Abstract Cluster Chairs

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Overview of Cluster Chair Roles and Responsibilities in the Abstract Review and Development of the Abstract-based Program Content of the SSWR Annual Conference

Cluster chairs play a significant role in the abstract review and development of the abstract-based program content for the SSWR annual conference. The multi-stage abstract review process, which is led by the cluster chairs, is intrinsic to a successful, impactful, and scientifically rigorous research conference. We could not offer the conference without the energy that volunteer reviewers, cluster chairs, and staff devote to the abstract review process.

CLUSTER CHAIR TERM AND APPOINTMENT PROCESS
Service Term: 3-year term
Eligibility Requirements: Prospective cluster chairs must meet the following criteria:

  • PhD in social work or social welfare (or be on a social work faculty)
  • Maintain a current program of research
  • Possess relative expertise to the SSWR clusters and topics

Recommendation Process: Every year, a number of cluster chairs rotate off. The SSWR Board, conference committee, and the Special Interest Group (SIG) conveners are asked to recommend individuals that meet the eligibility requirements.
Vetting Process: The SSWR Vice President/Conference Chair vets each of the prospective cluster chairs.  The SSWR Vice President/Conference Chair then recommends the cluster chair appointments to the conference committee and board who vote to affirm the appointments.

CLUSTER CHAIR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Abstracts submitted to the conference are categorized within 28 clusters (see below). Each cluster is chaired by 2-4 members of the social work community for a 3-year term – in many cases we aim to appoint three co-chairs to better distribute the work. Cluster chairs have a very significant role in the abstract review process and ensuring timely notification of abstract status to authors.

Cluster chairs jointly are responsible for the following tasks in this progressive order:

  • Recruit additional reviewers (as needed);
  • Review initial reviewer assignments (each abstract is reviewed by two reviewers);
  • Complete outstanding reviews (incomplete review assignments, have conflicts of interest, or when abstract content and reviewer expertise is not a good match);
  • After the Vice President/Conference Chair oversees the abstract review score discrepancy analysis for outlying reviewer scores, the cluster chairs provide a third review for abstracts where there are outlying reviewer scores;
  • Determine abstracts acceptances across all format (individual oral papers, posters, symposia, roundtables, and workshops); and
  • Create paper sessions which contain 4-5 highly scored individual oral paper abstracts, convert highly scored papers that don’t fit thematically into a paper session to ePosters when the authors agree, and recommend prospective paper session moderators.

If you have any questions, please contact A. DeeJay Hastings, CAE, SSWR program director, dj@sswr.org.

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SSWR 2024 Annual Conference Cluster Chairs

1. Adolescent and Youth Development (ADOL)
Valerie Shapiro, PhD, Theda Rose, PhD, Genevieve Graaf, PhD

2. Aging Services and Gerontology (A&G)
Christina Miyawaki, PhD, Holly Dabelko-Schoeny, PhD, Jooyoung Kong, PhD

3. American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Global Indigenous Populations (Indigenous Cluster)
Shanondora Billiot, PhD, Claudette Grinnell-Davis, PhD

4. Asian and Asian-Pacific Islander Focused-Research (AAPIFR)
Helen Jiang, PhD, Fuhua Zhai, PhD, Hee Yun Lee, PhD

5. Black and African Diaspora Focused-Research (BADFR)
Qiana Cryer-Coupet, PhD, Camille Quinn, PhD, McKenzie Green, PhD, James Ellis, PhD

6. Child Welfare (CW)
Ericka Lewis, PhD, Abigail Williams-Butler, PhD, Miriam Landsman, PhD

7. Communities and Neighborhoods (C&N)
Amy Krings, PhD, Samantha Teixeira, PhD, Megan Gilster, PhD

8. Crime and Criminal Justice (C&CJ)
Pajarita Charles, PhD, Bo-Kyung Elizabeth Kim, PhD, Aaron Gottlieb, PhD

9. Disability (D)
Lauren Bishop, PhD, Kristina Lopez, PhD, Stephen McGarity, PhD

10. Gender (G)
Amy Beth Castro, PhD, Ankur Srivastava, PhD, Shanna Kattari, PhD

11. Health (H)
Yeonwoo Kim, PhD, Julie Berrett-Abebe, PhD, Chiara Acquati, PhD

12. Inequality, Poverty, and Social Welfare Policy (IP&SWP)
Yunju Nam, PhD, Jin Huang, PhD, Kathryn Maguire-Jack, PhD

13. International Social Work and Global Issues (ISW&GI)
Cindy Sousa, PhD, Proscovia Nabunya, PhD, Nataliia Gusak, PhD

14. Immigrants and Refugees (I&R)
Wooksoo Kim, PhD, Mary Held, PhD, Mitra Naseh, PhD

15. LatinX Focused-Research (LFR)
Rocio Calvo, PhD, Carolina Vélez Grau, PhD, María Piñeros Leaño, PhD

16. Mental Health (MH)
Quenette Walton, PhD, Jennifer Elkins, PhD, Amy Blank Wilson, PhD

17. Military Service Members, Veterans and Their Families (MSMV&F)
Elisa Borah, PhD, Abby Blankenship, PhD, Nikki Wooten, PhD

18. Organizations and Management (O&M)
Ethan Park, PhD, Bridgette Davis, PhD, James Mendiberg, PhD

19. Race and Ethnicity (R&E)
Husain Lateef, PhD, Laila Noel, PhD, Odessa Gonzalez Benson, PhD

20. Research Design and Measurement (RD&M)
Antoinette Farmer, PhD, Michael Killian, PhD, Tanya Renn, PhD

21. Research on Social Work Education (RSWE)
Ellie Wideman, PhD, Rolanda Ward, PhD, Joan Blakey, PhD

22. School Social Work (SSW)
Kevin White, PhD, Laura Hopson, PhD, Samantha Bates, PhD

23. Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SO&GI)
Maurice Gattis, PhD, Keith Watts, PhD, Daniel Jacobson Lopez, PhD

24. Social Work Practice (SWP)
Sara Beeler-Stinn, PhD, Otima Doyle, PhD, Ray Eads, PhD

25. Substance Misuse and Addictive Behaviors (SM&AB)
Manuel Cano, PhD, Orion Mowbray, PhD, Jennifer Putney, PhD

26. Sustainable Development, Urbanization, and Environmental Justice (SDU&EJ)
Felicia Mitchell, PhD, Marissa Kaloga, PhD, Smitha Rao, PhD

27. Violence against Women and Children (VW&C)
Leila Wood, PhD, Candace Christensen, PhD, Abha Rai, PhD, Meredith Bagwell-Gray, PhD

28. Work and Work-Life Policies and Programs (W&WLPP)
Yoonsook Ha, PhD, Sehun Oh, PhD, Alejandra Ros Pilarz, PhD

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