Society for Social Work and Research 30th Annual Conference Anniversary: Other Events

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

2:00 PM-7:00 PM

Registration Open (Mezzanine Foyer, Mezzanine Level)

Thursday, January 15, 2026

7:30 AM-1:00 PM

RISE

SSWR Research, Inspire, Support, and Excel (RISE) Seminar (Monument, ML 4)
Speakers/Presenters: Greer Hamilton, PhD and Qiana Cryer-Coupet, PhD

7:30 AM-8:00 PM

Registration Open (Marquis BR Foyer, ML 2)

8:00 AM-10:00 AM

SSRPCB-1

(Separate Fee Required) SSRPCB-1: Nuts and Bolts of Art-Based Research, Education, & Practice (Supreme Court, ML 4)
Speaker/Presenter: Rogerio M. Pinto, PhD, LCSW

SSRPCB-2

(Separate Fee Required) SSRPCB-2: How Researchers Can Move the Needle for Policy Change (Marquis BR 13, ML 2)
Speaker/Presenter: Rebekah Gewirtz, PhD

SSRPCB-3

(Separate Fee Required) SSRPCB-3: Expanding Impact: How Researchers Can Leverage Their Expertise in Public and Private Sector Roles (Marquis BR 14, ML 2)
Speakers/Presenters: Marylou Sudders and Joy Rosen

8:00 AM-12:00 PM

RMW-1

(Separate Fee Required) RMW-1: AI in Action: Leveraging Agents, Mastering Prompt Engineering, and Securing Grants for Breakthrough Impact (Marquis BR 7, ML 2)
Speakers/Presenters: Ruopeng An, PhD , Hee Yun Lee, PhD , Jiaqi Gong, PhD and Joyce Lee, PhD

RMW-2

(Separate Fee Required) RMW-2: Transformational Skills for Healthy, Sustainable Writing Productivity (Marquis BR 8, ML 2)
Speaker/Presenter: Rich Furman, PhD

RMW-3

(Separate Fee Required) RMW-3: Spatial Data Science: Visualizing and Analyzing Community Needs (Marquis BR 9, ML 2)
Speakers/Presenters: Woojin Jung, PhD, MSW/MPP , Andrew Kim, MSW, LCSW, LCADC and Vatsal Shah

RMW-4

(Separate Fee Required) RMW-4: Demystifying Implementation Science: Strategies for Real-World Research and Intervention Impact (Marquis BR 10, ML 2)
Speakers/Presenters: Deborah Moon, PhD , Leah Jacobs, PhD and Byron Powell, PhD

10:15 AM-12:15 PM

SSRPCB-4

(Separate Fee Required) SSRPCB-4: The Good, the Challenging, and the Discouraging Aspects of the K Series: Navigating NIH K Career Awards in Social Work (Marquis BR 14, ML 2)
Speakers/Presenters: Carolina Vélez-Grau, PhD , Liwei Zhang, PhD , Genevieve Graaf, PhD , Meghan Romanelli, PhD and Fernanda Cross, PhD

SSRPCB-5

(Separate Fee Required) SSRPCB-5: Historical Research Methods for Advancing Antiracist and Anticolonialist Social Work Research (Marquis BR 13, ML 2)
Speakers/Presenters: Justin Harty, PhD , Jane McPherson, PhD, MPH, LCSW , Bethany Murray, PhD , Jerome Schiele, PhD and Jessica Toft, PhD, LISW

12:15 PM-1:30 PM

(Separate Fee Required) Meet the Scientist Luncheon (Shaw, ML 3)

12:30 PM-1:30 PM

"Current Events"" Session (Independence BR D/E, ML 4)

Lunch On Your Own

1:30 PM-7:30 PM

Exhibits Open (Marquis BR, ML 2)

5:00 PM-6:30 PM

Opening Plenary [presented in person and live streamed] (Independence BR D/E, ML 4)
Speaker/Presenter: Dr. Howard Koh, PhD

6:30 PM-7:30 PM

Opening Reception (Marquis BR, ML 2)

7:30 PM-9:30 PM

Student Social Hour - all students are welcome! (Shaw, ML 3)

Friday, January 16, 2026

7:30 AM-4:00 PM

Registration Open (Marquis BR Foyer, ML 2)

8:00 AM-6:45 PM

Exhibits Open (Marquis BR, ML 2)

9:45 AM-11:15 AM

RCDC Roots and Wings Session I: Funding and Political Realities: Navigating Uncertainty as an Early Career Scholar (Capitol, ML 4)
Speakers/Presenters: Trenette Clark Goings, PhD , Jenny Jones, Ph.D. , Waldo E. Johnson, PhD , Robert O. Motley Jr., PhD , Durrell Washington, PhD and Bernadine Waller, PhD

11:30 AM-12:30 PM

110

Aaron Rosen Lecture [presented in person and live streamed] (Independence BR D/E, ML 4)

12:30 PM-1:30 PM

111

SSWR Fellows and Cluster Chair Appreciation Luncheon (By Invitation Only) (Liberty BR L/M, ML 4)

12:45 PM-1:45 PM

Lunch On Your Own

2:00 PM-3:30 PM

112

Invited Symposium I: Advancing Inclusive Economic Security across the Life Course: Research and Policy Pathways Forward (Independence BR D/E, ML 4)
Speakers/Presenters: Judith Gonyea, PhD , Lawrence Berger, PhD , Stephen Crystal, PhD , Yoonsook Ha, PhD, MSSW , Jennie Romich and Margaret Thomas, PhD

3:45 PM-5:15 PM

139

Brief and Brilliant Session (Independence BR D/E, ML 4)
Speakers/Presenters: Caroline Sharkey, PhD and Shannon Sliva, PhD

140

Invited Journal Editors Workshop: Forum on Publishing Qualitative Research (Marquis BR 12, ML 2)
Speakers/Presenters: Jane Gilgun, PhD , Johanna Creswell Baez, PhD , Mery Diaz , Robert Hawkins , Lisette Piedra, PhD, LCSW , Susan Robbins, PhD and Cristina Wilson, PhD

141

Special Session: JSSWR (Marquis BR 10, ML 2)
Speakers/Presenters: Bryan Victor, PhD , Lauri Goldkind, PhD , Brian Perron, PhD , Todd Herrenkohl, PhD and Tamara Cadet, PhD

Saturday, January 17, 2026

8:00 AM-12:00 PM

Exhibits Open (Marquis BR, ML 2)

8:00 AM-2:00 PM

Registration Open (Marquis BR Foyer, ML 2)

9:45 AM-11:15 AM

218

Invited Symposium II: Advancing Health and Social Equity Through Artificial Intelligence (Independence BR D/E, ML 4)
Speakers/Presenters: Hyeouk "Chris" Hahm, PhD , Ruopeng An, PhD , Desmond Patton, PhD, MSW , Cheng Ren, PhD , Hee Yun Lee, PhD and Jiaqi Gong, PhD

11:30 AM-12:30 PM

245

Annual Social Policy Forum [presented in person and live streamed] (Independence BR D/E, ML 4)

12:30 PM-1:30 PM

Lunch On Your Own

12:30 PM-1:45 PM

246

Student Session and Luncheon: Resisting Erasure: Upholding Social Work Ethics Amid Censorship and State Violence Against DEI advocates, Immigrant, and LGBTQ+ Communities (Liberty BR L/M, ML 4)
Speakers/Presenters: Fatima Mabrouk, MSW , Autumn BlackDeer, PhD , Leslie Hall, PhD , Laurie Heffron, PhD and Shanna K. Kattari, PhD

12:45 PM-1:45 PM

247

Grand Challenges for Social Work Roundtable: Introduction to the Social Work Grand Challenges Futures Project (2025-2026) (Independence BR D/E, ML 4)
Speaker/Presenter: Carrie Pettus, PhD

2:00 PM-3:00 PM

248

Presidential Plenary [presented in person] (Independence BR D/E, ML 4)
Speakers/Presenters: Holden Thorp, PhD and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms

3:15 PM-3:45 PM

249

Fellows and Awards Presentations [presented in person and live streamed] (Independence BR D/E, ML 4)

4:00 PM-5:30 PM

250

Invited Symposium III: Task Force on Safeguarding Social Work Research: A Dialogue and Strategic Response to Emerging Threats (Independence BR D/E, ML 4)
Speakers/Presenters: Justin Harty, PhD , Mary Ohmer, PhD, MSW, MPIA , Fatima Mabrouk, MSW and Cheryl Hyde, PhD

251

RCDC Roots and Wings Session II: Federal Funding, Historical Context, and Equity-Focused Research: Navigating Past Foundations and Future Directions (Marquis BR 12, ML 2)
Speakers/Presenters: Mo Yee Lee, PhD , Fatima Mabrouk, MSW , Elizabeth Lightfoot, PhD , Jerome Schiele, PhD , Michael Spencer, PhD and Martell Teasley, PhD

5:45 PM-6:15 PM

277

Membership Business Meeting [presented in person and live streamed] (Independence BR D/E, ML 4)

6:15 PM-7:15 PM

278

President's Reception (Liberty BR L/M, ML 4)

7:30 PM-9:30 PM

American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare New Fellows Induction Ceremony and Reception

Sunday, January 18, 2026

7:45 AM-11:00 AM

Registration Open (Marquis BR Foyer, ML 2)