Social Work - Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis

Sarah Harding named 2026 Brown School student marshal

admin — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:03:00 +0000

Sarah Harding has been selected as the 2026 student marshal for the Brown School’s recognition ceremony, an honor that will place her at the front of the Class of 2026 on Wednesday, May 13. As student marshal, Harding will carry the school banner and lead fellow degree candidates into the ceremony at 17�Թ�’s Athletic Complex Field House on the Danforth Campus. Marshals are chosen through faculty and peer nominations that recognize academic achievement, practicum engagement, and contributions to the school community. Harding will earn a master’s degree in social work with a concentration in children, youth, and family. Raised primarily in Southern Illinois, Harding said she was drawn to the Brown School after hearing strong recommendations from alumni who spoke...

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Liz Smith named Brown School student speaker

admin — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 07:31:00 +0000

Liz Smith will serve as the student speaker at the Brown School’s recognition ceremony on May 13, marking the completion of her master’s degree in social work and a brief break before returning in the fall to begin her doctoral program. A Massachusetts native, Smith didn’t initially plan a career in social work. After earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a conversation with her therapist helped reframe her interests. “My therapist at the time told me that what I described sounded more like social work than psychology. So, I began looking up social work programs,” she said. Smith learned about the Brown School through a friend in St. Louis. Soon after, things began to align. She applied for positions in the area and was flown...

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Brown School student recognized for harm reduction practicum work

admin — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 17:37:55 +0000

As she prepares to graduate soon with a master’s degree in social work from 17�Թ�, Isla Frazier says her practicum experience in a hospital-based harm reduction program has helped her translate research into clinical practice. Frazier was recently named the 2026 recipient of the Tasch-Kopolow Scholarship from PreventEd, an honor recognizing her commitment to achieving excellence in a professional career serving the substance use field. During her Master of Social Work program, Frazier completed her first practicum at the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri. She is now finishing her second placement with the Injection Drug Use Bridge to Health Program at the 17�Թ� School of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases, a hospital-based harm reduction initiative...

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Naseh receives William H. Danforth St. Louis Confluence Award

Myra — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:01:22 +0000

By Diane Toroian Keaggy April 21, 2026 When newcomers to St. Louis succeed, the entire region succeeds, says Blake Hamilton, president of the International Institute of St. Louis. That’s why he agreed to join with Mitra Naseh, an assistant professor at the 17�Թ� and founding director of the school’s Forced Migration Initiative, in her quest to foster belonging among the region’s large Afghan population and to find ways to better connect refugees to the services they need to thrive. “This work also reminds us that welcoming is not a measure of individual effort alone. It is a measure of whether our region is prepared to unlock talent, recognize credentials, support families and create pathways to mobility,” Hamilton told attendees at the 2026...

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Guaranteed income improved artists’ finances, innovation

Roger — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:53:47 +0000

A guaranteed income program for artists led to improvement in financial stability and reduced debt, but also improved their motivation and artistic output, finds a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. “Our main finding is that giving people cash not only helps them live a more secure life, it also provides a pathway toward personal, professional and artistic growth,” said Stephen Roll, an assistant professor and an expert on asset building and economic security. Roll is co-author of the paper “Empowering Artistic Labor: How Guaranteed Income Enhances Intrinsic Motivation and Fosters Human Flourishing,” published online in the journal World Development Perspectives. Roll and his co-authors examined data from the Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY) Guaranteed Income...

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New funding expands Brown School–linked suicide prevention initiative in Missouri schools

admin — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 22:06:45 +0000

A suicide prevention initiative that began at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis is expanding statewide under a new name, supported by new funding to strengthen how Missouri schools prevent and respond to student suicide risk. The program, now known as the Missouri Hope Policy Academy, has received support from the Missouri Suicide Prevention Network, in collaboration with the Missouri Behavioral Health Council, to develop curriculum and evaluate the scaled-up effort. The academy helps school districts build stronger suicide prevention, intervention and postvention policies. The initiative builds on work that began in 2019 at the Brown School, when faculty researchers sought to better understand how Missouri school districts approached suicide prevention and response at the policy level....

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Jason Purnell to speak at Brown School’s 2026 recognition ceremony

admin — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:15:37 +0000

Jason Q. Purnell, president and CEO of the James S. McDonnell Foundation, will be the featured speaker at the Brown School’s 2026 recognition ceremony. The event is set for 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 13, at the Athletic Complex Field House on 17�Թ�’s Danforth Campus. Purnell joined the McDonnell Foundation in 2023 after leading community health initiatives at BJC HealthCare, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health systems. He oversaw the system’s Community Health Improvement strategy, launching programs to address health equity and improve the physical, emotional, and financial well-being of underserved populations. He also advanced BJC’s role as an anchor institution, investing in community and economic development and promoting hiring and purchasing in 22 zip codes with high poverty rates...

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Morrow-Howell, Halvorsen appointed to organizations for older adults

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 15:51:01 +0000

Nancy Morrow-Howell and Cal J. Halvorsen, faculty members at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, have been appointed to serve on local organizations that support older adults. Morrow-Howell, the Betty Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy and co-director of the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at the Brown School, has been named to the board of directors of the St. Louis City Area Agency on Aging. Funded through federal, state, local and private sources, the agency coordinates community-based services for older adults and their caregivers in the city. She also has been appointed as a commissioner on the St. Louis County’s Older Adult Commission. The commission advises the county executive and County departments on matters relevant...

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Halvorsen, Jovanovich receive Bauer Leaders Academy grant

admin — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 12:36:00 +0000

Cal J. Halvorsen, associate professor, and Joe Jovanovich, lecturer, both at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, have received a curricular innovation grant from 17�Թ�’s Bauer Leaders Academy. The grant will support Halvorsen and Jovanovich as they update the “Social Work Practice with Organizations and Communities” course, also known as “Practice 2,” to include new leadership learning components. The pair will revise the course syllabus over the summer, incorporating input from fellow instructors, students, and community partners, in preparation for the spring 2027 semester. The Bauer Leaders Academy, in partnership with the Bauer Leadership Center, offers selective grants to help faculty incorporate purpose and leadership themes into their courses.

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Brown School students take social work lessons to local policy hearings

admin — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 20:42:53 +0000

When a tornado tore through the St. Louis region last May, Chloe Brewer, a Master of Social Work student at Washington University’s Brown School, lost her apartment. Though her home was uninhabitable, her property management initially insisted she continue paying rent. Brewer recently recounted that experience during a meeting of the Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee of the St. Louis Board of Alderman, advocating for full funding of the city’s Housing Eviction Law Program, also known as the Right to Counsel Program. The program provides access to legal representation for tenants facing eviction. “They would have made me pay rent for the month of June, only two weeks after the tornado, despite having no place to live,” Brewer told...

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Joe honored for research contributions

Myra — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 19:59:04 +0000

Sean Joe, the Benjamin E. Youngdahl Professor of Social Development at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, received an Honorable Mention for the 2026 Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Excellence in Research Award. The recognition is for the article “Mediators That Matter: Psychological Distress, Developmental Assets, and Educational Outcomes Among Black Youth,” published in the Journal of Educational Psychology. Joe was recognized with co-authors Theda Rose of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and Gregory R. Hancock of the University of Maryland. The study examines how psychological distress and developmental assets affect educational outcomes among Black adolescents. It identifies self-esteem, school bonding and educational expectations as key pathways to academic success, moving beyond deficit-focused narratives. The Excellence...

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Brown School to fund practicums, provide stipends for social work students

admin — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 06:01:00 +0000

The Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis will fully fund practicum internship experiences and provide living stipends to students in its Master of Social Work program beginning in fall 2026, Dorian Traube, the Neidorff Family and Centene Corporation Dean of the Brown School, announced. The Practicum Support Award will be available to both new and returning MSW students. It will cover full tuition for required practicum credits and provide a living stipend distributed throughout a student’s program. Traube said both tuition coverage and stipend support are essential to addressing the financial strain students often face during unpaid practicum placements. Meeting the rigorous applied training requirements of the MSW degree can make it challenging to simultaneously maintain paid employment....

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Anasti named SSWR 2026 fellow

admin — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 21:56:36 +0000

Theresa Anasti, an assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, has been named to the 2026 class of Fellows of the Society of Social Work Research (SSWR). Anasti is one of 21 social work researchers recognized this year for their contributions to the field. The fellowship honors members for their accomplishments, leadership and service to the society. Fellows are expected to serve as mentors and role models for emerging social work researchers and to help advance SSWR’s mission. Anasti, an organizational scholar and social worker, studies how nonprofit and community-based organizations improve conditions for underrepresented populations. Her research focuses on organizations that serve stigmatized or criminalized groups, including sex workers, active drug users, and people experiencing...

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Kohl selected fellow of American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare

Myra — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 12:31:00 +0000

Trish Kohl, a professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, has been selected as a 2026 fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW). The academy is an honorific society of distinguished scholars and practitioners dedicated to advancing excellence in social work and social welfare and promoting high-impact work that improves the social good. Kohl is one of nine individuals named to the Class of 2026. She will be formally inducted during the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) annual conference in January 2026. “I am honored to be selected as an AASWSW fellow,” she said. “This recognition reflects the incredible partnership of families, community organizations, colleagues, and students who have helped shaped my...

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St. Louis guaranteed basic income pilot improved financial stability, study finds

Roger — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 20:09:27 +0000

Researchers from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis have released new findings from their evaluation of St. Louis’ Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) Pilot Program, showing that regular, unrestricted cash payments significantly improved participants’ economic security, credit health and overall quality of life. “A steady, predictable income stream gave families room to breathe — and to plan,” said Stephen Roll, an assistant professor at the Brown School and director of research at the Center for Social Development. “Families used the payments to stay current on bills, avoid crises, and invest in their children. Many were able to build emergency savings for the first time. When we trust families to make decisions for themselves, the outcomes are overwhelmingly positive.” The...

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