Faculty Awards 2019-2020
Jessica Lee, Ph.D., MA, MBE, LSW receives the Charles R. Bantz Community Scholar Award
Jessica Lee, assistant professor, was named a recipient of the Charles R. Bantz Community Scholar Award for her community-engaged research entitled “Resilience and protective factors among Burmese refugees: A Strengths-based participatory action research project.” The award is intended to support a new or promising researcher to impact community-driven goals. Lee partnered with IUPUI and the Burmese American Community Institute (BACI) to research ways to promote wellness and integration among refugee communities in Indianapolis.
Read more at go.iu.edu/32n5
Beth Wahler, Ph.D., MSW named Top 10 “Dedicated and Deserving Social Workers” and Feminist Mentor
Beth Wahler, associate dean for academic affairs, was named one of “10 Dedicated and Deserving Social Workers” by Social Work Today for outstanding service in the field of social work. She was nominated by colleagues and coworkers to share her social work journey with the magazine’s 30,000 subscribers.
Wahler also was recognized at the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Feminist Networking Breakfast for mentorship and contributions to the increased visibility of women in social work education. Wahler has been on the IUSSW faculty since 2012 and has over 14 years of social work practice focusing on poverty, substance use disorders, mental health problems, learning disabilities, and intimate partner violence.
Carmen Luca Sugawara, Ph.D. receives Fulbright Scholarship
Carmen Luca Sugawara, associate professor, received the prestigious Fulbright scholarship to aid in her research project in Croatia that examined how higher education community-engaged programs helped build local capacity for community development in post-communist countries. The Fulbright program is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and receives funding from the United States Congress.
Luca Sugawara has more than 20 years of experience in international social development working and researching on issues such as civil society networking, civil society strengthening, social capital, community development, and parental involvement in post-war reconstruction.
Read more at go.iu.edu/32n6
Robert Vernon, Ph.D., ACSW receives the Service and Leadership in Social Work Education Award
Robert Vernon, a professor, received the Faculty Service and Leadership in Social Work Education Award by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) for extraordinary leadership contributions that affect social work education locally, nationally, and globally. He has worked for over 40 years to extend the reach of social work education through innovations in technology, and he launched three different social work programs across the United States.
Read more at go.iu.edu/32n7
Carol Hostetter, Ph.D., LCSW, receives Faculty Award for Innovation in Research Instruction
Carol Hostetter, a professor, received the Faculty Award for Innovation in Research Instruction from SAGE and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The award recognizes the use of team-based learning to support research education and advancement.
With over 40 years of clinical experience and a passion for education, Hostetter joined the IU School of Social Work in 2001. She now teaches undergraduate research, practice, groups, and doctoral pedagogy.
Ivette Cruz, IUPUI Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Multicultural Teaching
Ivette Cruz received the IUPUI Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Multicultural Teaching. The award acknowledges faculty who integrate culturally relevant content into their curriculum; who employ an inclusive, student-centered pedagogy; and who champion diversity as a value that ensures the academic success of all students. Cruz became a BSW Student Services Coordinator at IUPUI in 2008 and has practiced since 1991 in diverse settings including mental health, addictions, domestic violence, medical social work, children and families, and Latino services.
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Richard A. Brandon-Friedman, Ph.D., LCSW, LCAC and co-authors to receive Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression Scholarship Award
Richard A. Brandon-Friedman, assistant professor, and his co-authors Barbara Pierce, Jeffry Thigpen, Beth Wahler, and J. Dennis Fortenberry received the 2020 Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Scholarship Award by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The award recognizes excellent scholarship that contributes to knowledge about sexual orientation, gender identity, and the individual and systemic issues associated with these topics. The five faculty members from the IU School of Social Work and School of Medicine were awarded for their manuscript “Sexual identity development and its impact on sexual well-being: Differences between sexual minority and non-sexual minority former foster youth.”
Read more at go.iu.edu/2K3a
Katherine McCarthy, Ph.D., LCSW and Tammi Nelson, MSW, LCSW, LCAC receive Trustees’ Teaching Awards
Katherine McCarthy, assistant professor, and Tammi Nelson, assistant clinical professor, were named the 2020 recipients of the Trustees’ Teaching Award. The award is granted to faculty who demonstrate excellence in teaching through student engagement, professional development, and contributions to their academic discipline. McCarthy, the IUPUI award recipient, joined the IU School of Social Work in 2013 and currently teaches in the MSW Direct online program. She aims to support students by exploring new methods of social work pedagogy and prioritizing student wellness. Nelson, the IU Bloomington award recipient, joined the IU School of Social Work in 2011 as a lecturer and field liaison. She has 15 years of experience in community mental health as both a practitioner and administrator, and she enjoys helping students meet their career goals and pursue new learning opportunities.