Message From the Director

Dear MFP Community,
 
As summer ends and a new school year starts, September is a season of transition and a time for renewal. September is also National Recovery Month—a moment that reminds us of hope and restoration. This month we highlight fellows who are working in communities across the country to foster recovery. For instance, John Cocco connects with the correctional system to bridge knowledge and service gaps that can thwart substance use recovery. Click through to read the full newsletter to learn about John and other featured fellows!      

Within the MFP we are wrapping up our 2018–2019 fellowship year as our master’s fellows will transition into post-MSW positions and 10 doctoral fellows start their post-MFP journeys. Meanwhile, we look ahead to our 45th year! In this newsletter you will find a link to our 2019 CV booklet for doctoral fellows on the academic job market. In the coming weeks you will see more information about our 2019–2020 cohort of master’s and doctoral fellows and our activities at the upcoming Annual Program Meeting in Denver, CO. I am excited for what the coming grant year will bring to the MFP family!

Duy Nguyen, PhD
MFP Director

MFP Spotlight

Joanna Imbert Leon, LCSW

Current master’s fellow Joanna Imbert Leon graduated from Salem State University on May 16. Imbert is employed at Brookside Community Health Center, part of Brigham and Women's Hospital, as a clinical social worker. Imbert works with young adults and adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses through early intervention and research programs in the Boston, MA, area. Imbert credits support, understanding, and patience as essential components to recovery for mental health and substance use disorders. Her career goal is to continue working in a clinical role, providing services to young adults and adults with severe and persistent mental health conditions, especially psychosis spectrum disorders. Connect with Joanna on LinkedIn.


 

Wesley Moncrieffe, LMSW 

Current master’s fellow Wesley Moncrieffe graduated from Hunter College on May 29. Moncrieffe works with children and youths experiencing behavioral or mental health issues at The Child Center of NY. As a school-based clinical coordinator, Moncrieffe is rewarded by his clients’ amazing growth as he builds relationships with them. His career goal is to expand his work to couples and families addressing the issues that contribute to maladaptive behaviors. Connect with Wesley on LinkedIn.

Angela Mesenburg, MSW

Current master’s fellow Angela Mesenburg graduated from the University of Utah on July 31. Mesenburg works as a therapist at Valley Behavioral Health. At this facility, Mesenburg facilitates groups for minorities diagnosed with mental illness and substance abuse disorders. She is a person living in recovery and has proudly sponsored individuals in the 12-step program. Her long-term career goal is to open a nonprofit treatment center for low-income women and children and practice social work internationally. Connect with Angela on LinkedIn.

JaNae McNeil, MSW

Current master’s fellow JaNae McNeil graduated from Troy University on July 26. McNeil works as a substance abuse counselor at Bullock County Hospital. In this role McNeil facilitates group sessions and coordinates aftercare services for detox patients. She approaches clinical care by involving patients in the coordination of their care to aid in the recovery process and give clients a voice. McNeil’s long-term career goal is to become licensed and obtain a private independent practice license.

John Cocco, MSW, LCSW

Current doctoral fellow John Cocco has worked with people with substance use disorders since 2007. Cocco is passionate about expanding access to services in the community and works to fight the stigma people with substance use disorders face in many parts of society. He will soon embark on two initiatives aimed at combating substance use disorders and their effects in the community. The Indiana Peer Education Project (INPEP) trains people in correctional facilities to be peer educators and provide information about substance use disorders, harm reduction, and disease prevention to their peers in those facilities. INPEP replicates a successful project in New Mexico, for which preliminary evidence shows improved health outcomes among participants and their communities. Cocco also will connect people with substance use disorders who are incarcerated in Marion County Jail in Indiana with providers in the community. This “inside-out” approach seeks to end the common (and dangerous) problem of people relapsing on substances after release from incarceration.
 

CSWE 2019–2020 Program Director Academy

The Minority Fellowship Program welcomes alumni Dr. Anthony Hill (MFP Doctoral 2008), M. Sebrena Jackson (MFP Doctoral 2004), and Lisa Werkmeister Rozas (MFP Doctoral 2002) to the third cohort of CSWE’s BSW and MSW program directors. Find the complete list of the CSWE 2019–2020 Program Director Academy here.

MFP Doctoral Fellows on the Job Market

Minority Fellowship Program doctoral fellows are on the job market. These 10 fellows have research, practice, and teaching experience in mental health and substance use disorders. View and share this booklet for open faculty positions.

APM MFP Alumni Presentations

The Minority Fellowship Program is collecting information about alumni presentations at the 2019 APM. We will highlight your important contributions to the field and encourage members of the MFP family to attend each other’s presentations. If you are presenting at the APM, please complete this form by Thursday, September 19, so that we can share it in the October MFP Connect newsletter.
   

SSWR Board Nominations Closing Soon

Consider nominating yourself or a colleague for the next Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Board of Directors election. Nominations will close on September 16 for the following positions for the governance year commencing February 1, 2020: vice president-elect, secretary, directors-at-large, early career director-at-large, and student director-at-large. Learn more about the nomination process here.
 

Resources

The Diversity Center’s Educator|Resource of the Month
If projections are accurate, one in four Americans will be of Latinx descent by 2060. Latinxs are the largest minority ethnoracial group in the United States, and they are also the youngest. The future of America rests on their shoulders. Yet social workers recognize they are not prepared to work effectively with Latinx communities.
 
CSWE’s Center for Diversity and Social & Economic Justice Educator|Resource invites the social work profession to think about innovative ways to increase the number of Latinx social workers and to implement new models that prepare social work professionals to work with Latinx communities. Resources include research articles on new models for social work with Latinx communities and an in-depth syllabus for a course on social services with these communities.

2019 APM Preliminary Program
Discover what’s in store at the 2019 APM. Access the 2019 APM Preliminary Program here.
 
Webinar on Cultural Competency: An Intersectional Perspective
The Southeast Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network hosted a webinar on diversity and inclusion, key factors in having successful services that are easy for anyone to access. In this session you will learn how to have an intersectional perspective when working with clients with myriad identities. Communities such as POC and LGBTQIA+ are among the identities discussed in working to bridge the gap for inclusive services. Watch the webinar recording here.
 
Workshop Webcast: Key Challenges to Improve Care for People With Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: Forum on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders is hosting its first public workshop October 15–16, 2019. This workshop will provide an overview of five key policy challenges to improving care for people with mental health and substance use disorders. Learn more and join the live webcast here.

MFP Fellow and Alumni Features
We want to feature your work in MFP Connect! Please use this form to tell us about your current work with underserved racial/ethnic communities. We are especially interested in examples that build and foster connections between current fellows and alumni!