Public Social Work Research Collaborative
Dr. Leah Jacobs and the Public Social Work Research Collaborative launched the Executive Actions Study, responding to the rapid wave of federal executive actions affecting social welfare. The team designed focus groups with social work students to explore how these policies shape practicum experiences, service delivery, and service users. Through seven focus groups involving 59 students, the collaborative identified six preliminary themes: concerns about funding, changes to client services, emotional impacts, organizational shifts, need for faculty support, and calls for advocacy. Now in analysis, the project offers insight into emerging policy impacts and also models research methods for students in real time.
Healthy Aging Research Collaborative
Professor Beth Mulvaney and the Ties That Bind Collaborative provided gerontology students with immersive, community-engaged research experiences. With Dr. Quinton Cotton supporting the focus on centering research alongside community partners, students participated in a study at Pitt’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and documented coalition health improvement efforts. Students developed a variety of strengths and skills in study planning, evidence synthesis, transcript cleaning, qualitative data coding, and manuscript writing, while collaborating with faculty and community partners. These experiences gave students practical insight into the delivery of services for older adults, the challenges of dementia care, and how research can directly support community health and well-being.
Human Flourishing Research Collaborative
Dr. Deborah Moon and the Human Flourishing Collaborative engaged master’s and doctoral students in community-engaged research using concept mapping. The project sought the perspectives of families and youth involved in the child welfare system as well as the leaders in child welfare practice, research, and policy on defining and measuring “family flourishing.” The work seeks to shift child and family welfare service and policy goals to flourishing beyond fixing problems and deficits. Students collaborated with community leaders, child welfare professionals, and policymakers, gaining hands-on experience in research design, facilitation, and community engagement while advancing innovative approaches to support family thriving. Additionally, the collaborative hosted a Human Flourishing Symposium, connecting students, staff, faculty across departments and institutions, and community organizations to learn together and discuss flourishing as a concept and outcome across a range of settings and populations.
Care Work Research Collaborative
Dr. Mary Rauktis and the Care Work Research Collaborative advanced projects spanning foster care, residential care, and child welfare workforce well-being. Doctoral student Sitao Chen and Dr. Marlo Perry examined Florida child welfare data on work-life balance, job satisfaction, and retention. Rauktis, supported by Pitt’s European Studies Center, partnered with Dr. Sigrid James at the University of Kassel to compare residential care worker training in Germany and the U.S. The collaborative provided an open space for students and faculty to explore their research interests. Doctoral students Amanda Cruce, Hyun Jin Lee, and Ruijie Ma engaged lived expertise leaders across the United States to co-design solutions for youth transitioning from foster care.