments and researchers in many places around the world.

Benbenishty is an advocate for children’s rights. He has served on numerous public committees that addressed children’s needs and rights. He consults regularly with government agencies and appears on national media to speak for Jewish and Arab children in Israel.

Benbenishty has published numerous papers, book chapters, books, and technical reports. His work has been recognized and he received multiple awards including France’s Chevalier des Ordre de Palmes Academique (Knight in the Order of Academic Palms), SSWR Excellence in Research Award, Israel’s Landau Prize for Research and Science, and most recently, Israel’s prestigious EMET Prize for Science, Art, and Culture.

Donna Ruch
The Ohio State University

“The Implications of Attorney Representation on Juvenile Justice  Decisions Leading to the Disproportionate Incarceration of African-American Male Youth”

Jordan Davis
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

“Effect of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention on Stress, Craving, and Days of Use among Emerging Adults in Residential Substance Use Treatment: A Randomized Clinical Trial”

Yu-Ling Chang, PhD University of California, Berkeley

“State Social Safety Net Programs and the Great Recession: The First Line of Defense and the Last Resort for the Economically Disadvantaged”

Samantha Brown, PhD
University of Denver

“A Mindfulness-Based Intervention to Improve Family Functioning among Child Welfare-Involved Families with Substance Use”

Daniel Meyer, PhD
University of Wisconsin-Madison

In recognition of Dr. Meyer’s record of accomplishment that demonstrates the use of rigorous policy research methods, innovation, and significant impact of policy research in addressing important social work policy issues.

Mark Testa, PhD University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

In recognition of Dr. Testa’s record of accomplishment that demonstrates the use of rigorous policy research methods, innovation, and significant impact of policy research in addressing important social work policy issues.

Aaron Thompson, PhD, University of Missouri.

In recognition of Dr. Aaron Thompson’s notable influence on the development and testing of school-based interventions for children with social, emotional, and behavioral health concerns and his noteworthy contributions to advance the social work profession.

Samantha Brown, University of Denver. “A Mindfulness-Based Intervention to Improve Family Functioning among Child Welfare-Involved Families with Substance Use”

Donald Gerke, Washington University in St. Louis. “The Role of Violence Exposure and Pathways to HIV Risk Behaviors in Black and White Young Men who have Sex with Men (YMSM)”

Namkee Choi, PhD, University of Texas at Austin.

For the article, Choi, Namkee G., Marti, C. Nathan, Bruce, Martha L., Hegel, Mark T., Wilson, Nancy L., and Kunik, Mark E., – Six-Month Postintervention Depression And Disability Outcomes of In-Home Telehealth Problem-Solving Therapy for Depressed, Low-Income Homebound Older Adults. Depression and Anxiety 31:653–661 (2014)

Eric Garland, PhD, University of Utah

For the article

Garland, Eric L., Manusov, Eron G., Froeliger, Brett, Kelly, Amber R., Williams, Jaclyn M., and Howard, Matthew O. – Mindfulness-Oriented
Recovery Enhancement for Chronic Pain and Prescription Opioid Misuse: Results From an Early-Stage Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of
Consulting and Clinical Psychology (2014)

Colleen E. Janczewski, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. “Differential Response and Agency Decision Making: A National Study of Child Neglect Cases”

Megan Paceley, PhD, University of Kansas. “Social and Community Support Among Nonmetropolitan Gender and Sexual Minority Youth: A Mixed Methods Study”

Emmy Tiderington, PhD, Rutgers University. “The Dilemmas of Permanency and Accountability: A Qualitative Investigation of Barriers to and Facilitators of Recovery-Oriented Practice in Supportive Housing”

Arati Maleku, PhD, University of Texas at Arlington. “The Social Determinants of Immigrant Well-Being in the United States: A Gendered Perspective”

The Honorable, Barbara Mikulski, United States Senate. In recognition of Dr. Mikulski’s record of accomplishment of advocating for the use of social work research and values in policy debates and decision-making.

Jane Waldfogel, PhD, Columbia University. In recognition of Dr. Waldfogel’s record of accomplishment that demonstrates the use of rigorous policy research methods, innovation, and significant impact of policy research in addressing important social work policy issues.

Stuart Kirk, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles, Tomi Gomory, PhD, Florida State University, David Cohen, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles; For the Book: Kirk, Stuart A., Gomory, Tomi, and Cohen, David (2013). Mad Science: Psychiatric coercion, diagnosis, and drugs. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers.

Laura Abrams, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles, Ben Anderson-Nathe, PhD, Portland State University; For the Book: Abrams, Laura S., Anderson-Nathe, Ben (2013). Compassionate Confinement: A year in the life of Unit C. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press.

Edin, Kathryn J., Shaefer, H. Luke. (2015). $2 a Day: Living On Almost Nothing in America. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Henwood, Benjamin, F., Padgett, Deborah K., Tsemberis, Sam. (2015). Housing First: Ending Homelessness, Transforming Systems, and Changing Lives. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Lens, Vicki. (2015). Poor Justice: How the Poor Fare in the Courts. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Kristin Seefeldt, PhD, University of Michigan

For the Book
Seefeldt, Kristin. (2015). Abandoned Families Social Isolation in the Twenty-First Century. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Larry E. Davis, PhD, University of Pittsburgh

For the Book
Davis, Larry E. (2016). Why Are They Angry With Us? Essays on Race. New York: Oxford University Press

Melissa Jonson-Reid, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis and Brett Drake, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis

For the Book
Jonson-Reid, M.S., & Drake, B. (2018). After the Cradle Falls: What Child Abuse Is,
How We Respond to It, and What You Can Do About It. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

HONORABLE MENTION
Jill Duerr Berrick, PhD, University of California, Berkeley

For the Book
Berrick, J. D. (2017). The Impossible Imperative:
Navigating the Competing Principles of Child Protection. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Laura S. Abrams, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles and Diane J. Terry, PhD, Loyola Marymount University

For the Book
Abrams, L.S. & Terry, D.J., (2017). Everyday Desistance: The Transition to Adulthood Among Formerly
Incarcerated Youth. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

HONORABLE MENTION
Tina K. Sacks, PhD, University of California, Berkeley
Sacks, T.K. (2019). Invisible Visits: Black Middle-Class Women in the American Healthcare System. New
York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Charles Glisson and Anthony Hemmelgam (1998). The Effects of Organizational Climate and Interorganizational Coordination on the Quality and Outcomes of Children’s Service Systems Andrea G. Hunter, Jane L. Pearson, Nicholas S. Ialongo, and Sheppard G. Kellam (1998). Parenting Alone to Multiple Caregivers: Child Care and Parenting Arrangement in Black and White Urban Families Aurora P. Jackson, Phyllis Gyamfi, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, and Mandy Blake (1998). Employment Status, Psychological Well-being, Social Support, and Physical Discipline Practices of Single Black Mothers William Meezan and Maura O’Keefe (1998). Evaluating the Effectiveness of Multifamily Group Therapy in Child Abuse and Neglect Carol T. Mowbray and Deborah Bybee (1998). The Importance of Context in Understanding Homelessness and Mental Illness: Lessons Learned from a Research Demonstration Project

Namkee Choi, PhD, University of Texas at Austin

For the article: Choi, Namkee G., Marti, C. Nathan, Bruce, Martha L., Hegel, Mark T., Wilson, Nancy L., and Kunik, Mark E., – Six-Month Postintervention Depression And Disability Outcomes of In-Home Telehealth Problem-Solving Therapy for Depressed, Low-Income Homebound Older Adults. Depression and Anxiety 31:653–661 (2014)

HONORABLE MENTION

Eric Garland, PhD, University of Utah

For the article: Garland, Eric L., Manusov, Eron G., Froeliger, Brett, Kelly, Amber R., Williams, Jaclyn M., and Howard, Matthew O. – Mindfulness-Oriented
Recovery Enhancement for Chronic Pain and Prescription Opioid Misuse: Results From an Early-Stage Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of
Consulting and Clinical Psychology (2014)

Davis, J.P., Berry, D., Dumas, T.M., Ritter, E., Smith, D.C., Menard, C., Roberts, B.W. (2018). Substance use
outcomes for mindfulness-based relapse prevention are partially mediated by reductions in stress: Results
from a randomized trial. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 91, 37-48.

The Honorable, Barbara Mikulski, United States Senate. In recognition of Dr. Mikulski’s record of accomplishment of advocating for the use of social work research and values in policy debates and decision-making.

Jane Waldfogel, PhD, Columbia University. In recognition of Dr. Waldfogel’s record of accomplishment that demonstrates the use of rigorous policy research methods, innovation, and significant impact of policy research in addressing important social work policy issues.

Daniel Meyer, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison. In recognition of Dr. Meyer’s record of accomplishment that demonstrates the use of rigorous policy research methods, innovation, and significant impact of policy research in addressing important social work policy issues.

Mark Testa, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In recognition of Dr. Testa’s record of accomplishment that demonstrates the use of rigorous policy research methods, innovation, and significant impact of policy research in addressing important social work policy issues.

Michael Sherraden, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis

In recognition of Dr. Sherraden’s record of accomplishment that demonstrates distinguished achievement across an extended
career of research in social policy.

Susan J. Lambert, PhD, The University of Chicago

In recognition of Dr. Lambert’s record of accomplishment that demonstrates distinguished achievement across an extended career of research in social policy.

Heidi L. Allen, PhD, Columbia University

In recognition of Dr. Allen’s notable recent research contributions to the study of social policy.

Richard J. Gelles, PhD, University of Pennsylvania

In recognition of Dr. Gelles’ record of accomplishment that demonstrates distinguished achievement across an extended career of research in social policy.

Sarah McMahon PhD, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

In recognition of Dr. McMahon’s notable recent research contributions to the study of social policy.