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 Co-Chairs play a significant role in the abstract review and development of the abstract-based program content for the SSWR 2027 annual conference. The multi-stage abstract review process, which is led by the Cluster Co-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 Co-Chairs, and staff devote to the abstract review process.
- Cluster Chairs’ Service Term and Appointment Process
- Cluster Chairs’ Roles and Responsibilities
- Cluster Descriptions and Subtopics (PDF)
- Cluster Chairs
- Tentative Work Timeline
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
- Experience serving at least two years as an abstract reviewer for SSWR, and/or as an abstract reviewer for another social work or related national membership organization in a similar or related area to the cluster(s) you are being nominated for
Recommendation Process: Every year, a number of Cluster Co-Chairs rotate off. The Cluster Co-Chairs, SSWR Board and conference committee members, SSWR Fellows, 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 and SSWR staff vets each of the prospective Cluster Co-Chairs. The SSWR Vice President/Conference Chair then recommends the Cluster Co-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 29 clusters. 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:
• Agree to serve for 3 years.
• Help to recruit reviewers with expertise in related to your Cluster.
• Make reviewer assignments to submitted abstracts. (each abstract is reviewed by two reviewers.)
• Review incomplete assignments or outlier abstracts for your Cluster. (Cluster chairs are asked to review 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)
• Recommend abstracts for acceptance in each format (individual oral papers, flash talks, posters, symposia, roundtables, and workshops) and group into cohesive 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.
• Create flash-talk sessions which contain 6-7 highly scored individual oral paper abstracts, convert highly scored papers that don’t fit thematically into a flash talk session to flash-talk sessions when the authors agree.
• Recommend moderators for oral paper and flash talk sessions.
• Report on Cluster submissions and accepted abstracts to your Cluster and any affiliated or related Special Interest Groups.
Tentative 2027 Timeline for Cluster Chairs’ work:
- March 2026: recruit volunteer reviewers for their cluster (as needed)
- April 16-30, 2026: assign abstracts submitted in their cluster to volunteer reviewers
- June 8-22, 2026: handle incomplete abstract review assignments
- July 1-15, 2026: review outlier abstracts
- July 23-August 7, 2026: complete abstract decision-making process
Cluster Chairs
Note: cluster chairs serve a 3-year term.
| Adolescent and Youth Development (ADOL) |
Hyunkag Cho, PhD, Michigan State University
Michael Killian, PhD, Florida State University
Angela Malorni, PhD, Rutgers University
Yanfeng Xu, PhD, University of South Carolina
| Aging Services and Gerontology (A&G) |
Hyun Kang, PhD, James Madison University
Angie Perrone, PhD, University of California, Berkeley
Christina Miyawaki, PhD, University of Houston
| American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Global Indigenous Populations (Indigenous Cluster) |
Ramona Beltran, PhD, University of Denver
Katie Schultz, PhD, University of Michigan
| Asian and Asian-Pacific Islander Focused-Research (AAPIFR) |
Isok Kim, PhD, University at Buffalo
Cindy Sangalang, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
Saumya Tripathi, PhD, New York University
| Black and African Diaspora Focused-Research (BADFR) |
James Ellis, PhD, University of Michigan
Edward Scott, Jr., PhD, University of Houston
Durrell M. Washington, Sr., PhD, Rutgers University
| Child Welfare (CW) |
Hui Huang, PhD, University of Texas at Arlington
Miriam Landsman, PhD, University of Iowa
Erika Lewis, PhD, University of Maryland
Abigail Williams-Butler, PhD, Rutgers University
Tenesha Littleton, PhD, University of Alabama
| Communities & Neighborhoods (C&N) |
Andrew Foell, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago
Megan Gilster, PhD, University of Iowa
Amy Krings, PhD, The Ohio State University
Samantha Teixeira, PhD, Boston College
| Crime and Criminal Justice (C&CJ) |
Laura Abrams, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
Betty Wilson, PhD, University of South Carolina
Robert Motley, Jr., PhD, Boston College
| Disability (D) |
Kristina Lopez, PhD, Arizona State University
Vandana Chaudhry, PhD, City University of New York – College of Staten Island
Laura Wernick, PhD, Fordham University
| Gender (G) |
Venera Bekteshi, PhD, The University of Oklahoma
M. Candace Christensen, PhD, University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
Ankur Srivastava, PhD, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| Gender-Based Violence (GBV) (formerly VAWC) |
Noelle St. Vil, PhD, University at Buffalo
Sarah Bledsoe, PhD, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
LB Klein, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Abha Rai, PhD, Loyola University Chicago
| Health (H) |
Chiara Acquati, PhD, University of Houston
Lailea Noel, PhD, The University of Texas at Austin
Yeonwoo Kim, PhD, University of Texas at Arlington
| History (HST) |
Jane McPherson, PhD, University of Georgia
Jessica Toft, PhD, University of Minnesota
| Inequality, Poverty, and Social Welfare Policy (IP&SP) |
Yoonsook Ha, PhD, Boston University
Branden McLeod, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago
Katie Calhoun, PhD, The Ohio State University
| International Social Work & Global Issues (ISW&GI) |
Nataliia Gusak, PhD, University of Alaska
Ifrah Magan, PhD, New York University
Proscovia Nabunya, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis
| Immigrants and Refugees (I&R) |
Mary Held, PhD, University of Tennessee Knoxville
Wooksoo Kim, PhD, University at Buffalo
Jodi Berger Cardoso, PhD, University of Houston
Hyojin Im, PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University
| LatinX Focused-Research (LFR) |
Manuel Cano, PhD, Arizona State University
María Piñeros Leano, PhD, Boston College
Cecilia Ayon, PhD, University of California Riverside
| Mental Health (MH) |
Jordan DeVylder, PhD, New York University
Lindsay Bornheimer, PhD, University of Michigan
Quenette Walton, PhD, University of Houston
| Military Service Members, Veterans and Their Families (MSMVF) |
Eric Hardiman, PhD, University at Albany
Donna Schuman, PhD, University of Texas at Arlington
Nikki Wooten, PhD, University of South Carolina
| Organizations & Management (O&M) |
Theresa Anasti, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis
Matthew Bakko, PhD, Wayne State University
Seon Mi Kim, PhD, The City University of New York
| Race and Ethnicity (R&E) |
Ryon Cobb, PhD, Rutgers University
Sonyia Richardson, PhD, UNC Chapel Hill
Victor Figuereo, PhD, University of Pittsburgh
| Research Design and Measurement (RD&M) |
Antoinette Farmer, PhD, Rutgers University
Tanya Renn, PhD, Florida State University
Mansoo Yu, PhD, University of Missouri
| Research on Social Work Education (RSWE) |
LaShawnda Fields, PhD, University of Arkansas
Mingun Lee, PhD, Ohio University
Rolanda Ward, PhD, Niagara University
| School Social Work (SSW) |
Jennifer Murphy, PhD, University of Texas at Arlington
Danielle Harrell, PhD, University of Texas at Arlington
Andrea Joseph-McCatty, PhD, University of Tennessee Knoxville
| Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SO&GI) |
Daniel Jacobson Lopez, PhD, Boston University
Jama Shelton, PhD, Hunter College
Keith Watts, PhD, University of Kentucky
| Social Work Practice (SWP) |
Jessica Bagneris, PhD, University of Houston
Taylor Dowdy-Hazlett, PhD, University of Kentucky
Jaclyn Kirsch, PhD, University of Texas at Arlington
| Substance Misuse and Addictive Behaviors (SM&AB) |
Dale Dagar Maglalang, PhD, New York University
Micki Washburn, PhD, University of Texas at Arlington
John Moore, PhD, Florida State University
| Sustainable Development, Environmental and Climate Justice (SDE&CJ) |
Greer Hamilton, PhD, University of Michigan
Tonya Hansel, PhD, University of Texas at Arlington
Smitha Rao, PhD, The Ohio State University
| Work and Work-Life Policies and Programs (WWLP&P) |
Kess Ballentine, PhD, Wayne State University
Yu-Ling Chang, PhD, University of California, Berkeley
Jihee Woo, PhD, University of Minnesota
If you have any questions, please contact A. DeeJay Hastings, IOM, CAE, SSWR program director, dj@sswr.org.