Graduate School of Social Work
PhD Student Directory
Stephanie Begun is a mixed methods researcher who focuses on reproductive health and decision-making among homeless youth—specifically, how policies and community-based research interventions may work in tandem to positively impact homeless women's reproductive health access and outcomes. Stephanie's goal is to conduct research that enables a broader understanding of this complex topic, while also reflecting a strong commitment to social justice and anti-oppressive practice.
Erin Boyce is investigating social work practices related to direct, indirect and secondary trauma among those exposed to childhood sexual abuse disclosures.
Hagit Brandes is investigating the efficacy of animal-assisted intervention use in aggression reduction.
Lindsey Breslin's research interests include HIV/AIDS risk and virtual social networks, sexual and reproductive health among youth and young adults, social network analysis and comprehensive sex education.
Samantha Brown is interested in research that evaluates outcomes for children exposed to traumatic experiences and the impact this might have on social, emotional, and developmental functioning. Her research interests also include child resiliency, particularly factors that mediate the relationship between child maltreatment and the development of trauma-related symptomology.
Michael Chifalo is currently researching lesbian and gay parenting and family systems, gay male fathers' identity formation and dynamics, parenting experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual Latino/as, adoption professionals' attitudes toward placing children with LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) families, and the Every Child Deserves a Family HR 3827 policy and practice implications.
Lacey Clark's current research interest is the qualitative exploration of microaggression in the university classroom, perpetuated against sexual minorities.
Eric DesMarais is interested in international social work with a focus on the development of transnational networks and their effects on human security, human trafficking, migration and development.
Jordan Farrar's research focuses on the international community, specifically Africa. Her primary research investigates the effect of armed conflict on youth and the utilization of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration strategies when intervening at the individual level. Other research interests focus on the effect of armed conflict on community and the family, as well as the use of a resilience perspective when analyzing and proposing community-based interventions.
Jie Feng's research focuses on multicultural-community practice, particularly women's issues and empowerment, as well as international program development and management, and social work administration.
Badiah Haffejee's research interest is in the intersection of immigration policy, particularly as it relates to refugee women in the United States. Other interests include community development-specifically toward the empowerment of refugee women and youth in urban communities. Her current research investigates African refugee student outcomes in an after school program, specifically looking at culturally responsive social work practices, as it applies to a collectivist-oriented culture.
Lin Jiang's research interest is gerontology, especially comparing Chinese and American older adults' online activities/computer-based communication (i.e., voice chat, IM, 3D online games, emails, Facebook, YouTube and blogs). Specific examples include online social support and communication among senior citizens, civic engagement and older adults seeking online health information.
Songmin Kim is investigating how evidence-based social work interventions can include spirituality, particularly in community social work practice.
Susanne Klawetter, LCSW, is interested in examining social determinants of maternal and child health disparities. Topics of interest include intergenerational health patterns, gendered oppression, the application of a life course perspective in research and practice, and qualitative or mixed-methods approaches to engaging in community-based participatory research with marginalized women and children as it relates to health.
Chris Knoepke's research interests include quality-of-life issues in cardiac care, particularly interventions that reduce anxiety provoked by health interventions.
Lisa Langenderfer's research focuses on intimate partner violence, including partner violence among high-risk youth and perpetrator intervention.
Angela Lavery Benson's interests include intervention research involving older adults, specifically in the areas of end-of-life care and the use of animal-assisted interventions, social work interventions with incarcerated older adults, and the salutary effects of empathic relationships between companion animals and older adults.
Amy Lopez focuses her research on child welfare, especially the child welfare workforce, evidence-based practice and mental health in child welfare.
Maureen MacNamara's research interests include the dynamics of animal-assisted interactions, and the selection of animals incorporated in animal-assisted interactions, especially for trauma survivors. Her research interests also include the development and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children, and the incidence of medical life threat among clients with chronic or life-threatening illness.
Jennifer Martin's research interests include establishing best practices for training geriatric social workers, developing new leaders in the field of gerontology, promoting professional ethics in management and fostering organizational change in nonprofit agencies.
Shelby McDonald is investigating the etiology of aggressive and nonaggressive antisocial behavior in children and adolescents. Her research interests also include the application of a risk-and-resiliency approach to prevention-and-intervention strategies aimed at promoting physical and mental health outcomes among children exposed to intimate partner violence.
Ashley Michel is investigating the intersection of social work and various immigration issues. Her present research interests include: 1) the effects of anti-immigrant policies and practices on the well-being of unauthorized immigrants, persons in mixed-status families, and the larger Latino community; 2) the effect of stigmatization on unauthorized immigrants and their families; and 3) the stress experienced by mixed-status Latino families due to the constant threat of detainment and/or deportation of unauthorized family members.
Sarah Nickels' research focuses on risk and resilience among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) youth. Her dissertation involves a mixed-methods study of the social environment of non-suicidal self-injury among LGBTQ youth. She has also engaged in research projects focusing on cisgender (non-transgender) privilege in social work education, creating inclusive campus environments for transgender people and civic leadership. Sarah remains engaged in social work practice at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, where she manages a federal demonstration grant aimed at improving school-based health care for youth receiving Medicaid and CHP+.
Jennifer Pearson's research interests include ethical standards for animal-assisted interventions, psychopathologies of the human-animal bond, and the intersection of animal welfare, human health and the environment.
Stephanie Lechuga Peña is researching parent engagement and academic achievement for Mexican American/Chicano/a students. She focuses on intervention research to engage families and build community cohesion to improve their health, the health of their children, and the performance of their children's schools.
Granger Petersen's research interests include communities communicating and acting in virtual spaces, social work practice and Internet-mediated communication, changes in risk and protective factors associated with Internet-mediated communication, and use of technology as a tool for communities to self organize.
Chris Veeh's primary research area is the community reintegration, and desistance process of both juvenile and adult incarcerated populations. He is also interested in transdiscplinary approaches to social work research, especially those involving neuroscience and biomarker data.
Darren Whitfield is identifying and understanding critical health needs for gay men in the United States, particularly how systems of oppression influence health outcomes for gay men of color. Currently his work focuses on the psychosocial and cultural factors that may play a role in the disparity of HIV infection for young black gay and bisexual men.