Social Work News

Kim Kovol Read More

MSW alumni Kim Kovol appointed acting DFCS commissioner

 |  Ahliil Saitanan  |  ,

UAA Master of Social Work alumni Kim Kovol recently was appointed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy as acting commissioner of the new Alaska Department of Family and Community Services.

Children walking on a muddy pathway with tents Read More

Oregon leader will use her own refugee experience to guide changes in state programs

 |  Oregon Capital Chronicle  | 

MSW alumni Toc Soneoulay-Gillespie was featured in an Oregon Capital Chronicle article about her efforts to use her own refugee experience to guide changes in state programs. The new director of the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement wants to build bridges between state agencies and the people they are supposed to serve.

An adult holds the hand of a child Read More

Talk of Alaska: Breaking the cycle of removal for Black and Indigenous children

 |  Alaska Public Media  | 

School of Social Work assistant professor Dr. Jessica Ullrich and Dept. of Human Services associate professor Dr. Yvonne Chase were guests on Talk of Alaska on March 8 to talk about breaking the cycle of removing for Black and Indigenous children.⁠

Kids playing with fallen leaves during fall season Read More

UAA researchers hope to move child welfare away from separation and toward community building

 |  Alaska Public Media  | 

Social Work Assistant Professor Dr. Jessica Ullrich and Human Services Professor Dr. Yvonne Chase were featured in an Alaska Public Media article about a study they co-authored in the International Journal on Child Maltreatment, titled "A Connectedness Framework: Breaking the Cycle of Child Removal for Black and Indigenous Children." The study explores alternative child welfare strategies to limit family separation.

Photo of Vanessa Salmon Read More

MSW alumna Vanessa Salmon publishes article about the challenges rural women experience delivering babies

 |  Ahliil Saitanan  |  ,

Vanessa Salmon, a 2019 MSW program graduate, published an article in the Journal of Rural Mental Health, titled "When delivery means departure: Describing the practice and impacts of mandated maternal transport in Alaska," which was her capstone project for the program. This research is about the challenges rural women experience delivering babies and the demands of having to move into hub communities to await delivery. Salmon was the lead author, alongside UAA School of Social Work professor Dr. Heidi Brocious and UAF Dept. of Social Work associate professor Dr. Laverne Demientieff.