Featured Sessions: Plenaries and Invited Symposia

 

Featured Sessions: Plenaries and Invited Symposia

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Opening Plenary

Thursday, January 15, 2026, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm, EST

Keynote Speaker: Howard Koh, MD, MPH, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard Kennedy School

Dr. Howard K. Koh is the Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and The Harvard Kennedy School. He is also Co-Chair of the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative as well as Director of the Leading Change Studio at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In these roles, he advances leadership education and training at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health as well as with the Harvard Kennedy School, the Harvard Business School and across Harvard University.

From 2009-2014, Dr. Koh served as the 14th Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), after being nominated by President Barack Obama and being confirmed by the U.S. Senate. During that time he oversaw 12 core public health offices, including the Office of the Surgeon General and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, 10 Regional Health Offices across the nation, and 10 Presidential and Secretarial advisory committees. He also served as senior public health advisor to the Secretary of HHS. During his tenure, he promoted the disease prevention and public health dimensions of the Affordable Care Act, advanced outreach to enroll underserved and minority populations into health insurance coverage and was the primary architect of landmark HHS strategic plans for tobacco control, health disparities (including Asian American and Pacific Islander health) and chronic hepatitis. He also led interdisciplinary implementation of Healthy People 2020 and the National HIV/AIDS Strategy as well as initiatives in a multitude of other areas, such as nutrition and physical activity (including HHS activities for Let’s Move!), cancer control, adult immunization, environmental health and climate change, women’s health, adolescent health, behavioral health and substance abuse, health literacy, multiple chronic conditions, organ donation and epilepsy.

Dr. Koh previously served at Harvard School of Public Health (2003-2009) as the Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health, Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and Director of the Harvard School of Public Health Center for Public Health Preparedness. He has served as Principal Investigator of $20 million in research grant activities and has published more than 250 articles in the medical and public health literature. His writings touch areas such as health reform, disease prevention and health promotion, health disparities, tobacco control, cancer control, melanoma and skin oncology, public health preparedness, health literacy, health issues of the homeless and public health leadership.

Dr. Koh was Commissioner of Public Health for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1997-2003) after being appointed by Governor William Weld. As Commissioner, Dr. Koh led the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, which included a wide range of health services, four hospitals, and a staff of more than 3,000 professionals. In this capacity, he emphasized the power of prevention and strengthened the state’s commitment to eliminating health disparities. During his service, the state saw advances in areas such as tobacco control, cancer screening, bioterrorism response after 9/11 and anthrax, health issues of the homeless, newborn screening, organ donation, suicide prevention and international public health partnerships.

Dr. Koh graduated from Yale College, where he was President of the Yale Glee Club, and the Yale University School of Medicine. He completed postgraduate training at Boston City Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, serving as chief resident in both hospitals. He has earned board certification in four medical fields: internal medicine, hematology, medical oncology, and dermatology, as well as a Master of Public Health degree from Boston University. At Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health, he was Professor of Dermatology, Medicine and Public Health as well as Director of Cancer Prevention and Control.

He has earned over 70 awards and honors for interdisciplinary accomplishments in medicine and public health, including the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award for National Service, the Distinguished Service Award from the American Cancer Society, the 2014 Sedgwick Memorial Medal from the American Public Health Association (the highest honor of the organization), and five honorary doctorate degrees. President Bill Clinton appointed Dr. Koh as a member of the National Cancer Advisory Board (2000-2002). He is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. A past Chair of the Massachusetts Coalition for a Healthy Future (the group that pushed for the Commonwealth’s groundbreaking tobacco control initiative), Dr. Koh was named by the New England Division of the American Cancer Society as “one of the most influential persons in the fight against tobacco during the last 25 years.” He has also received the Champion Award from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, the “Hero of Epilepsy” Award from the Epilepsy Foundation, the Distinguished National Leadership Award from the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable, the Baruch S. Blumberg Prize from the Hepatitis B Foundation, the National Leadership Award from The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) and the Dr. Jim O’Connell Award from the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program. He was named to the K100 (the 100 leading Korean Americans in the first century of Korean immigration to the United States) and has received the Boston University Distinguished Alumnus Award. He enjoys the distinction of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch on two different occasions: at Nationals Park in Washington DC on behalf of HHS(2011), and at Fenway Park where he was designated a “Medical All Star” by the Boston Red Sox (2003) in recognition of his national contributions to the field of early detection and prevention of melanoma.

Dr. Koh and his wife, Dr. Claudia Arrigg, are the proud parents of three adult children.

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Presidential Plenary

Saturday, January 17, 2026, 2:45 pm – 4:00 pm, EST

Speakers:

  • Dr. Holden Thorp
  • Keisha Lance Bottoms

Dr. Holden Thorp

Holden Thorp became Editor-in-Chief of the Science family of journals in October 2019. He came to Science from Washington University, where he was provost from 2013 to 2019 and professor from 2013 to 2023. He is currently a professor of chemistry and medicine at George Washington University and on leave to serve as the Editor-in-Chief at Science. Thorp joined Washington University after spending three decades at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), where he served as the 10th chancellor from 2008 through 2013. Thorp earned a bachelor of science degree from UNC, a doctorate in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology, and completed postdoctoral work at Yale University. He holds honorary degrees from the Olin College of Engineering, Hofstra University, and North Carolina Wesleyan College and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Inventors, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Thorp cofounded Viamet Pharmaceuticals, which developed VIVJOA (oteseconazole), now approved by the FDA and marketed by Mycovia Pharmaceuticals. Thorp is a venture partner at Hatteras Venture Partners, a consultant to Ancora, Huron, and Urban Impact Advisors, and is on the board of directors of PBS and Saint Louis University. He serves on the scientifi c advisory boards of the Yale School of Medicine and the Underwriters’ Laboratories Research Institutes. In 2023, STAT named Thorp to its STATUS list of top leaders in the life sciences. In 2025, he was given the Donald A. B. Lindberg Award for Distinguished Health Communications by the Friends of the National Library of Medicine.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms
Mayor of Atlanta (2018-2022); Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement (2022-2023)

Keisha Lance Bottoms is a proven fighter with battle-tested executive experience. She is running for Governor of Georgia to deliver for working families and bring steady leadership to Georgia in the midst of uncertainty and chaos coming from Washington.

As Governor, Keisha will bring the strong leadership that Georgia needs during these tumultuous times. She will fight to expand Medicaid so that 300,000 Georgians can get the health care coverage they need and to prevent more hospitals – especially those in rural communities – from shutting their doors. Keisha will work to eliminate income taxes for teachers, crack down on corporate landlords that are buying up houses and making it harder for families to buy a home or afford rent, and she will invest in education so our children have better pathways to success through career training or college.

As Mayor of Atlanta, Keisha steered the city through extraordinary challenges, including a cyber-attack on city government, civil unrest, the pandemic, along with an unstable president and combative state leadership. She made major investments in affordable housing, delivered historic salary raises for police officers and firefighters, supported small businesses, balanced the budget and never raised property taxes. Keisha also helped make Atlanta a global business destination, welcoming nine Fortune 500 companies who established headquarters in Atlanta, helping the city add $11 billion to its total economic output and attracting $4.5 billion in total capital investment.

Keisha is at least a fifth generation Georgian and has served as a judge, city councilwoman, and mayor. She was called to public service to build opportunities for working families like the one she grew up in. Keisha and her husband, Derek, are parents to four children in Atlanta.

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Aaron Rosen Lecture

Friday, January 16, 2026, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm, EST

Keynote Speaker: Karen Fredriksen Goldsen, PhD, University of Washington

Crisis to Catalyst: Mobilizing Gender and Sexuality Science to Ignite Lifelong Health and Inspire a Transformative Social Work Future

The shifting social, political, and cultural landscape is transforming the social work profession: the clients we serve, the research we conduct, the students we teach, and the communities in which we live and work. We are witnessing the erosion of safety nets, social work and allied health sciences deemed nonprofessional, and efforts to redefine gender as biological sex. As an internationally renowned scholar at the intersection of health trajectories and longevity across gender, sexuality, and culture, Dr. Fredriksen Goldsen will examine life-affirming practice and policy by bridging legal and ethical rights with lived realities. She will share critical findings from her landmark longitudinal research and cutting-edge, community-based interventions in underserved populations. Despite persistent adversity—or perhaps because of it—sexual and gender diverse older adults demonstrate remarkable resilience and resistance. Yet, they continue to face elevated risks of health disparities and premature mortality linked to violence and discrimination, economic inequality, and uneven access to care. By illuminating modifiable pathways over time, Dr. Fredriksen Goldsen will reveal how the dynamic interplay of social and community connection and marginalization shapes well-being—opening bold new possibilities for innovations in empowerment- and action-focused strategies. The lessons learned extend across communities with broad, cross-cutting societal implications. Dr. Fredriksen Goldsen will offer insights on how we, as a profession, can navigate these times with vision, integrity, and resolve to address our current “grandest challenges.”

Karen Fredriksen Goldsen, PhD, is the Hooyman Endowed Professor and Director of the Goldsen Institute and Healthy Generations in the School of Social Work at the University of Washington. She is an internationally recognized scholar whose work advances understanding of how health and aging unfold across the life course by gender, sexuality, and culture. She leads landmark longitudinal studies and cutting edge community-based interventions in underserved populations, including the National Health, Aging, and Sexuality/Gender Study: Aging with Pride (NHAS; NIH/NIA R01), Innovations in Dementia Empowerment and Action (IDEA; NIH/NIA R01), IDEA Care Café, and the Global Pride Study. Her research integrates rigorous science with direct community engagement and impact. Dr. Fredriksen Goldsen is the author of seven books and special issues and more than 150 publications. Her work has been cited by major media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, and Forbes, as well as over 100 international news sources. She was featured in CNN’s Trailblazer series and ranked among the top 2% of scientists in the field. She has delivered invited presentations at U.S. White House conferences, the National Academies of Sciences, Congressional briefings, United Nations conferences, and other national and international policy forums. Her honors include the inaugural NIH Sexual & Gender Minority Distinguished Investigator Award, PBS Next Avenue’s inaugural Top 50 Influencers in Aging, Social Work Education Career Achievement Award , GSA’s Pollack Award for Healthy Aging, and the UW Distinguished Teaching Award. She is a Fellow of SSWR and GSA, and founder of Shanti/Seattle, GenPride, and the Rainbow Research Group. She received her PhD from University of California, Berkeley.

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Annual Social Policy Forum

Saturday, January 17, 2026, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm, EST

Building Power for Policy Change: Tools, Strategies, and Pathways for Social Work Researchers

Social work stands at a critical crossroads, with research, ethics, and practice urgently needed to guide policy in an increasingly volatile landscape. In this Social Policy Forum, Dr. Sandra Crewe and Dr. Charles Lewis will draw on historical and contemporary examples to demonstrate how social workers can translate evidence into meaningful policy influence at the local, state, and federal levels. The session will offer actionable strategies to strengthen policy capacity among researchers, practitioners, and educators and help build the next generation of social work policy leaders.

Keynote Speakers: Sandra Edmonds Crewe, MSW, PhD, ACSW, Howard University and Charles E. Lewis, Jr., MSW, PhD, Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy

Sandra Edmonds Crewe, MSW, Ph.D., ACSW, is dean emerita and professor at the School of Social Work at Howard University. Dr. Crewe has dedicated her career and life to enhancing the well-being of African Americans through research, scholarship, and public advocacy. Dr Crewe holds a BSW and MSW from the Catholic University’s National Catholic School of Social Service, and her Ph.D. in Social Work from Howard University. She serves as the Rutgers School of Social Work Sojourner Truth Social and Racial Justice Visiting Professor (2024-2026).

Dr. Crewe is honored to be a NASW pioneer focusing on affordable housing. Additional honors are the Next Avenue Influencer in Aging Award (2022) and the Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award Trust Award (2020). In 2022, she was appointed by Governor Wes Moore for a 5th term as Maryland Affordable Housing Trustee. Dr. Crewe established the Dean Sandra Edmonds Crewe Endowed Social Work Scholarship at the Howard University School of Social Work in 2015.

Among her research/scholarship interests are social welfare history, ethnogerontology, persistent poverty, mental health, caregiving, and lived-experience leadership.

 

Dr. Charles E. Lewis, Jr. is the Director of the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy (CRISP). During his time on the Hill, serving as deputy chief of staff and communications director for former Congressman Edolphus “Ed” Towns, he was instrumental in creating the Congressional Social Work Caucus with the idea it would be a platform that would allow social workers to have more of a voice in Congress. While on the Hill as the staff coordinator for the Social Work Caucus, Dr. Lewis organized briefings for the National Association of Social Work (NASW), the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), and the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR).

In 2012, he founded CRISP as a 501(c) 4 nonprofit, nonpartisan organization to complement the mission of the Social Work Caucus and to ensure its presence on the Hill as Congressional Member Organizations such as the Social Work Caucus must be recertified every two years prior to the start of the new Congress. Following Mr. Towns’ retirement in 2013, CRISP, under his leadership continues its work of encouraging and assisting social workers to engage with their Congressional representatives.

Dr. Charles E. Lewis, Jr. is the Director of the Congressional Research Institute for Dr. Lewis was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Social Work and Welfare in recognition of his contribution to the emerging field of political social work. Since March 2016, Dr. Lewis has coordinated a Social Work Day on the Hill where social workers from all walks of life gather to celebrate the many contributions our profession has made to Congress and the federal government. Each year CRISP brings hundreds of social work students to the Hill for our Student Advocacy Day on the Hill when learning how to engage with congressional staff and advocate for legislation relevant to social work and the populations we serve.

Dr. Lewis is an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of Social Work and supervises students in the MSW policy concentration. He was also an adjunct professor at the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at the University of Southern California where he taught communications courses in the Doctor of Social Work (DSW) program. He was on the faculty of Howard University School of Social Work prior to going to the Hill to work with Mr. Towns.

A professional social worker, Dr. Lewis received his M.S.W. degree in clinical counseling at the Whitney M. Young, Jr. School of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University. He earned his Ph.D. in social policy analysis at the Columbia University School of Social Work in 2002. He strongly believes that social workers have much to bring to the policy discussion because of their hands-on knowledge about the real-world experiences of people from all walks of life. Dr. Lewis has been a strong advocate for children’s mental health as president of the Mental Health Association of the District of Columbia and has published extensively about the need for early detection and treatment as a means to reduce the overrepresentation of African Americans and Latinos in the criminal justice system.

Dr. Lewis co-edited a book in 2011 with former Philadelphia Mayor Dr. W. Wilson Goode and Howard School of Divinity professor Dr. Harold Dean Trulear entitled, Ministry with Prisoners and Families: The Way Forward, presenting ideas to reduce the constant flow of young people of color into the criminal justice system by addressing their psychological and behavioral needs at an early age. He is a strong proponent for increased mental health services in schools. Speaking at a forum at the Center for American Progress titled: “Everyone Isn’t Obama: Black Men and Social Policy,” Dr. Lewis stated the over-representation of young people of color in the criminal justice system is the number one civil rights issue today for African Americans because of the economic and relational penalties incurred by individuals, families, and communities.

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Invited Symposium I: Advancing Inclusive Economic Security across the Life Course: Research and Policy Pathways Forward
Friday, January 16, 2026, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, EST

Moderator: Judith G. Gonyea, PhD, Professor, Boston University (BU), School of Social Work and Faculty Affiliate the Center for Innovation in Social Sciences, BU College of Arts and Sciences

Panelists:

  • Lawrence Berger, PhD, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research in the Social Sciences, Shelia B. Kamerman and Alfred J. Kahn Professor of Social Policy and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor in the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Stephen Crystal, MA, PhD, Distinguished Research Professor, Rutgers University School of Social Work, Board of Governors Professor of Health Services Research, Director, Center for Health Services Research, Institute for Health, Rutgers
  • Yoonsook Ha, PhD, Associate Professor, Boston University School of Social Work
  • Jennie Romich, PhD, Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Washington School of Social Work and faculty director of the West Coast Poverty Center
  • Margaret M. C. Thomas, PhD, Assistant Professor, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, University of Chicago

The 2024 elections underscored that many politicians did not fully grasp the levels of financial stress and anxiety among working- and middle-class U.S. households despite indicators of positive national economic growth. One factor for this disconnect is our nation’s focus on economic insecurity versus economic security. Traditional measures of economic insecurity (i.e., the federal poverty measure) only highlight those in most acute need, leaving millions who are struggling to feel unseen and unsupported.  The Federal Reserve’s 2023 Survey of Household Economics and Decision-making found that 28% of persons in the US reported they were “just making ends meet” or “finding it difficult” to do so and only 33% reported “living comfortably.”

This symposium brings together leading policy researchers to explore how we can advance inclusive economic security across the life course—from early childhood to old age—through the diverse foci of their research.  Moving beyond a deficit-oriented framework centered on insecurity, the symposium emphasizes what policy can do to foster thriving, not just surviving. Thriving is conceptualized as a household’s capacity to move beyond basic economic subsistence to invest in the future – whether to grow a family, buy a home, pursue education, start a business, or plan for retirement.

Panelists will share strategies for engaging with policymakers and the public to inform decisions that directly impact the ability of all members of society, and particularly those historically marginalized, to be financially secure. The session aims to build pathways toward a more inclusive and sustainable vision of economic security.

About the Moderator and Panelists

Judith G. Gonyea, PhD, Professor, Boston University (BU), School of Social Work and Faculty Affiliate the Center for Innovation in Social Sciences, BU College of Arts and Sciences

Judith G. Gonyea, PhD, is Professor in Boston University, (BU) School of Social Work and faculty affiliate of the Center for Innovation in Social Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences (BU).   She is committed to advancing the wellbeing of all older persons through impactful applied practice and policy research. Through her research, she is an important voice in identifying the depth and consequences of health, social and economic disparities in later life and advocating for solutions to “unequal aging” in contemporary society.  Her research is often conducted in partnership with communities, public agencies and/or nonprofit organizations.

Lawrence Berger, PhD, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research in the Social Sciences, Shelia B. Kamerman and Alfred J. Kahn Professor of Social Policy and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor in the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Lawrence (Lonnie) M. Berger is Associate Vice Chancellor for Research in the Social Sciences, Shelia B. Kamerman and Alfred J. Kahn Professor of Social Policy and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor in the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work, and past Director of the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focuses on how economic resources, sociodemographic characteristics, and public policies affect parental behaviors and child and family wellbeing.  His work aims to inform public policy to promote economic security, improve family functioning and wellbeing, and ensure that children grow and develop in healthy environments.

Stephen Crystal, PhD, Distinguished Research Professor, Rutgers University School of Social Work, Board of Governors Professor of Health Services Research, Director, Center for Health Services Research, Institute for Health, Rutgers

Stephen Crystal, PhD, Distinguished Research Professor, School of Social Work, Board of Governors Professor of Health Services Research and Director, Center for Health Services Research at Rutgers University, is among the most influential world scholars contributing to understanding of economic and health inequality and the impact of policy choices on these outcomes.  With >23,000 citations of his >380 publications, he is among the most highly cited social work scholars. As developer of the cumulative advantage and disadvantage model of life course inequality, his research has advanced societal understanding of the nature and drivers of inequality and has inspired much research in the field.  His work articulates the ways in which policy choices and life events interact over the life course to shape increasingly high-inequality health and economic outcomes in the US. 

Yoonsook Ha, PhD, Associate Professor, Boston University School of Social Work

Dr. Yoonsook Ha is an Associate Professor at Boston University School of Social Work. Her research focuses on identifying gaps in social policies and improving access to safety-net programs that address poverty. Her current sudies examine how early education and care policies impact subsidy access, care arrangements, and quality. Dr. Ha currently leads two federally funded studies examining how child care policies influence families’ access to subsidies and the quality of care children receive.

 

Jennie Romich, PhD, Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Washington School of Social Work and faculty director of the West Coast Poverty Center

Jennie Romich is Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Washington School of Social Work and faculty director of the West Coast Poverty Center. Her research has examined equity dimensions of state and local policy topics including child welfare, tolling, paid sick and safe time, paid family leave, the minimum wage, and public contracts with non-profit human service providers. She and her colleagues are currently working on a fully representative Washington state data repository for state demographic research and policy analysis. 

 

Margaret M. C. Thomas, PhD, Assistant Professor, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, University of Chicago

Margaret M. C. Thomas, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at The University of Chicago. Her research focuses on the wellbeing of economically marginalized children and families through the lens of policy causes and solutions to material hardship and poverty. She examines material hardship and its consequences for other domains of wellbeing and analyzes policy impacts on poverty and hardship. Her work also probes the measurement of hardship and poverty, seeking to improve conceptualization and operationalization of these constructs toward the end of improving economic wellbeing through policy change.

 

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Invited Symposium II: Advancing Health and Social Equity Through Artificial Intelligence
Saturday, January 17, 2026, 9:45 am – 11:15 am, EST

Moderator: Hyeouk “Chris” Hahm, PhD, Professor and Associate Dean for Research at Boston University School of Social Work

Panelists:

  • Ruopeng An, PhD, Professor, Constance and Martin Silver Endowed Professor in Data Science and Prevention at NYU; Director of the Constance and Martin Silver Center on Data Science and Social Equity
  • Desmond Patton, PhD, Brian and Randi Schwartz University Professor, University of Pennsylvania, Annenberg School of Communication
  • Cheng Ren, PhD, Assistant Professor in the School of Social Welfare at the University at Albany, SUNY
  • Hee Yun Lee, PhD, Distinguished University Research Professor and Endowed Academic Chair in Social Work and Health at The University of Alabama and incoming Thomas P. Holland Distinguished Professor in Nonprofit Management and Leadership and Director of Nonprofit Organization and Leadership Development at the University of Georgia School of Social Work
  • Jacky Gong, PhD, Associate Professor and Director for the Alabama Center at U of Alabama for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence; Adjunct Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping social work research and practice. This invited symposium features five experts in social work to show how AI can dismantle barriers to health and social well-being. Dr. Ruopeng An will share an equity-focused data science pipeline that counters misinformation, refines precision nutrition, and improves social workers’ communication skills, while protecting transparency and fairness. Dr. Desmond Patton illustrates how a joy-centered analytic lens transforms social-media grief discourse into collective healing and connection for Black communities. Dr. Cheng Ren unlocks millions of unstructured eviction records with computer vision and natural-language processing, revealing actionable insights that inform eviction-prevention policy and address housing justice. Dr. Hee Yun Lee reports mixed-methods findings on social work students’ AI literacy, ethical concerns, and readiness to deploy generative tools, informing social work curricula that preserve empathy and combat algorithmic bias in future practitioners. Finally, Dr. Jiaqi Gong showcases the Open Knowledge Networks project, which builds interconnected, semantic models of diverse social, health, and environmental data to support meaningful social work research and real-world impact. Collectively, the five presentations demonstrate transparent and ethical AI use to promote social work’s values around advancing health and social equity. Participants of this symposium will gain timely and cutting-edge insights for promoting accurate health information, emotional well-being, housing stability, ethically competent workforces, and knowledge infrastructures that center marginalized populations and promote their well-being.

About the Moderator and Panelists

Hyeouk “Chris” Hahm, Ph.D, Professor and Associate Dean for Research at Boston University School of Social Work

Hyeouk Chris Hahm is a researcher dedicated to reducing health disparities among Asian American populations with a particular emphasis on building empirical evidence of health risk behaviors (e.g., self-harm, suicide and HIV risk behaviors). Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH, NICHD), the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Hahm has developed and tested a theoretical framework that explains suicide behaviors among Asian American women. Further, she developed culturally grounded interventions: AWARE (Asian American Women’s Actions in Resilience and Empowerment) and Youth AWARE, which has been implemented in colleges and high schools. Hahm also developed the AWARE Training Certificate, which focuses on training social workers, mental health counselors, advisors, and education professionals to provide support and empowerment to young Asian-American women encountering challenges of adulthood, mainstream American culture, and parents’ traditional culture.

She is an editorial board member for the Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, the Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work in the U.S., and the Journal of Korean Mental Health in South Korea. Hahm is an author of more than 80 peer-reviewed journal publications and has given 250 professional talks locally, nationally and internationally. Hahm is a recipient of a research mentor award at Boston University and the Innovator’s Award from Asian Women for Health.

Her work has been featured in numerous media, including the New York Times, National Public Radio (NPR), USA Today, Boston Globe, Washington Post, GBH (Boston’s NPR), and the Economist. Hahm is the Vice-President Elect of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR).

Ruopeng An, PhD, Professor, Constance and Martin Silver Endowed Professor in Data Science and Prevention at NYU; Director of the Constance and Martin Silver Center on Data Science and Social Equity

Dr. An is a leading expert in obesity epidemiology and policy evaluation, a noted interdisciplinary data scientist, and an internationally recognized scholar in applying artificial intelligence to address public health disparities and social inequities. He currently holds the Constance and Martin Silver Endowed Professorship in Data Science and Prevention and serves as the Director of the Constance and Martin Silver Center on Data Science and Social Equity. Dr. An is also an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Health Behavior and the American College of Epidemiology. His research has been funded by various federal agencies and public/private organizations, including OpenAI, Abbott, and Amgen. Recognized as one of Elsevier’s top 2% most cited scientists, his work has been featured by media outlets such as TIME, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Reuters, USA Today, Bloomberg, Forbes, The Atlantic, The Guardian, FOX, NPR, and CNN.

Desmond Patton, PhD, Brian and Randi Schwartz University Professor, University of Pennsylvania, Annenberg School of Communication

Dr. Patton is the Brian and Randi Schwartz University Professor and the thirty-first Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor. He holds joint appointments in the School of Social Policy & Practice and the Annenberg School for Communication, with secondary appointments in the Department of Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine and at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Professor Patton’s groundbreaking research examines the relationship between social media and gun violence, grief, and loss, focusing on how online communities influence offline behavior. His work has made him the most cited and widely recognized scholar in this critical area of social science. Early research focused on detecting trauma and preventing violence on social media has evolved into broader investigations of language analysis and algorithmic bias in artificial intelligence. He currently serves as a member of Spotify’s Safety Advisory Council, the Ethics and Equity Advisory Council (EEAC) at Axon, TikTok’s U.S. Content Advisory Council, and is a trusted advisor to several AI startups.

Cheng Ren, PhD, Assistant Professor in the School of Social Welfare at the University at Albany, SUNY

Dr. Ren is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Welfare at the University at Albany, SUNY. Cheng’s work involves acquiring open-access data and utilizing data science tools to determine how these data can be leveraged to benefit the welfare system and the general public. Currently, his focus is on using advanced AI techniques like Natural Language Processing, Computer Vision to promote housing justice, conducting eviction research, and improving service accessibility for vulnerable populations. Cheng’s research interests include computational methods for social welfare, community engagement and assessment, nonprofit development, and migrants’ well-being. He also serves the university’s AI Plus Institute.

Hee Yun Lee, PhD, Distinguished University Research Professor and Endowed Academic Chair in Social Work and Health at The University of Alabama and incoming Thomas P. Holland Distinguished Professor in Nonprofit Management and Leadership and Director of Nonprofit Organization and Leadership Development at the University of Georgia School of Social Work

Dr. Lee is the Thomas Holland Endowed Distinguished Professor and Director of the Institute for Nonprofit Organizations at the University of Georgia School of Social Work. An internationally recognized behavioral health scientist, she pioneers technology-driven strategies—Artificial Intelligence and web platforms—to reduce health disparities in underserved communities. Dr. Lee leads a robust portfolio of federally funded translational research and has contributed to national initiatives such as Healthy People 2030. As a leading innovator in AI-driven health applications, Dr. Lee brings visionary leadership to this symposium, advancing the future of research, education, and practice in social work.

Jacky Gong, PhD, Associate Professor and Director for the Alabama Center at U of Alabama for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence; Adjunct Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Gong is the Director of the Alabama Center for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (ALAAI) and an Associate Professor of Computer Science at The University of Alabama. His research bridges artificial intelligence and social impact, with a focus on advancing ethical, human-centered technologies that address real-world challenges in public health, education, and environmental justice. Dr. Gong leads interdisciplinary initiatives that bring together computer scientists, social workers, and public health researchers to co-design AI systems that support equitable access, community resilience, and informed decision-making. His work in knowledge representation, human-AI collaboration, and automated data science is helping to redefine how technology can serve the public good.

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Invited Symposium III: Task Force on Safeguarding Social Work Research: A Dialogue and Strategic Response to Emerging Threats
Saturday, January 17, 2026, 4:15 pm – 5:45 pm, EST

Moderator: Fatima Mabrouk, MSW, PhD candidate at NYU’s Silver School of Social Work, an NYU Urban Doctoral Fellow, CSWE Doctoral Minority Fellow

Panelists:

  • Mary Ohmer, PhD, Associate Professor and COSA (Community, Organization and Social Action) Chair at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work
  • Justin Harty, PhD, Assistant Professor at Arizona State University’s School of Social Work
  • Cheryl Hyde, PhD, Professor of Social Work at Temple University

This symposium will discuss the origin and work of SSWR’s Task Force on Safeguarding Social Work Research, including the alignment with SSWR’s mission, vision and Strategic Plan. We will review our three key strategies: Advance and Defend Social Work Research through Advocacy, Increase Public Awareness and Utilization of Social Work Research, and Provide Education, Support, and Community Building Opportunities for Social Work Researchers and Partners. We will provide an overview of recent initiatives related to these strategies: updates on our interactive and informational webinars with early career scholars and tenured faculty, including their recommendations for the task force; engagement with external partners (NASW, CSWE, NADD, ACOSA); development of strategic working groups; and a timeline and planned actions for upcoming months.  In our engagement of early career scholars and tenured faculty we focused on the following overall questions:  What are the key challenges you are facing? What would be the most helpful information, topics, and/or resources for SSWR to share overall, and for future webinars/information sessions? and What information would be most helpful related to advocacy for advancing social work science and research? We will also share specific information regarding feedback from early career scholars in the following areas: Conducting Research In Uncertain Times: Funding and Related Issues, Promotion and Tenure, Navigating the Job Market, Accountability and Transparency related to DEI challenges and cultural taxation, and Integrating Critical Research into Social Work Pedagogy After DEI Rollbacks. Finally, we have a facilitated discussion for members to share challenges and threats faced in their research environments and suggestions from members on priority actions, resources, and support needed from the Task Force.

About the Moderator and Panelists

Fatima Mabrouk is a PhD candidate at NYU’s Silver School of Social Work and an NYU Urban Doctoral Fellow, as well as a CSWE Doctoral Minority Fellow. Her research examines how structural violence—including racism, microaggressions, and exclusionary organizational practices—impacts the well-being and careers of BIPOC professionals. Fatima’s work explores organizational cultures to advance equity, inclusion, and psychological safety. Fatima currently serves as the SSWR Student Director-At-Large and co-chair of the SSWR Task Force to Safeguard Social Work Research. She has taught at NYU, Hunter College, Simmons University, and Columbia University, offering courses on mental health, policy, and workplace equity.

 

Dr. Mary Ohmer is an Associate Professor and COSA (Community, Organization and Social Action) Chair at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work. She is the SSWR Past Vice President and former VP/2025 Conference Chair and is Co-Chair of the SSWR Task Force to Safeguard Social Work Research. Dr. Ohmer conducts community-based participatory research with community partners, youth, and adults to build capacity to address neighborhood issues. Her funded research includes a 5-year intervention study to address community violence and a 3-year intervention to foster civic engagement, advocacy, and organizing among youth and adult residents to address equity issues.

 

 

Dr. Justin S. Harty is an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University’s School of Social Work and currently serves as the SSWR Early-career Director-at-Large. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker, his research centers on fatherhood, child welfare, and social work history, emphasizing the experiences of young fathers transitioning from foster care and father engagement within public systems. Dr. Harty’s scholarship is grounded in Black social work history and focuses on dismantling systemic racism and colonialism. He actively contributes to leadership roles in social welfare history initiatives, leveraging historical insights to inform transformative practice and policy in contemporary child welfare and fatherhood contexts.

 

 

Dr. Cheryl Hyde is a professor of Social Work at Temple University. Her scholarship addresses anti-oppressive praxis, community and organizational transformation, social movements, and macro practice. She co-authored Empowering Workers and Clients for Organizational Change and publishes and presents widely.  Current research focuses on neoliberalism’s impact on the human service sector, especially its workforce. She is co-principal investigator and evaluator for the SAMSHA funded Philadelphia ReCAST Initiative, which addresses community violence through grassroots efforts in Philadelphia. Dr. Hyde is a SSWR Fellow, co-founder of the Community & Neighborhood research cluster, co-chair of the Community & Neighborhood SIG, and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Community Practice.

 

 

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