More than three dozen students, faculty, and staff at the Boston College School of Social Work will showcase their research at the 29th Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research, which will take place in Seattle, Washington, from Wednesday, January 15 to Sunday, January 19. 

SSWR, a nonprofit founded in 1994, promotes research that fosters a diverse, just, and equitable society, and the theme of its conference this year is “Strengthening Social Impact through Collaborative Research.”

BCSSW researchers will present work on a range of topics at the event, including adverse childhood experiences, firearm violence, and heroin use.

Here’s the list of presenters and links to summaries of their research projects:

Day: Thursday, January 16
Type of presentation: Oral Presentation
Title of project: The Impact of a Combination Intervention on Intention to Migrate Among Adolescent Girls: Results from a Pilot Study in Ghana
BCSSW contributors: Assistant Professor William Byansi

Day: Thursday, January 16
Type of presentation: Oral Presentation
Title of project: Pathways from Adverse Childhood Experiences to Depressive Symptoms and Substance Misuse Among Youths: The Intervening Role of Perceived Financial Stress
BCSSW contributors: Assistant Professor William Byansi

Day: Thursday, January 16
Type of presentation: ePoster
Title of project: Health Implications of Trauma in Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Black Adults: Insights from an Integrative Review
BCSSW contributors: Assistant Professor Robert O. Motley, Jr.

Day: Thursday, January 16
Type of presentation: ePoster
Title of project: Cultural Adaptation of an Evidence-Based Youth Intervention to Address Mental Health Among Youth in Colombia
BCSSW contributors: Associate Professor Maria Pineros-Leano and doctoral student Megan Taylor

Day: Thursday, January 16
Type of presentation: ePoster
Title of project: The Impacts of Dobbs v. Jackson on Relationships between Patients and OB-GYNs in States with Restrictive Abortion Laws
BCSSW contributors: Doctoral candidates Samantha McKetchnie and Elizabeth Klein and Associate Professor Erika Sabbath

Day: Friday, January 17
Type of presentation: Special Interest Group
Title of project: Aging Research, Policy, and Advocacy Network
BCSSW contributors: Louise McMahon Ahearn Endowed Professor Karen Bullock

Day: Friday, January 17
Type of presentation: Symposium
Title of project: Overcoming Trauma, Racism, and System Involvement: Highlighting the Parenting Strengths of Fathers from Marginalized Backgrounds
BCSSW contributors: Doctoral candidate Natalie Grafft; Professor Catherine Taylor; and Associate Dean for Research Kirsten Davison

Day: Friday, January 17
Type of presentation: ePoster
Title of project: Inequality in Retirement Readiness; Understanding Mechanisms through Which Early Trauma Undermines Economic Well-Being in Older Adulthood
BCSSW contributors: Associate Professor Scott Easton

Day: Friday, January 17
Type of presentation: Oral Presentation
Title of project: Attitudes Towards Welfare and Use of Benefits: Evidence from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Longitudinal Study
BCSSW contributors: Assistant Professor of the Practice Indrani Saran and Assistant Professor Vincent Fusaro

Day: Friday, January 17
Type of presentation: Special Interest Group
Title of project: Creating Social Responses to a Changing Environment (Grand Challenge for Social Work)
BCSSW contributors: Associate Professor Praveen Kumar

Day: Friday, January 17
Type of presentation: Symposium
Title of project: Advancing Culturally Responsive, Community-Led Approaches to Firearm Violence Research and Practice
BCSSW contributors: Assistant Professor Robert O. Motley, Jr. and Barry Family Professor in Social Work Christopher Salas-Wright

Day: Friday, January 17
Type of presentation: Oral Presentation
Title of project: Navigating Borders and Barriers in the Migration Context
BCSSW contributors: Assistant Professor
Alejandro Olayo-Méndez, S.J.

Day: Friday, January 17
Type of presentation: Symposium
Title of project: The Venezuelan Diaspora: Understanding Migration Stressors and Mental Health Dynamics in the US and Colombia
BCSSW contributors: Barry Family Professor in Social Work Christopher Salas-Wright; postdoctoral researcher Maria Fernanda Garcia; and Associate Professor Maria Pineros-Leano

Day: Friday, January 17
Type of presentation: Symposium
Title of project: Parenting Support for Mothers with High Exposure to Violence: Socio-Ecological Contexts Can Promote or Hinder Nurturing, Non-Violent Parenting
BCSSW contributors: Professor Catherine Taylor and doctoral student Sophia Eisenberg

Day: Friday, January 17
Type of presentation: ePoster
Title of project: The Neighborhood Social Environment and Early Adolescent Student Engagement: A Scoping Review
BCSSW contributors: Doctoral student Jenna Strauss and Associate Professor Samantha Teixeira

Day: Friday, January 17
Type of presentation: Symposium
Title of project: Navigating Educational Landscapes: Exploring the Impact of School Environments on the Mental Health and Identity Formation of Black and Native Youth
BCSSW contributors: Assistant Professor Ed-Dee G. Williams

Day: Saturday, January 18
Type of presentation: Special Interest Group
Title of project: Advancements in Translational Biobehavioral Research
BCSSW contributors: Associate Professor Jessica Black

Day: Saturday, January 18
Type of presentation: Special Interest Group
Title of project: Advancing Long & Productive Lives (Grand Challenge for Social Work)
BCSSW contributors: Associate Professor Christina Matz

Day: Saturday, January 18
Type of presentation: Oral Presentation
Title of project: Educational Access for Refugee Children with Disabilities: How Teachers Shape Educational Enrollment for Children with Disabilities in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Northwestern Kenya
BCSSW contributors: Professor Thomas Crea

Day: Saturday, January 18
Type of presentation: ePoster
Title of project: Multidimension of Financial Resilience and Its Association with Mental Health Outcomes Among Youth Living on the Uganda-Kenya Eastern Border
BCSSW contributors: Assistant Professor William Byansi

Day: Saturday, January 18
Type of presentation: ePoster
Title of project: Fathers’ and Mothers’ Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Their Children's Behavior Problems
BCSSW contributors: Doctoral candidate Natalie Grafft; Professor Catherine Taylor; and Associate Dean for Research Kirsten Davison

Day: Saturday, January 18
Type of presentation: ePoster
Title of project: State Eviction Moratoria Coverage during the COVID-19 Pandemic
BCSSW contributors: Assistant Professor Vincent Fusaro

Day: Saturday, January 18
Type of presentation: ePoster
Title of project: Exploring Clean Cooking Fuel Adoption in a Smokeless Village of Southern India: A Mixed Methods
BCSSW contributors: Associate Professor Praveen Kumar and doctoral student Spencer Sandberg

Day: Saturday, January 18
Type of presentation: ePoster
Title of project: A Biopsychosocial Approach to Violence: Implications for Supporting Frontline Healthcare Workers
BCSSW contributors: Doctoral candidate Ricardo Diego Suarez Rojas and Associate Professor Erika Sabbath

Day: Saturday, January 18
Type of presentation: ePoster
Title of project: Employment and Mental Health for Adults on Probation, 2002-2021
BCSSW contributors: Barry Family Professor in Social Work Christopher Salas-Wright

Day: Sunday, January 19
Type of presentation: Oral Presentation
Title of project: Psychosocial Effects of Ebola Virus Disease on Children and Caregivers in Sierra Leone
BCSSW contributors: Professor Thomas Crea; doctoral students Oladoyin Okunoren and Elizabeth Klein; and Salem Professor in Global Practice Theresa Betancourt

Day: Sunday, January 19
Type of presentation: Oral Presentation
Title of project: Digital Determinants of Sexual Health Equity Among Displaced Youth Living in Slum Settings in Uganda
BCSSW contributors: Assistant Professor William Byansi

Day: Sunday, January 19
Type of presentation: Symposium
Title of project: Collaborative Community-Based Research to Improve the Wellbeing of Older Adults
BCSSW contributors: Louise McMahon Ahearn Endowed Professor Karen Bullock and doctoral student Barbara Mendez-Campos

Day: Sunday, January 19
Type of presentation: Roundtable
Title of project: Navigating Political Advocacy: Strategies and Stories from Civically-Engaged Social Work Researchers
BCSSW contributors: Assistant Professor Vincent Fusaro

Day: Sunday, January 19
Type of presentation: ePoster
Title of project: Health Impact of Racism-Based Experiences Among Latinx Adults in the United States: An Integrative Review
BCSSW contributors: Assistant Professor Robert O. Motley, Jr.

Day: Sunday, January 19
Type of presentation: ePoster
Title of project: The Empirical Status of Heroin Use Among Women in the United States, 2002-2020
BCSSW contributors: Barry Family Professor in Social Work Christopher Salas-Wright

Day: Sunday, January 19
Type of presentation: Symposium
Title of project: Advancing the Science and Capacity for Preventing Family Homelessness in School Settings through Collaboration
BCSSW contributors: Family Housing Hardship Program Director Jessica McCabe Johnson; Dean Gautam N. Yadama; and Associate Professor of the Practice Indrani Saran

Day: Sunday, January 19
Type of presentation: Roundtable
Title of project: The Power of Youth Participation: Lessons Learned and Trends across 10 Years of SSWR
BCSSW contributors: Associate Professor Samantha Teixeira

Day: Sunday, January 19
Type of presentation: Oral Presentation
Title of project: Exploring Factors Associated with Suicidality Among Adolescents
BCSSW contributors: Assistant Professor
Carolina Vélez-Grau

Day: Sunday, January 19
Type of presentation: Oral Presentation
Title of project: Influence and Interventions for Emotional and Mental Wellbeing in BIPOC Youth
BCSSW contributors: Assistant Professor
Carolina Vélez-Grau