Joint PhD Program

Jay Kayser, Joint Doctoral Program in Social Work and Psychology, defended his dissertation entitled “Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Cognitive Function: Correlates, Consequences, and Causes in Older Adults.” Kayser has accepted an Assistant Professor of Social Work position at the University of Iowa.

E.B. Gross, Joint Doctoral Program in Social Work and Psychology, defended their dissertation entitled “‘I Have Worked Hard to Be Someone My Child Can Trust’: Perceptions of Parental Support Among Trans and Gender-Expansive Young Adults and their Parents.” Gross has accepted a social work faculty position at Eastern Michigan University.

Charles Williams II, Joint Doctoral Program in Social Work and Sociology, defended his dissertation entitled “Healing Balm: Black Women, Black Churches, and Du Boisian Pathways to Health Equity.” Williams has accepted a tenure-track position at the University of Texas at Arlington.

PhD student Sunghyun Hong’s research on the methods for evaluating social skills in young children was cited in Phys.org. Hong’s findings highlight the need for more culturally responsive approaches to evaluating children’s social skills as the nation’s child population becomes increasingly diverse. 

“As we work to understand children’s development, it’s important that our assessment tools recognize the many ways social competence is expressed across families and communities,” Hong said.

The IMPACT Awards honor outstanding students, faculty, staff and student organizations who are committed to uplifting our community and advancing the School’s mission. The awards are presented annually by the School’s Flourish Office.

Student IMPACT Award: PhD Student Nico Juárez

Nico Juárez is a student in the Joint PhD Program in Social Work and Anthropology. His award is in recognition of his academic excellence and his impact in translating social work values into community action. His work directly reflects the School’s Strategic Vision, specifically the “Action for the Public Good” pillar

We welcome you to join us for dinner at the SSW as we introduce our Fall 2026 potential doctoral students. We hope that you can join us to connect and network with them.  Please indicate on the form if you intend to bring any guests, we encourage you to come as you are able throughout the evening.

Click here to RSVP

Department deadline: September 30, 2025
Submit electronically to Laura Thomas [email protected]

This award is in memory of Joseph Veroff and Katherine Pavelka Luke. It provides students with the funds to create a Conversations Across Social Disciplines event. The event will focus on key social issues that affect both social work and social science disciplines.

Joseph Veroff and Katherine Luke Memorial Award Application

Deadline: February 15, 2026
This student-initiated application must be submitted directly to Rackham.

The Rackham Graduate School announces the 2024-25 Rackham International Research Awards (RIRA) to support doctoral and master’s students conducting degree-related research outside the United States and Puerto Rico. There is no preference for particular fields of study and Rackham and the International Institute aim to fund a diverse array of students and projects.

Rackham International Research Awards

This student-initiated application must be submitted directly to Rackham.

The Rackham Graduate Student Research Grant is designed to support Rackham graduate students who need assistance to carry out research that advances their progress toward their degree.

Rackham Graduate Student Research Grant

This student-initiated application must be submitted directly to Rackham.

The Rackham Conference Travel Grant is intended to provide opportunities for Rackham graduate students to become familiar with, and participate in the life of, their academic professions. As part of its University-wide commitment to advancing international research and training, the International Institute provides funding for 30 awards to international destinations. The remainder of the funding comes from Rackham. You must submit your applications before the first day of the conference for travel through the end of the