Four BUSSW Faculty Receive Research Funding Through Small Grants Program
Four new research projects are underway at Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW) thanks to the School’s small grants program, an initiative launched in 2022 by Associate Dean for Research Hyeouk Chris Hahm to provide direct financial support for innovative proposals by BUSSW faculty members.
Funding for the 2023-2024 academic year was awarded to the following proposals.
BUSSW Small Grant Awards, 2023-2024
Stigma and Social Support Among Latinx LGBTQ+ Individuals Living with HIV
Assistant Professor Luis R. Alvarez-Hernandez and Elias Cantu from the Valley AIDS Council in South Texas previously found that family social support of HIV+ Latinx LGBTQ+ individuals was experienced simultaneously with social stigma around HIV/AIDS in the Rio Grande Valley region. Their small grant award will fund a systematic literature review evaluating relevant existing interventions, and a supplementary study documenting the experiences of HIV+ Latinx LGBTQ+ individuals through “photovoice,” a community-based participatory action research method. Their findings will build the groundwork for an intervention that decreases HIV/AIDS stigma and increases social support for HIV+, LGTBQ+ Latinx individuals living in US/Mexico border region communities.
Peer Support Interventions for Individuals with Behavioral Health Needs Reentering the Community Following Incarceration: A Scoping Review of Implementation Models and Evidence
Incarcerated individuals with a history of substance use and mental health challenges are at an increased risk for overdose and other negative health outcomes after release. Peer recovery support services (PRSS), or services delivered by people with lived experiences in common with those they serve, have shown promise in addressing this danger but research remains limited. Assistant Professor Peter Treitler will use funding from his grant award to examine current implementation models and give practitioners, policymakers, and researchers access to more information about their efficacy.
Measurement Validation of Sexual Trauma Victimization in Black Young Men
Assistant Professor Jennifer M. Gómez’s concept of cultural betrayal trauma theory (CBTT) set the foundation for her recent book exploring trauma and resilience in Black women and girls. Her grant award allows her to expand upon her work by examining the prevalence and impact of sexual violence victimization of young Black men in order to inform prevention and intervention efforts. BUSSW PhD students Riana Howard and Rhitamvara Pokharel will assist her in collecting data and analyzing findings, providing a launch pad for Prof. Gómez to secure external funding.
Continuing Education for Anti-Racist Social Work Practice: An Exploratory Study
Massachusetts recently became the first state in the U.S. to implement a continuing education requirement focused on anti-racism. Clinical Associate Professor Ashley Davis and BUSSW alum Rebecca Mirick (MSW‘02), an associate professor at Salem State University School of Social Work, are using their grant award to collect and evaluate qualitative data on Massachusetts social workers’ perceptions of the new policy. Davis and Mirick will use the information they gather to analyze social workers’ responses to the requirement, and solicit feedback on the relevance and sufficiency of applicable offerings.