Research News
UK Social Work doctoral student receives prestigious fellowship at national conference
Every year, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) opens applications for emerging social work scholars dedicated to reducing health disparities among populations with historically limited access to mental and
Social Work professor selected for National Mentoring Institute
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Dr. Madri Hall-Faul, assistant professor in the University of Kentucky College of Social Work (CoSW), has been accepted into the 2026 National Research Center on Poverty and
Reclaiming humanity in the age of AI: how social work can prevent “cognitive debt”
This article explores Dr. Keith J. Watts’ publication, “Paying the Cognitive Debt: An Experiential Learning Framework for Integrating AI in Social Work Education” published in the open-access journal Education Sciences on Oct. 2, 2025
UK social work professor receives national award for research on violence against women and children
During the CSWE Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado on October 23 – 26, Dr. Kathryn Showalter will be presented with the 2025 Violence Against Women and Children Manuscript Award by the Council.
SPARK program ignites student-faculty research collaborations at UK
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky College of Social Work (CoSW) is now accepting applications for the Spring 2026 S.P.A.R.K. Program—Students Partnering with Academics in Research and Knowledge—an initiative
Social work researcher secures grant to advance community health for older adults
UK Social Work’s Dr. Laneshia Conner just earned a 5-year Mentored Research Scientist Development Award from the NIH.
Two Social Work faculty named 2025-26 TEK faculty fellows
Two faculty members from the University of Kentucky College of Social Work have been selected for the 2025–26 cohort of Transdisciplinary Educational approaches to advance Kentucky (TEK) Faculty Fellows. This competitive program supports faculty in creating and enhancing courses that emphasize transdisciplinary collaboration and essential employability skills.
UK’s Julie Cerel honored with international award for advancing understanding of suicide’s ripple effects
This article was originally published by Breanna Williams on UKNow. You can view the original article here. LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 15, 2025) — Julie Cerel, Ph.D., professor in the College
Holden Dillman recognized for community-rooted research on Appalachian youth
LEXINGTON, Ky. — For too long, the stories of young people in Appalachia have been flattened—portrayed in broad strokes that overlook the complexity of growing up in one of the
Social Work brings rural perspectives at the center of a National convention
When Dr. Diane Loeffler walked into the 2025 Rural Investment Summit, she brought something few others could: a social worker’s lens on rebuilding rural America—and a vision for training the next generation to do the same.
Fostering Resilience: Q&A with CoSW’s Dr. Taylor Dowdy-Hazlett
Through research, Dr. Dowdy-Hazlett seeks to identify supports that stabilize placements and improve outcomes within the foster care community.
Mental health program cuts costs, hospitalizations in Kentucky
Lexington, KY — Faculty researchers at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work (CoSW) have released compelling findings that affirm the effectiveness and fiscal responsibility of Kentucky’s Assisted Outpatient