Social Work faculty and students present research at 2025 Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference

For over 85 years, CoSW faculty have conducted cutting-edge research aimed at addressing society’s most challenging social conditions.

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SEATTLE, Wash. — The University of Kentucky College of Social Work’s (CoSW) research was on full display at the 2025 Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) 29th Annual Conference, taking place in Seattle from January 15-19th.

The SSWR Annual Conference offers a scientific program that reflects a broad range of research interests. This year’s theme was Strengthening Social Impact through Collaborative Research. The CoSW featured a diverse lineup of talented students and faculty, delivering over 20 juried presentations.

“Attending and presenting my research at the SSWR Annual Conference was an incredible experience,” said assistant professor Taylor Dowdy-Hazlett, who had six presentations over the course of the conference. “I was able to share the work I am doing with a community of passionate social workers and deepen my understanding of the research that is positively impacting communities. Being around my peers and experts in the field is always an exciting time.”  

Highlights from this year’s conference included:

  • Antonio Garcia presenting on best practices for engaging gay latino male sexual assault survivors, ensuring trauma-informed and culturally relevant care
  • Levone Lee, Anne Stauffer and Tarkington Newman sharing interdisciplinary insights on education and training for Sport Social Workers 
  • Abigail Latimer, Natalie Pope and Shelby Clark sharing insights on facilitators and barriers in serious illness care for unhoused older adults 
  • Keith Watts on the protective role of social support, examining the relationship between discrimination and well-being in Black LGB Individuals
  • Aaron Brown and Aubrey Jones exploring healthcare providers’ attitudes toward medications for opioid use disorder during pregnancy
  • Rebecca Bosetti on recognizing sexual well-being as a social work imperative and moving towards a sex-positive curriculum 

Among those presenters, four current PhD students shared their research at this year’s conference. Included in this group was Ryan Barney, who presented on social worker’s experiences with moral distress, alongside faculty members Dowdy-Hazlett, Natalie Pope, Shelby Clark, Abigail Latimer and Cherra Mathis.

“SSWR was a great opportunity for me to get acquainted with a lot of exciting research being done in our profession,” Barney said. “I also appreciated the chance to connect with so many impressive scholars from around the country.”

For 85 years, CoSW faculty have conducted cutting-edge research aimed at addressing society’s most challenging social conditions. Over the last five years specifically, the College’s extramural research folio has grown by 335%.

As part of the Forward, Together Strategic Framework, the College continues to make significant investments to bolster research efforts consistent with the University of Kentucky’s Research Priorities Initiative. These investments include new pilot initiatives designed to expand professional development opportunities, increase support for extramural proposals, and strategically disseminate resources.

For more information about the SSWR Annual Conference, please click here.

For over 85 years, the College of Social Work (CoSW) at the University of Kentucky has been a leader in education. Our mission is clear: Through rigorous research, excellence in instruction, and steadfast service, the CoSW works to improve the human condition. Always, in all ways.

As the state’s flagship university, our mission is actualized through our deeds. Our faculty are renowned academicians dedicated to fostering the development of high-quality practitioners and researchers. As a college, we promote community and individual well-being through translational research and scholarship, exemplary teaching, and vital community engagement. We are committed to the people and social institutions throughout Kentucky, the nation, and the world.