More than three dozen BCSSW students, faculty, and staff will contribute to the program, presenting ePosters, participating in symposia, and delivering flash talks and oral presentations throughout the conference.
The Boston College School of Social Work will play a prominent role at the 30th Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research, which will take place at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C., from Wednesday, January 14 to Sunday, January 18.
More than three dozen BCSSW students, faculty, and staff will contribute to the program, presenting ePosters, participating in symposia, and delivering flash talks and oral presentations throughout the conference. Their work reflects the School’s commitment to social work research that improves the lives of individuals, families, and communities, and its connection with the conference’s theme, “Aligning Social Work Science with Policy and Practice.”
BCSSW scholars will address a range of issues, including the effects of strong cyberbullying laws on vulnerable youth, how childhood trauma shapes long-term economic well-being, and the use of human-centered AI to reduce bias in social service decision-making.
BCSSW’s leadership will also be represented at the conference. Dean Gautam N. Yadama will deliver remarks at the Opening Plenary on Thursday, January 15, at 5 p.m. Assistant Professor Robert O. Motley Jr. will be inducted into SSWR’s 2026 class of Fellows during the Fellows and Awards Presentations on Saturday, January 17, at 2 p.m., recognizing his scholarship on how racism, violence, and trauma affect the well-being of young Black adults aged 18 to 29.
Professor Rocío Calvo, SSWR’s vice president-elect, helped organize the conference. Louise McMahon Ahearn Endowed Professor Karen Bullock and Associate Professor Samantha Teixeira serve on the organization’s board of directors, underscoring BCSSW’s leadership within SSWR.
BCSSW will also host a reception for attendees on Friday, January 16, at 8:15 p.m. in Liberty Ballroom Salon I.
“Translating social work science into policy and practice is central to what our faculty and students do at Boston College School of Social Work,” said Yadama. “Our engagement at SSWR reflects who we are as a school.”
Here is the list of BCSSW presenters and summaries of their research projects:
Day: Thursday, January 15
Type: Roundtable
Title: Equity Matters: Centering the Voices of Individuals, Families and Communities Historically Marginalized and Excluded from Access to Care
BCSSW contributors: Louise McMahon Ahearn Endowed Professor Karen Bullock and Assistant Professor Whitney Irie.
Time and location: 3:15 p.m., Independence BR B, ML 4
Day: Thursday, January 15
Type: Symposium
Title: Housing Vulnerabilities and Disaster Preparedness in Low-Income Populations: Implications for Social Work
BCSSW contributors: Postdoctoral Fellow Zhirui Chen and Associate Professor Samantha Teixeira
Time and location: 3:15 p.m., Treasury, ML 4
Day: Thursday, January 15
Type: ePoster Presentation
Title: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Mental Health Challenges Among Kenyan Youth Living in Informal Settings
BCSSW contributors: Assistant Professor William Byansi and Doctoral student Christopher Baidoo
Time and location: 3:15 p.m., Marquis BR 6, ML 2; poster board 72P
Day: Friday, January 16
Type: Oral Presentation
Title: Increasing Latino Vaccination through Behavioral Health: The Mi Vacuna Pragmatic Trial
BCSSW contributors: Professor Rocío Calvo and Associate Dean for Research Kirsten Davison
Time and location: 9:45 a.m., Mint, ML 4
Day: Friday, January 16
Type: ePoster Presentation
Title: Racism-Based Police Violence as a Structural Driver of Substance Use
BCSSW contributors: Assistant Professor Robert O. Motley Jr. and Barry Family Professor in Social Work Christopher Salas-Wright
Time and location: 8 a.m., Marquis BR 6, ML 2 ; poster board 167P
Day: Friday, January 16
Type: ePoster Presentation
Title: The Shield and the Storm: Black Identity as a Moderator in the Relationship between Racism-Based Police Violence and Police Contact Anxiety
BCSSW contributors: Assistant Professor Robert O. Motley Jr.
Time and location: 8 a.m., Marquis BR 6, ML 2; poster board 157p
Day: Friday, January 16
Type: Flash Talk
Title: The Family Strengthening Intervention for Resettlement: A Feasibility and Acceptability Trial
BCSSW contributors: Doctoral student Haitisha Mehta, Research Assistant Farhad Sharifi, and Salem Professor in Global Practice Theresa Betancourt
Time and location: 3:45 p.m., Independence BR F, ML 4
Day: Friday, January 16
Type: Symposium
Title: Developing and Testing a Community-Level Predictive Model of Homelessness
BCSSW contributors: Associate Professor Thomas Byrne
Time and location: 2 p.m., Marquis BR 12, ML 2
Day: Friday, January 16
Type: ePoster Presentation
Title: Medicaid Expansion and State-Funded Health Care: Immigrant Inclusion in California, Illinois, and Oregon
BCSSW contributors: Doctoral student Bruna Cardoso Lopez and Professor Summer Sherburne Hawkins
Time and location: 8 a.m., Marquis BR 6, ML 2; poster board 174P
Day: Friday, January 16
Type: Flash Talk
Title: Impact of Recreational Cannabis Legalization on Disparities in Prenatal Cannabis Use
BCSSW contributors: Professor Summer Sherburne Hawkins
Time and location: 3:45 p.m., Independence BR F, ML 4
Day: Friday, January 16
Type: ePoster Presentation
Title: “It’s Hard to Work When You Are Drunk and in Pain”: How Childhood Trauma Undermines Worker Health, Careers, and Long-Term Economic Well-Being
BCSSW contributors: Associate Professor Scott Easton and MSW student Olivia Elba
Time and location: 9:45 a.m., Marquis BR 6, ML 2; poster board 279P
Day: Friday, January 16
Type: Flash Talk
Title: The PLAY Collaborative Implementation Strategy to Scale Delivery of an Evidence-Based Intervention for Early Child Development and Violence Prevention in Three Rural Districts in Rwanda
BCSSW contributors: Research Scientist Candace Black and Salem Professor in Global Practice Theresa Betancourt
Time and location: 9:45 a.m., Archives, ML 4
Day: Friday, January 16
Type: Flash Talk
Title: Coming to Terms with Our Routes: The Impact of No-Contact Family Estrangement on Asian American Identity
BCSSW contributors: Part-time faculty member SuMing Sullivan
Time and location: 8 a.m., Archives, ML 4
Day: Friday, January 16
Type: ePoster Presentation
Title: The Relationship between Decision-Making Agency and Mental Health for Refugees Resettled in Canada and the United States
BCSSW contributors: Doctoral student Megan Taylor
Time and location: 8 a.m., Marquis BR 6, ML 2; poster board 179P
Day: Friday, January 16
Type: Symposium
Title: Getting to School: School Choice, Journeys to School, and the Complexities of Family Decision Making
BCSSW contributors: Associate Professor Samantha Teixeira and doctoral candidate Jenna Strauss
Time and location: 3:45 p.m., Treasury, ML 4
Day: Saturday, January 17
Type: ePoster Presentation
Title: “Coming from the Place That I Do…Pushes Me Harder”: Strengths and Resilience in the College Experience of Public Housing Residents
BCSSW contributors: Doctoral candidate Jenna Strauss and Associate Professor Samantha Teixeira
Time and location: 4:15 p.m., Marquis BR 6, ML 2; poster board 635P
Day: Saturday, January 17
Type: Oral Presentation
Title: See Me and Hear Me: A Photovoice Study of Hispanic Adolescents’ Mental Health Priorities
BCSSW contributors: Assistant Professor Carolina Vélez-Grau, Research Assistant Krystel Francis, and Associate Professor Maria Pineros-Leano
Time and location: 4:15 p.m., Independence BR G, ML 4
Day: Saturday, January 17
Type: ePoster Presentation
Title: The Impact of Cyberbullying Laws on Student Cyberbullying By Sexual Minority Status
BCSSW contributors: Doctoral student Christopher Baidoo and Professor Summer Sherburne Hawkins
Time and location: 9:45 a.m., Marquis BR 6, ML 2
Day: Saturday, January 17
Type: Roundtable
Title: Enhancing Immigrant Participation in Research and Activism amid Extreme Hostile Environments
BCSSW contributors: Doctoral student Bruna Cardoso Lopez
Time and location: 8 a.m., Marquis BR 9, ML 2
Day: Saturday, January 17
Type: ePoster Presentation
Title: The Dynamic Relationship between Community Violence and Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders and Disabilities in the United States
BCSSW contributors: Doctoral student Sophia Eisenberg
Time and location: 4:15 p.m., Marquis BR 6, ML 2; poster board 659P
Day: Sunday, January 18
Type: Symposium
Title: Mapping the Evolution of Gerontological Education in Social Work: A Scoping Review
BCSSW contributors: Doctoral student Taylor Brennan
Time and location: 9:45 a.m., Marquis BR 12, ML 2
Day: Sunday, January 18
Type: Symposium
Title: Asian Ethnic Group Differences in Formal and Informal Volunteerism Among Adults Aged 50 and Over in the United States
BCSSW contributors: Doctoral student Patrick Lai and Associate Professor Christina Matz
Time and location: 9:45 a.m., Marquis BR 12, ML 2 (Marriott Marquis
Day: Sunday, January 18
Type: Symposium
Title: Understanding and Supporting Working Caregivers: Typologies, Innovations, and Implications for Practice and Policy
BCSSW contributors: Associate Professor Christina Matz and doctoral student Chin-Yi Su
Time and location: 9:45 a.m., Marquis BR 12, ML 2
Day: Sunday, January 18
Type: Oral Presentation
Title: Anti-Transgender Legislation and Its Implications for Social Work: A Systematic Review
BCSSW contributors: Doctoral student Patrick Mulkern and Assistant Professor Maggi Price
Time and location: 8 a.m., Liberty BR O, ML 4
Day: Sunday, January 18
Type: Workshop
Title: Using Human-Centered AI to Detect Racial Bias and Adapt Teacher Student Models for Equitable Decision-Making in Social Organizations
BCSSW contributors: Doctoral student Estefanía Palacios
Time and location: 11:30 a.m., Liberty BR O, ML 4
Day: Sunday, January 18
Type: Oral Presentation
Title: Experiences of Venezuelan Migrant Parents in Cali, Colombia
BCSSW contributors: Research Assistant Maria Juliana Rubiano and Associate Professor Maria Pineros-Leano
Time and location: 9:45 a.m., Independence BR A, ML 4
Day: Sunday, January 18
Type: ePoster Presentation
Title: Toward a Just Transition: Examining Worker Wellbeing amidst Bangladesh’s Brick Kiln Reforms
BCSSW contributors: Doctoral student Spencer Sandberg and Associate Professor Praveen Kumar
Time and location: 8 a.m., Marquis BR 6, ML 2; poster board 768P
Day: Sunday, January 18
Type: Symposium
Title: Perceived Workplace Age Discrimination, Retirement Pressure, and Workplace Stress
BCSSW contributors: Doctoral student Chin-Yi Su.
Time and location: 9:45 a.m., Marquis BR 12, ML 2