PhD - Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis

PhD student awarded grant to support young people living with HIV in China

admin — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 20:47:45 +0000

Yutian Chen, a first-year PhD student in social work at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, has received a one-year grant to study the experiences of young adults living with HIV in China. Chen was awarded funding from Gilead Sciences in China through its corporate grants program. The grant will support a participatory action research project examining the lived experiences of young adults living with HIV in China, with the goal of enhancing their social support and well-being. Chen is conducting the project in partnership with Rainbow Nest, an LGBTQ+ community organization in Hangzhou, China. The initiative will use Photovoice, a qualitative research method that allows participants to document their own realities through photography, personal narratives and...

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Three Brown School students receive prestigious CSWE minority fellowships

admin — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Three students at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis have been selected for the 2025-2026 Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Minority Fellowship Program (MFP). Jonathan Manjarrez, a Master of Social Work student, was named a CSWE MFP MSW Fellow. Kelley McCall, a PhD candidate, and Emani Sargent, a PhD student, were selected as CSWE MFP Doctoral Fellows. This year’s cohort includes 30 doctoral and 40 MSW fellows, chosen through a competitive three-round review process. The Minority Fellowship Program provides recipients with a stipend, mentorship, specialized training, and practical experience to prepare them for leadership roles in behavioral health. Sargent said she is “overwhelmed with gratitude” for the fellowship, calling it an honor that reinforces her commitment to addressing mental health disparities and...

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PhD candidate appointed to APHA Disability Justice advisory board

Myra — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 16:02:18 +0000

Mustafa Rfat, a doctoral candidate in social work at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, has been appointed to the American Public Health Association’s Disability Justice advisory board for 2025 to 2026. The board, which centers on disabled leadership, provides guidance on advancing disability justice across public health research, practice, and policy. “I am honored to join this board and look forward to contributing to work that advances equity and accountability in public health,” Rfat said. Rfat’s research focuses on disability justice, refugee inclusion, and health equity through community-engaged methods. Earlier this year, he was elected to represent Missouri as a delegate to the Refugee Congress, a national nonprofit advocating for refugees and other forcibly displaced people....

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Faculty, PhD student receive grant to study adolescent girls in Ghana

Myra — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 19:33:30 +0000

Two members of the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis have received a 2025 Seed Grant from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) to study sexual risk behaviors among adolescent girls in Ghana, drawing insights from both mothers and daughters. The grant recipients are Proscovia Nabunya, associate professor at the Brown School and director of the International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD); Portia Nartey, a third-year doctoral student in social work and research associate at ICHAD; and Juliet Iwelunmor, professor of medicine and associate director for global health and dissemination at 17�Թ� Medicine. Nartey will work under the mentorship of Nabunya and Iwelunmor. The research will focus on Ghana’s eastern region, which faces high poverty rates and...

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Brown School welcomes new social work PhD students

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 11:31:00 +0000

The Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis is proud to welcome seven new students to its PhD program in Social Work. This year’s incoming cohort encompasses a diverse range of research interests, including refugee and immigrant well-being, child welfare policy and practice, technology and AI in health, end-of-life care and elder care, and more. Anwesha Chatterjee is a queer-feminist social worker from India with a strong commitment to working for and with women and girls, especially survivors of violence. For the past two years, she has led a community-based organization in India that combines on-ground direct work with communities with regional and national advocacy. She writes extensively and grounds herself through music and movement. Yutian Chen is a...

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Brown School researchers study AI’s role in pediatric cancer care

admin — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Cindy Kang, a PhD student in public health sciences at the Brown School, has received a Summer Fellows grant from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation to conduct pediatric oncology research aimed at using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve outcomes for children diagnosed with cancer. This summer, Kang is working under the mentorship of Brown School Professor Kim Johnson to study how AI can help predict the risk of metastasis at the time of a child’s initial cancer diagnosis. Metastases account for a large portion of cancer-related deaths in children. The project seeks to promote earlier detection and reduce mortality, with particular attention to how socioeconomic determinants, such as neighborhood income and education levels, influence survival rates among children with metastatic cancer. They plan to combine AI...

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Two from Brown School named fellows by 17�Թ�’s Center for Race, Ethnicity & Equity

admin — Thu, 08 May 2025 14:17:00 +0000

A faculty member and a doctoral student from the Brown School have been awarded fellowships by 17�Թ�’s Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity (CRE²). Mitra Naseh, an assistant professor, has been named a Spring 2026 CRE² Faculty Fellow. The fellowship provides a semester free from teaching and service obligations, allowing faculty to fully dedicate their time to research. Faculty Fellows engage in and lead collaborative workshops and seminars, and each is invited to present their own research and scholarship in a dedicated session. Naseh’s research focuses on the social and economic integration of minoritized and racialized groups with a migration background, with a particular focus on migration policies as social determinants of health. Her research is rooted...

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PhD candidate elected Missouri delegate to national refugee advocacy group

admin — Wed, 07 May 2025 13:30:00 +0000

Mustafa Rfat, a PhD candidate in social work at the Brown School, has been elected to represent Missouri as a delegate to the Refugee Congress, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for refugees and other forcibly displaced people. He’ll serve a three-year term through 2028, joining a nationwide network of delegates representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. “As someone with lived experience of forced displacement, this role gives me a powerful platform to advocate for refugee and asylee communities, especially for those with disabilities, locally in Missouri, across the United States, and on the national stage,” Rfat said. “At a time when refugee voices are more essential than ever, I’m committed to advancing justice, inclusion, and meaningful...

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Lancet correspondence highlights human cost of U.S. refugee policy shift

admin — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 18:16:53 +0000

Mustafa Rfat, a PhD candidate in social work at the Brown School, co-authored a recent correspondence in The Lancet with Associate Professor Jean-Francois Trani, drawing attention to the humanitarian consequences of recent changes to U.S. refugee policy. The correspondence focuses on the federal government’s suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program earlier this year, which resulted in the cancellation of approximately 10,000 approved refugee resettlement flights. The authors argue that the sudden policy shift has placed thousands of displaced people in immediate danger and undermines long-standing U.S. humanitarian commitments. “The abrupt policy change has increased uncertainty for refugees living in camps. Leaving them in limbo will exacerbate pre-existing physical and mental health conditions and increase the risk of enduring harm...

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Brown School students earn top honors at Graduate Research Symposium

admin — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 19:12:14 +0000

Several students from the Brown School were recognized for their outstanding research at the 30th Annual Graduate Research Symposium, held March 27 at the Eric P. Newman Education Center on the Medical Campus. Hosted by the Graduate and Professional Student Council in partnership with the Graduate Center, the symposium featured more than 90 graduate and professional students from a wide range of academic disciplines. Participants competed for cash prizes in both oral and poster presentations, which were judged on content, clarity, and delivery. The symposium showcased a wide range of scholarly work from across the university, including primary research, literature reviews, case studies and methodological innovations. In addition to the presentations, the event featured networking opportunities and a keynote address,...

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Student awarded funds for dissertation research on menstrual hygiene in Uganda

admin — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 16:17:37 +0000

Flavia Namuwonge, a third-year doctoral student in the Brown School’s PhD program in social work and a scholar in the McDonnell International Scholars Academy, has been awarded $151,382 through the National Institute of Mental Health’s (NIMH) Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research Program. The funding will support Namuwonge’s dissertation research titled “Examining the Impact of Menstrual Hygiene Management on Academic Achievement and Mental Health Outcomes among School-Going Adolescent Girls in Uganda.” Her work builds on the Suubi4Stronger Families study, led by Fred M. Ssewamala, the William E. Gordon Distinguished Professor, and Mary McKay, executive vice provost and former dean of the Brown School. The larger study foccuses on strengthening financial stability and parenting to address child behavioral health...

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Student addresses economic inclusion of refugees with disabilities in The Lancet

admin — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 22:39:23 +0000

Mustafa Rfat, a PhD candidate in social work at the Brown School, has co-authored a correspondence published in The Lancet calling on greater economic integration of refugees and asylees with disabilities. “The financial rights of refugees and asylees with disabilities need to be protected; this should include using disability rights and ensuring equitable access to employment programs, educational opportunities, workplace accommodations, and vocational rehabilitation, which are essential for long-term economic integration,” he wrote. In 2023, over 20 million people were newly displaced, with more than 6 million designated as refugees and asylum seekers, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The United States remains a primary destination for many of these individuals. However, inconsistent data collection on disabilities within refugee populations complicates efforts...

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COVID-19 job losses impacted early withdrawal from retirement accounts

Roger — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 20:47:32 +0000

Having a robust emergency savings fund could help people weather financial shocks, such as job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, finds a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. “We found that for individuals who lost jobs, those with at least three months’ worth of emergency savings were significantly less likely to tap into their retirement savings early,” said Haotian Zheng, a PhD candidate and lead author of “Job loss during COVID-19 on early retirement withdrawals: A moderated-mediation analysis,” published this month in The Journal of Consumer Affairs. “Ultimately, this study emphasizes the importance of emergency savings in helping workers stay financially resilient during crises,” Zheng said. “Building and maintaining a sufficient emergency savings can help...

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Brown School PhD Students Appointed to New Graduate Council

admin — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 16:16:07 +0000

Nicole Strombom and Hannah Kinzer, both PhD students in the Brown School’s Public Health Sciences program, have assumed key roles in the newly established Graduate Professional Student Council (GPSC). This new body merges the Graduate Student Senate (GSS) and the Graduate Professional Council (GPC) into a single, unified student government. Operating on a one-year trial basis, the GPSC aims to more effectively address key issues such as student health, transportation, and visa concerns. The GPSC will hold unified meetings followed by breakout sessions dedicated to the specific needs of the former GSS and GPC chambers, ensuring continued attention to PhD-specific matters. Nicole Strombom: Co-President, GSS Chamber Nicole Strombom, a fifth-year doctoral student, was elected Co-President of the GPSC for the 2024-2025...

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Brown School Welcomes New PhD Students

admin — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 11:30:00 +0000

The Brown School proudly welcomes its newest cohort of doctoral students. The 14 students in our 2024 cohort bring a wide variety of research interests and experiences that include mental and physical health disparities, reproductive justice, forced displacement, data science and machine learning, and dissemination and implementation science. Among these scholars, six are pursuing a PhD in Social Work and eight are pursuing a PhD in Public Health Sciences. New Students in Social Work Grace DeHorn is committed to finding avenues to restore a social safety net and improve working conditions for low-income populations. Following her Master’s in Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago, Grace worked as a project manager on the Fulfillment Center Intervention Study...

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