Message From the Director

Dear MFP Community,

Happy New Year! I hope 2020 brings you health and joy.

Thank you to all who donated to our #GivingTuesday campaign! We raised more than $1,000 to support fellows’ travel to this year’s national conferences.

January is National Mentoring Month, and mentoring is a keystone of the MFP. Each of you is a mentor in your own way, and we are proud of the work you do in the spirit of the MFP! Furthermore, we thank this year’s volunteer career mentors for doctoral and master’s fellows. Your presence enhances the fellows’ experiences in the program.

We have a busy 2020 lined up for the fellows. Virtual and in-person training will be coming up in the next few months. We also plan to offer continuing education credits for select training open to all fellows and alumni, so please keep an eye out for those in the second half of the year.

In Fellowship,

Duy Nguyen, PhD
MFP Director

Amittia Parker, LMSW

Current fellow Amittia Parker is a third-year doctoral student at the University of Kansas. Mrs. Parker’s behavioral health research focuses on the intersection between mental health and the social environment of families of color with young children. She serves as president of the Kansas City Association of Black Social Workers and is the race and social justice chair for the Kansas Association of Infant Mental Health. After completing her doctoral degree, Mrs. Parker will pursue a faculty position in which she can continue pursuing her research agenda, teaching and mentoring social work students, and serving the community through public advocacy and board leadership.

Imani Wilson

Current master’s fellow Imani Wilson is an MSW student at the University of Chicago. Ms. Wilson is passionate about working with students of color in schools to help guide them on the path to success. Ms. Wilson is interning at Niles West High School, providing group interventions and developing individualized education programs to students. After graduation, she would like to continue working with students in school and community settings. Connect with Imani on LinkedIn.
 

Piero Goytizolo

Current master’s fellow Piero Goytizolo is an MSW student at Boston College. Mr. Goytizolo is interested in working with Latinx populations experiencing trauma. He is also a recipient of a Fellowship through MassHealth's Children's Behavioral Health Initiative. As an intern at the Justice Resource Institute, he assesses family and individual clients within in-home family therapy and individual outpatient therapy. Connect with Piero on LinkedIn.

Antonia R. G. Alvarez, PhD, LMSW

Dr. Antonia R. G. Alvarez (MFP doctoral 2018) is the recipient of the 2020 Society for Social Work and Research Outstanding Social Work Doctoral Dissertation Award for her dissertation, “‘We Were Queens.’ Historical Loss among Native Hawaiians: Exploring Historical Trauma-Informed Suicide Prevention.” Dr. Alvarez is grateful to the MFP family for the tremendous support she received over the years.

Dr. Alvarez will be presented with this distinction at the awards presentation on Saturday, January 18, 2020, 2:00 pm–2:30 pm at the SSWR conference in Washington, DC.

 

National Mentoring Month

The start of a new year is the time to focus on the need for mentors and the difference we all can make in the lives of others personally and professionally. Use this time to reflect on those who have contributed to your professional development journey and share a testimonial by tagging Dr. Nguyen (@cswemfp) and using the hashtags #MentoringMonth and #MentoringIRL.

MFP at 2020 SSWR Annual Conference in Washington, DC 

Dr. Sean Joe, Benjamin E. Youngdahl Professor of Social Development and associate dean for faculty and research, and Dr. Fred Ssewamala, William E. Gordon Distinguished Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, will lead a workshop for MFP fellows and alumni at the Society for Social Work Research (SSWR) conference about how to build research networks across institutions. Seating is limited, and registration is now closed. If you RSVP’d, you will be contacted prior to the conference to confirm your space at the workshop.
 
We encourage you to support the current doctoral fellows who will be presenting at SSWR by attending their sessions. Find the schedule of the presenting MFP doctoral fellows here.

Thank You for Supporting #GivingTuesday!

Special thanks to the MFP alumni and multiple anonymous donors who helped raise $1,160 on #GivingTuesday 2019:
 

2020–2021 MFP Doctoral Application Cycle Opening Soon

The 2020–2021 doctoral fellowship application cycle will open in the coming weeks. Click here to learn more and be alerted when the cycle opens.
 

Fellowship Opportunities

Researcher Resilience Training Program Summer 2020
The intensive summer Researcher Reliance Training (RRT) program is a hands-on training program for advanced doctoral students and early-career investigators interested in child and adolescent behavioral health in resource-poor settings. Learn more about the eligibility and the benefits of the program before the February 1, 2020 application deadline. MFP Doctoral 1998 alumnus Dr. Sean Joe is part of the leadership of this program. Currently funded MFP fellows are not eligible to receive funding from both programs.

Call for Applications: 2020-2022 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Fellowship 
Sharpen your policy and professional skills through the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Fellowship program and gain a competitive edge through this world-class professional development training. The application deadline is January 16, 2020.  

Call for Applications: 2020–2021 Health and Aging Policy Fellowship
The Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program aims to create a cadre of leaders to serve as change agents in health and aging policy to ultimately improve the health care of older adults. Candidates with a strong commitment to health and aging issues, leadership potential, and interest in aging-relevant policy work are invited to join the next class of Health and Aging Policy Fellows (2020–2021). The application deadline is April 15, 2020. Click here to visit the program’s Web page for more information.

CSWE Publications

Accepting Proposal Submissions for CSWE Press
CSWE Press is interested in works that address emerging issues and innovations as well as traditional concerns of the profession. If you would like to discuss your idea for a book or other resource with a member of the CSWE Council on Publications, please contact publications manager Elizabeth Simon. Promising proposal submissions will be reviewed by the council. 

Conference

2020 Spring IPEC Institute
The Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) will hold its next institute, titled “Building a Framework for IPE for Collaborative Practice,” May 19–21, 2020, at the AAMC Learning Center in Washington, DC. Participants will have the opportunity to acquire and use knowledge and skills to further advance their existing institutional interprofessional education and collaborative practice programs. Click here to register.

Resources

Diversity Center’s Educator|Resource of the Month
CSWE’s Center for Diversity and Social & Economic Justice to view the January Educator|Resource of the Month. This new resource highlights the NAME Steps—a guide for social work educators in naming and responding to microaggressions. LGBTQIA2S+ microaggressions are a serious problem in educational settings. Social work educators serve a central role in helping students and colleagues reflect on and learn from microaggressions that inevitably arise in the classroom. 
 
Report: Taking Action Against Clinician Burnout
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published a new consensus study report exploring the contributing factors of clinician burnout and recommendations for the field. Purchase a copy of the report and learn more here.
 
Webinars: Supporting Recovery Practices from Severe Mental Illness
Recovery from severe mental illness can be supported by practices and services that encourage participant engagement, community inclusion, valued social roles, and overall wellness. This webinar series will introduce many evidence-based practices that support recovering from severe mental illness.
 
Register here for “Supported Employment: How to Support Someone With Obtaining and Maintaining Employment” on Thursday, January 16, 2020, 1:00–2:30 pm Eastern.
 
Register here for “Supported Education: Supporting Individuals to Begin or Return to Higher Education” on Thursday, February 6, 2020, 1:00–2:30 pm Eastern.