Dr. David Axlyn McLeod successfully defended his dissertation on Feb 26, 2012. Dr. McLeod’s dissertation, entitled “The Impact of Perpetrator Gender on Child Protective Services Sexual Abuse Cases: A National Picture,” was chaired by Dr. Sarah K Price. Dissertation Committee members were Dr. Liz Cramer, Dr. Pat Dattalo, and Dr. Janet Warren. Dr. McLeod has accepted a position as Assistant Professor, Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work, The University of Oklahoma.

Dr. Suzie S. Weng successfully defended her dissertation, “Dimensions of Informal Support Network Development in an Asian American Community in the “New” South defense on April 16, 2013. Dr. Weng’s dissertation committee included Dr. Mary Katherine O’Connor (Chair) and attended by many members of the Asian community. Dissertation Committee members were Dr. Peter Nguyen, Dr. Youngmi Kim, Dr. Rosalie Corona. Dr. Weng heads to the University of North Florida where she has accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Social Work for fall 2013.

Dr. Carmen Monica successfully defended her dissertation entitled, “Implications of Child Abduction for Human Rights and Child Welfare Systems: A Constructivist Inquiry of the Lived Experience of Guatemalan Mothers Publically Reporting Child Abduction for Intercountry Adoption” on April 25. Dr Humberto Fabelo, with Dr. Karen Rotabi, chaired the committee. Other members were Dr. Mary Katherine O’Connor and Dr. Rosalie Corona. Dr. Monica will join the Department of Human Services Studies at Elon University, N.C., beginning this fall as Assistant Professor.

Dr. Katherine Cohen-Filipic successfully defended her dissertation, entitled “Guilt, Blame, and Responsibility: The Experiences of Parents and Clinicians Providing Services to Adolescents with Co-Occurring Mental Heath and Substance Abuse Challenges.” On April 18th. Her dissertation committee was chaired by Dr. Kia Bentley; members were Dr. Sarah Kye Price, Dr. Joseph F. Walsh, Dr. Evelyn Reed, and Dr. Robert Cohen. Dr. Cohen-Filipic is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Ithaca College in New York.

Dr. Linda Love successfully defended her dissertation, The Multiple Perspectives on the Lived Experience of Civil Detainment, on November 2, 2012. Committee members included Dr. Mary Secret (chair), Dr. Kia Bentley, Dr. Michele Nelson, and Dr. Mary Katherine O’Connor. Dr. Love currently serves as the substance abuse section head in the Marine and Family Programs Division, Marine Corps Headquarters.

Dr. Shane Brady successfully defended his dissertation, Discovering How Community Organizing Leads to Change: Developing Formal Practice Theory for Social Workers Engaged in Empowering Community Organizing, on November 14, 2012. Committee members included Dr. Mary Katherine O’Connor (chair), Dr. Cornelia Ramsey, Dr. Mary Secret, and Dr. Traci Wike. Dr. Brady serves as a client services manager with Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Project Outreach Team and as an adjunct professor of social work at the University of Michigan.

Tuesday, August 28:
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Student Commons, Commons Theater

Wednesday, August 29:
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Student Commons, Richmond Salons

Laura earned her Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies from the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences. She is a very active volunteer and enjoys community service. Laura assists in the production of the Richmond Folk Festival as a fourth-year volunteer with Venture Richmond, teaches a free hula hoop class, and occasionally works with Richmond Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities in partnership with the Let’s Move! Richmond initiative. She is also a member of RVA Hoop House, a local nonprofit focused on fun and fitness with a hula hoop.

Please join us in welcoming Laura!

Nathan’s application was among four outstanding projects submitted for review by Ph.D. alumna Dr. Lori Thomas (UNC Charlotte), and Assistant Professor Dr. Miriam M. George. Nathan plans to defend his proposal during the summer 2012 semester and begin data collection in the fall. He will use the $1,000 award to help defray costs of his research project.

In her support letter, Nathan’s dissertation chair, Dr. Mary Katherine O’Connor, commented, “I have seen Nathan grow to become a scholar with a consistent focus on making a difference. He is making great progress on a very complex research project that is certain to do just that. Importantly, Nathan’s work fits very well within the tradition that Dr. Falck established for both his students and his colleagues.”

Below is an excerpt from Nathan’s application cover letter:
As a remarkable social worker and scholar, Hans Falck strove to understand various phenomena he encountered when working with individuals in his community. Regardless of whether that was his career in social work with a focus on health, social work casework, or his appreciation for theory, Dr. Falck’s desire and passion for addressing social injustices and providing a voice for the marginalized was admirable. His dedication to addressing issues that affected those with whom he worked is why it is my honor and privilege to submit my application for the Hans S. Falck Doctoral Scholarship. Upon researching Dr. Falck’s life and academic history, I found many similarities exist between what Dr. Falck did, and my future directions. Consistent with his focus on health as it relates to social work, casework, and theory, my research in the area of sibling violence also relates to all three of these areas. Using social learning theory as the guiding position for my dissertation, I will be conducting a mixed methods, comparative case study that examines parental perceptions of sibling violence, both when they were children and with their own children. Using a case study methodology, which came out of social work casework, I will examine how family constellations and past experiences influence the occurrence of sibling violence and how parents perceive this phenomenon. Despite the fact that research has shown sibling violence to be the most common form of family violence, it has received minimal attention in research, practice, and policy. However, this form of violence is beginning to emerge as a public health concern, leading me, as a social worker, to see the connections this area has for mental, physical, and community health. With parents being an integral component of the development of children, examining their perceptions and experiences of violence both with their children and in their own childhoods may help uncover an inter-generational transmission of sibling violence, as well as potential negative effects resulting from experiences with this form of family violence.
Best wishes to you as you pursue your research, Nathan!

Originally from upstate New York, Jackie studied Sociology at the State University of New York College at Cortland. She has extensive administrative support experience at VCU, as well as in health care and accounting settings.

Please join us in welcoming Jackie!

Dr. Cox, whose dissertation The Relative Influence of Social Support and the Medication Compliance of People with HIV Infection was chaired by Dr. Beverly Koerin, is an associate professor of social work at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey School of Social and Behavioral Sciences and, since 2007, has served as the Research Chair for Stockton College’s Center on Successful Aging (SCOSA). Additionally, Lisa is an Associate Fellow with University of Pennsylvania’s Institute on Aging, collaborates with the Tourette Syndrome Clinic at Rutgers University, and is currently working on several publications in the area of HIV/AIDS.

Kim earned her B.S.W. and M.S.W. degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has been a field instructor and adjunct instructor in addition to having provided course development for the School of Social Work and the Department of Sociology’s Certificate in Gender Violence Intervention Program. She provides consultation and training in areas such as domestic violence, play therapy, non-profit program development, and the effects of trauma on children, families, and clinicians. Kim serves on the board of the Virginia Society for Clinical Social Work and is an active member of the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance.

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Kim!