The School of Social Work Lecture Series brings scholars and practitioners from across the country to speak about issues ranging from child welfare to voting rights. All lectures are open to the public. Video links for some lectures are below.
2022-2023
Sidney A. Teller Lecture: “Finding Certainties in the Uncertain Time: Social Work’s Return to Community” featuring Dr. Qingwen Xu, Professor, NYU Silver School of Social Work and Coordinator, MSW Program at Shanghai and New York
October 31, 2022
2021-2022
Celebrate CRSP 20th! Florence Gibbs Momeyer Endowed Lecture featuring Haben Girma (Only available for viewing by University of Pittsburgh community members)
February 2, 2022
Aligning Research and Policy to Improve Health Systems for Children's Mental Health featuring Dr. Kimberley Hoagwood
April 28, 2022
2020-2021
Sidney A. Teller Lecture/International Social Work Day Lecture
"The Sustainable Development Goals: Moving us from international social work to global social work"
Susan Mapp, Ph.D., MSSW, Professor of Social Work and the Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and Innovation at Elizabethtown College.
March 15, 2021
"Social Work Speaker Series: Juvenile Delinquency and Violence: Ecological Factors"
Dr. Mona Khoury-Kassabri, Dean, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
September 23, 2020
2019-2020
SSW and CRSP Speaker Series: "A Conversation on Race"
Dr. Larry Davis, Dean Emeritus, CRSP Director Emeritus, and Donald M. Henderson Professor
September 18, 2019
Sidney A. Teller Lecture
“Community Efforts for Resiliency After 10/27/18 and Preparations for 10/27/19”
Ms. Maggie Feinstein, Director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, Pittsburgh, PA
October 7, 2019
“Which Way for Social Work on Sexual and Gender Minority Issues?”
Dr. James I. Martin, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Director, MSW Program, New York University, Silver School of Social Work
February 12, 2020
2018-2019
“The Allegheny County Experience – Two decades of Progress in Providing Human Services to our Residents”
Marc Cherna, Executive Director, Allegheny County Department of Human Services
Tuesday, October 16
“Reflection on 60 Years of Community Organizing”
Morton Coleman, Professor Emeritus, School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh and Tracy Soska, Clinical Associate Professor, School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh
Monday, November 5
“Family Matters in an Aging America”
Lynn Friss Feinberg, Senior Strategic Advisor, AARP Public Policy Institute
Thursday, January 10
"Finding rest in a restless world: social work role in health disparities and equalities in the current context"
Darrell Wheeler, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Iona College
Wednesday, March 27
2017-2018
“Place-based Engagement: The University of Pittsburgh’s Engagement Centers”
Lina D. Dostilio, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Community Engagement Centers, University of Pittsburgh
September 18, 2017
“Another World is Possible! A Radical Political Agenda for Social Work”
Carl Redwood Jr., Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Hill District Consensus Group
October 30, 2017
Raymond R. Webb Jr. Lecture
“Social Innovation and Social Work: Buzzword or Field Change?”
Stephanie Berzin, Associate Professor, Children, Youth, and Families; Assistant Dean, Doctoral Program; and Codirector, Center for Social Innovation, School of Social Work, Boston College
February 13, 2018
WORLD SOCIAL WORK DAY
Sidney A. Teller Lecture
“The New Global Inequities: Trends and Challenges for Today’s Agents of Social Change”
Julia Watkins, former Executive Director, Council on Social Work Education
March 20, 2018
2016-2017
"What Does Prevention Look Like?"
Judge Patricia Martin, presiding judge of the Child Protection Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois
September 29, 2016
Raymond R. Webb, Jr. Lecture
“Are Children and Women for Sale? Yes and It’s a $150 Billion Industry.”
Noel Busch Armendariz, Professor and Associate Vice President for Research The University of Texas at Austin. School of Social Work
October 12, 2016
"Understanding Collaboration from the Ground Up to Advance Evidenced Based Practices"
Brian Schreiber, Executive Director, Jewish Community Center
December 1, 2016
Sidney A. Teller Lecture
“Radical Love in an Age of Racial Oppression: Social Work, Social Change, & the Politics of Unflinching Inclusivity”
Dr. John L. Jackson, Jr., Dean, University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice
February 22, 2017
World Social Work Day Lecture
“The ‘Greening of Social Work: Striving for Environmental Justice”
Michael S. Cronin, PhD, LCSW, Associate Professor and Coordinator, International & Community Development Concentration
March 14, 2017
2015-2016
“Lessons from the Demise of Hull House”
Tracy Soska, Assistant Professor; Chair, Community, Organization, and Social Action; and Director, Continuing Education, School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh
September 23, 2015
“Macro Practice in Social Work”
Darlyne Bailey, Dean and Professor, MSS Program Director, Special Assistant to the President for Community Partnerships, Bryn Mawr College, Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research
February 24, 2016
World Social Work Day/Sidney A. Teller Lecture
“Human Security and Sustainable Development: A Global Agenda for Social Work”
James Herbert Williams, Milton Morris Endowed Chair, Dean and Professor, University of Denver, School of Social Work
March 16, 2016
2014-2015
“Collateral Consequences of Incarceration: Exploring the Impact on Children and Families”
Anna Hollis, Executive Director, Amachi Pittsburgh
September 17, 2014
“Sustainability and the Social Services “
Paul Sheldon, Senior Advisor, GreenPrisons.org and Planting Justice; Development Director, Insight Garden Program
November 12, 2014
Raymond R. Webb, Jr. Lecture
"Outcomes of Child Welfare Services: How Much Are We Really Helping? ”
Richard P. Barth, Dean, School of Social Work, University of Maryland
February 10, 2015
World Social Work Day/ Sidney A. Teller Lecture
"Sustainable Development and Social Justice Pillars: A Platform for Setting the Global Agenda That Links the Economy, Society, and Environment"
DeBrenna LaFa Agbenyiga, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Inclusion and Associate Professor, Human Development and Family Studies, College of Social Science, and Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Michigan State University
March 18, 2015
2013-2014
“Community Organizing and Policy Analysis as Tools for Closing the Racial Achievement Gap”
Carey Harris, Executive Director, A+ Schools
October 9, 2013
“Fulfilling the Promise of Social Work: Current and future Challenges and Opportunities”
Darla Coffey, President and Chief Executive Officer, Council on Social Work Education"
November 12, 2013
“Social Work Interventions to Improve Cognition and Recovery in Schizophrenia and Autism”
Shaun Eack, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, Univeristy of Pittsburgh
February 12, 2014
“Recognizing and Supporting the Global Service Workforce: Challenges and Opportunities"
Robin Mama, Dean, School of Social Work, Monmouth University
March 19, 2014
2012-2013
“Voter ID – Fighting Fraud or Disenfranchising Voters”
Witold J. Walczak, Legal Director, ACLU of Pennsylvania
September 12, 2012
"Child Abuse in Family Emotional Process"
Raymond R. Webb Jr. Lecture
Walter Howard Smith, Jr.,former Executive Director of Family Resources
November 20, 2012
“Improving the Life Chances of Disadvantaged Children”
Sidney A. Teller Lecture
Katherine Magnuson, Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Social Work
February 13, 2013
“Evolving Social Policies and Children in Developing Countries”
World Social Work Day Lecture
Shirley Gatenio-Gabel, Associate Professor, Fordham University, Graduate School of Social Service
March 18, 2013
2011-2012
“Pathways to Community”
Raymond R. Webb Jr. Lecture
S. Allen Condeluci, (MSW ’75), CEO, UCP/CLASS
October 5, 2011
“Educating for Community Change”
Sidney A. Teller Lecture
Andrew Mott, Executive Director, Community Learning Partnership
November 9, 2011
“Consensus Organizing: Building Communities of Mutual Self-Interest”
Michael Eichler, Director, Consensus Organizing Center, San Diego State University School of Social Work
February 8, 2012
“Community Practice: From Local to Global Perspectives and Back”
World Social Work Day Lecture
Marie Weil, Berg-Beach Distinguished Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work
March 20, 2012
2010–2011
“Are We Ready for Tomorrow?”
Ira Colby, Dean, University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work
September 22, 2010
“Confronting our Fears and Finding Hope in Difficult Times: Social Work as a Force for Social Justice”
Raymond R. Webb Jr. Lecture
Dorothy Van Soest, Professor and Dean Emeritus, University of Washington School of Social Work
November 10, 2010
“African American Clients and Families in Therapy”
Sidney A. Teller Lecture
Nancy Boyd-Franklin, Professor, Rutgers University Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology
February 18, 2011
“Convergence and Expectation: Changing Nature of Older Adult Social Services”
Mildred Morrison, Administrator, Area Agency on Aging, Allegheny County Department of Human Services
April 13, 2011
2009-2010
“Reintegrating Social Justice Activism into Practice and Education”
David G. Gil, Professor of Social Policy, Brandeis University Heller School for Social Policy and Management
September 23, 2009
“Uniting the Social Work Profession"
Jenna Mehnert, Executive Director, National Association of Social Workers-Pennsylvania Chapter
November 17, 2009
“Diversity as a Condition for Success in a Global Economy”
Sidney A. Teller Lecture
Alex Johnson, President, Community College of Allegheny County
February 16, 2010
“International Higher Education Partnerships for Place-Based Community Development: Lessons from a Social Work Education Partnership in Ethiopia”
Raymond R. Webb Jr. Lecture to commemorate World Social Work Day
Alice K. Butterfield, Professor, Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago
April 14, 2010
2008-2009
“The Integration of Doctoral Education, Social Work Practice, and Psychodynamic Concepts: One Graduate’s Journey”
Anita Bryce (MSW ’76, PhD ’82)
September 17, 2008
“Conflict Transformation, Restorative Justice, and the Role of Social Workers in Addressing Neighborhood Violence”
Elizabeth Beck (MSW ’89, PhD ’96)
November 5, 2008
“The Epidemic of Incarceration and the Role of Social Work”
Sidney A. Teller Lecture
Ram Cnaan (PhD ’80), Professor, Associate Dean for Research, and Chair of the Doctoral Program in Social Welfare at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice
February 11, 2009
“Perspectives on International Social Work: The Case of South Africa”
World Social Work Day Lecture
Mandla Tshabalala (PhD ’83), a Consultant, Academic Administrator, and Researcher based in the Western Cape, South Africa
April 15, 2009
2007-2008
“Public Sector Behavioral Health Services in Pennsylvania: A Transformational Agenda”
Raymond R. Webb Jr. Lecture
Joan L. Erney, Deputy Secretary, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare
September 19, 2007
“Breast Cancer and Social Interactions: Identifying Multiple Environments That Regulate Gene Expression across the Life Span”
Sarah Gehlert, Deputy Dean for Research and Professor, School of Social Service Administration, and Professor, Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago
November 7, 2007
“Promoting a Developmental Perspective in Social Work: Lessons from the Global South”
James Midgley, Harry and Riva Specht Professor, University of California, Berkeley
April 9, 2008
“Principles for Good Practice in International Social Work”
World Social Work Day Lecture
Alberto Godenzi, Dean and Professor, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work
April 15, 2008
2006-2007
“Musings on Globalization and Social Development”
Shanti Khinduka, George Warren Brown Distinguished University Professor, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis
September 13, 2006
“The Luck Business: The Devastating Consequences and Broken Promises of America’s Gambling Explosion”
Robert Goodman, Professor of Environmental Design, Hampshire College
November 15, 2006
“Knowledge Utilization in Social Work Practice”
Jeanne Marsh, Dean and George Herbert Jones Professor, University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration
February 9, 2007
“HIV/AIDS Risk Reduction Programs for Drug Dependent Persons”
Larry Gant, Associate Professor, University of Michigan School of Social Work
April 11, 2007
2005-2006
"The Challenge of Apocalyptic Prophecy"
Derrick Bell, New York University School of Law
October 20, 2005
This lecture was cosponsored by the School of Law.
"Multicultural Community Organizing: Voices From the Field"
Lorraine Gutierrez, University of Michigan School of Social Work
November 9, 2005
"Advances in Intervention Research"
Mark W. Fraser, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
February 8, 2006
2004-2005
“Toward a New Understanding of American Poverty”
Mark R. Rank, Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis
October 13, 2004
“Creating an Elderly Friendly Community”
Katharine H. Briar-Lawson, Dean & Professor, School of Social Welfare, University at Albany
November 10, 2004
“Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Access and Quality of Mental Health Care”
Lonnie R. Snowden Professor University of California at Berkeley
February 10, 2005
“Internalization of Social Work”
Lynne Healy, Professor of Administration and the Director of the Center for International Social Work Studies, University of Connecticut School of Social Work
April 13, 2005
2003-2004
“The Coming White Minority”
Dr. Joe Feagin, Graduate Research Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Florida
This lecture was held in conjunction with the Center on Race & Social Problems and co-sponsored by the School of Law and the Faculty and College of Arts & Sciences.
October 13, 2003
“Changes in the Field: Implications for the Council on Social Work Education.”
Dr. Julia Watkins, Executive Director, Council on Social Work Education
November 12, 2003
“The Effects of the 1996 Welfare Reform on Work and Economic Well-Being”
Dr. Sheldon Danziger, Henry J. Meyer Collegiate Professor of Public Policy and Co-Director of the National Poverty Research Center, Senior Research Scientist at the Populations Studies, Center and Director of the Ford Foundation Program on Poverty and Public Policy, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
February 11, 2004
“Implications of the President’s New Freedom Commission for Future Mental Health Services and Research”
Dr. King Davis, Executive Director, Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, Robert Lee Sutherland Chair in Mental Health and Social Policy, University of Texas at Austin
April 14, 2004
2002-2003
“Welfare Reform 2002: Who Benefits, Who Loses”
Dr. Mimi Abramovitz, Professor, School of Social Work, Hunter College of the City University of New York
October 9, 2002
“The Crisis/Opportunity in Care of Older Adults”
Dr. Nancy Hooyman, Professor and Dean Emeritus, School of Social Work, University of Washington
November 13, 200
“Asset-Building, Poverty, and Public Policy”
Dr. Michael W. Sherraden, Benjamin E. Youngdahl Professor of Social Development, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University
February 5, 2003
"Issues of Racial Disparities in Foster Care"
Dr. Ruth McCoy, Associate Dean for Research, Director of the Center for Social Work Research, Ruby Lee Piester Centennial in Services to Children and Families, School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin
April 9, 2003