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Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression Scholarship Award

The CSWE Council on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (CSOGIE) is proud to announce the 2021 Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Scholarship Award recipients. The award recognizes scholarship that contributes to knowledge about sexual orientation and gender identity and expression; the individual and systemic issues associated with these topics; the development of social work curriculum materials and faculty growth opportunities relevant to sexual orientation and gender identity and expression; and the experiences of individuals who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and/or two-spirit.

The paper, “Differential Experiences of Dating Violence and Sexual Violence Among Trans/Gender Diverse Youths,” has been awarded the 2021 SOGIE Scholarship Award. Congratulations to authors Shanna K. Kattari, Brittanie Atteberry-Ash, Christopher Collins, Leonardo Kattari, and Vern Harner.

Shanna K. Kattari (they/them) is an assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies (by courtesy), and director of the [Sexuality|Relationships|Gender] Research Collective. A White, Jewish, nonbinary, disabled, chronically ill, neurodivergent, queer fat femme, Dr. Kattari’s practice and community background is as a board-certified sexologist, certified sexuality educator, and social justice advocate. Dr. Kattari’s extant research focuses on understanding how power, privilege, and oppression systematically marginalize, exclude, and discriminate against people regarding their identities/expressions through negative attitudes, policies reinforcing oppression, oppressive actions, and isolation.  Recently, Dr. Kattari has focused on the health disparities among trans and gender diverse communities, across physical and behavioral health, as well as working with the community through community-based participatory research to better understand how the lack of inclusive providers has increased these disparities. Examining sexuality in marginalized communities, particularly disabled adults and LGBTQIA2S+ individuals, is also of interest. Dr. Kattari strongly values translational research that benefits the communities being researched and strongly believes in making research accessible to not only academics but also to society at large. Committed to engaging, innovative education and pedagogy and multilevel mentorship models, Dr. Kattari supports individuals from a variety of marginalized identities in entering, navigating, and succeeding in the academy.


Brittanie Atteberry Ash (she/her/hers) is an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work. Dr. Ash has a BS in Human Services from Metropolitan State University of Denver, an MSW from the University of Michigan, and received her PhD in social work from the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work. Brittanie uses research on LGBTQ populations as an exemplar for understanding the dynamics and processes of oppression in communities, and social work practice and education, she is committed to promoting social justice and inclusion across contexts. Her work relies heavily on an intersectional lens to deepen the discipline’s understanding of risk and resilience among people who live at the crossroads of marginalized identities. Brittanie also focuses on promoting justice and inclusion within classroom and field education experiences, identifying strategies for educators to more fully integrate a critical social justice lens into their pedagogy and field supervision of students. Believing in the power of social work education to transform students into practitioners dedicated to a just world, she is passionate about her work as a critical social work scholar advancing the discipline’s commitment to social justice.


Christopher “Chris” Collins is a doctoral student at Florida State University’s College of Florida. As a doctoral student, Chris has worked to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion in research and teaching across the campus as a student leader. Chris’ research focuses primarily on violence against women, particularly as it relates to Incel-perpetrated violence. Additionally, Chris researches meaningful solutions to the gun violence epidemic in the United States with a particular focus on provider training and intervention creation.  



Leonardo Kattari (he/they) earned his Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver. He is a passionate advocate for health equity and social justice with over a decade of experience in the areas of health education, organizational development, community mobilization and organizing, policy, public health data and evaluation. Leo’s work has an emphasis on health disparities, health policy, and advocacy through story-telling. He has provided presentations, trainings, and consultation services on leadership development, cultural responsiveness, putting data into action, and story-telling techniques throughout the U.S. to agencies such as the Mayo Clinic, various state and county health departments, and the U.S. Department of Human Service’s Office of Adolescent Health. He is invested in community driven and data informed action that advances health equity through public policy, funding priorities, and innovative systems change.

Vern Harner received their MSW from Arizona State University, focusing on community and systems-level practice. Their experience includes leading a program aimed at reducing binge drinking in Phoenix's LGBTQ community, facilitating peer support groups through Ingersoll Gender Center in Seattle, organizing trans/queer student groups, and more. Vern is currently a PhD Candidate in Social Welfare at the University of Washington, where they continue to support trans students by hosting T-Time (trans open office hours) throughout the academic year. Drawing on their broad experience advocating for trans and queer issues, Vern's current work focuses on intracommunity knowledge and support in transgender communities. Vern believes that by learning how trans communities have supported one another, social workers can be better poised to create programs leveraging these strengths.

 

SOGIE Award Requirements

CSWE members are invited to submit relevant scholarly papers for consideration. CSOGIE particularly encourages submission of manuscripts that do the following:

  • Further the development and availability of social work education curriculum materials related to sexual orientation and gender identity and expression
  • Provide faculty development opportunities related to sexual orientation and gender identity and expression
  • Identify and critically analyze policies, procedures, or activities that impede full and affirming participation in CSWE and social work education of students and faculty members who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or two-spirit
  • Facilitate development of leadership in faculty members who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or two-spirit
  • Advance knowledge of affirming, innovative, and effective social work practices and educational models related to sexual orientation and gender identity and expression
  • Explore ethics and social justice for social work practice with gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or two-spirit individuals
  • Address historical aspects of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression in the social work profession
  • Promote strategies for understanding the intersections of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression with race, class, culture, disability, age, and other identities
  • Explore international aspects of social welfare for persons of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities and expression

Please supply

  • a copy of your scholarly paper as a Word document with all identifying information removed, including references to location and institutional affiliation; and
  • a separate title page showing the name, credentials, affiliation, and e-mail addresses of all authors and identifying the corresponding author.

At least one author of the paper must attend the award presentation during the LGBT Caucus/CSOGIE Reception at the 2021 CSWE Annual Program Meeting. 

The 2021 cycle is closed. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Review the FAQ page to learn more about the SOGIE Scholarship Award.