School Updates
The University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work is excited to announce four new Social Work Research Collaboratives for the 2024-25 academic year. These collaboratives aim to advance social work practice and research in key areas by fostering community, building knowledge, and supporting innovative approaches within the field.
The Care Work Research Collaborative, convened by Research Associate Professor Mary Elizabeth Rauktis, addresses the critical concerns surrounding worker well-being within the care economy. Building on previous research, this collaborative will examine the impacts of care work on individual physical and mental health, focusing on a broad definition of caregivers that includes both paid professionals and kinship caregivers. By exploring the intersections of various professions and the unique challenges they face, the collaborative aims to generate creative ideas and research that ultimately will lead to better support and interventions for caregivers.
The Healthy Aging Research Collaborative, convened by Clinical Assistant Professor Elizabeth Mulvaney and others, is dedicated to advancing research and developing community partnerships to enhance the well-being of older adults. The collaborative’s initiative, The Ties That Bind, emphasizes health equity, innovation, intergenerational connectivity,
and the importance of social bonds as people age. This collaborative aims to make the greater Pittsburgh region the premier place to age in America by advocating for the voices and priorities of older adults. With an advisory group contributing to its success, the collaborative will serve as a launching pad for new research ideas and partnerships that address the social determinants of health for aging populations.
The Human Flourishing Research Collaborative, convened by Assistant Professor Deborah Moon, seeks to shift the focus of health and human services research from a deficit-oriented approach to one that emphasizes promotion. By concentrating on the factors that contribute to flourishing and positive mental health, this collaborative aims to reduce the stigma associated with seeking services and to develop research that supports asset building. Social workers are uniquely positioned to lead this effort, and this initiative seeks to inspire innovative research that promotes overall well-being.
The Public Social Work Research Collaborative, convened by Associate Professor Leah Jacobs, will bring people together with a shared interest in critically assessing social work’s status in producing an essential public good, carving out a place in the field for public social work, and increasing access to social work knowledge and services. The collaborative aims to build community and knowledge through developing public social work; to reinvigorate interest in and identify pathways to public-sector social work; to support public-sector work, advocacy, and activism; and to facilitate Pitt Social Work’s substantive impact on the field by providing a vector through which faculty can create greater awareness of and access to their work.
These four collaboratives represent a significant step forward in advancing social work research and practice.
Each is poised to make a meaningful impact in their respective areas, enhancing the field’s knowledge base and fostering a deeper understanding of the complexities of social work practice.