DSW Graduates

2025

dr. patricia colucci

Effect of Professional Development on School Staff Knowledge Related to Death, Loss, and Grief

Dissertation Co-Chairs: Drs. Karen Rice & Bertha Saldana DeJesus

Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Leonora Foels, Joyous Bethel, & Cynthia Moss

2024

Dr. Miranda K Blackburn

Suicide and the Citizen-Soldier: Disrupting the Clinical Narrative

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Heather Girvin

Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Marc Felizzi & Bertha Saldana DeJesus

Dr. Dymonde Davis-Fairfax

Relationships and Connections in Foster Care: Why It Matters

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Bertha Saldana DeJesus

Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Karen Rice & Dawne Washington

Dr. Dylesia Hampton Barner

The Angry, Strong Welfare Queen Jezebel: How America's Historical Movements and Its Gendered Racial Stereotypes Have Shaped African American Mother-Daughter Relationships

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Wanja Ogongi

Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Bertha Saldana DeJesus & Marc Felizzi

Dr. Shane Joseph

Beliefs, Attitudes, Perceptions, and Knowledge of Student Guidance Counselors Toward Mental Health and Mental Health Seeking Behaviors in Grenada: A Mixed Methods Exploratory Pilot Study

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Karen Rice 

Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Karen Polite & Rohan Jeremiah

Dr. Brandy Alicyn Shealer

Adolescent Vaping: A Concern, A Choice, Or Negotiable Harm?

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Marc Felizzi

Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Wanja Ogongi & Amy Landis

Dr. Lauren Weber Wolf

Are We Ready And Willing To Get Involved In This Work? An Exploration of Social Workers' Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, And Practices Related to Gun Violence

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Laura Granruth

Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Jennifer Frank & Stephanie Jerstand. Reader: Dr. Shelley Cohen Konrad

Dr. Elizabeth Zimmerman-Clayton

Warm handoffs and cold fumbles: How One Primary Care Practice Recognizes And Responds to Late Life Suicide Risk

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Laura Brierton-Granruth

Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Jennifer Frank & Karen Rice

2023

Dr. Aliesha Y. Clark

A Megaphone for Black Mothers: Exploring Factors that Shape the Content and Style of Black Parenting

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Heather Girvin                                                                                                                                       Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Bertha Saldana-DeJesus & Wanja Ogongi

Dr. Hilary Cobb

Creating Connections: Discussion Group Size and Social Connectedness in Online Community College Students

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Laura Brierton Granruth 

Dissertation Committe Members: Drs. Oliver Dreon & A. Nicole Pffannestiel

Dr. Kelli Fox

Playing Well With Others: Evaluating an Intervention to Prepare Students for Interprofessional Collaborative Learning

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Karen Rice

Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Cayleigh Minter & Shelley Cohen Konrad

Dr. Michelle Palmieri

COVID-19 and Mental Health: Exploring the Impact of a Digital Application

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Karen Rice

Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Marc Felizzi & Eva Szigethy

Dr. Linda Timme

Social Workers' Perspectives of the Effectiveness of EMDR in Telehealth for PTSD Patients

Dissertation Chair: Drs. Bertha Saldana DeJesus & Karen Rice

Dissertation Committee Members: Marcelle Giovannetti & Dr. Jessica Weiss-Ford

2022

Dr. Christina Helfrick

Champions for Teens Pilot Intervention: Increasing the Social Capital of Homeless Youth

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Karen Rice

Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Ann Guadino & Jennifer Frank

Dr. Solomon Hill

What are Students' Perceptions of Online Social Work Education, Specifically MSW Programs?

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Karen Rice

Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Leonora Foels & Steve Stoeffler

Dr. Erica Maloney

It's Complicated: Exploring Labor Union Attitudes, Experiences, and Perceptions Among Social Workers

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Jennifer Frank

Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Laura Brierton-Granruth & Pamela Twiss

Dr. Bridgette Montgomery

Digital Immigrants Raising Digital Natives Perception of Social Media's Influence on Youth's Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Development

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Karen Rice

Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Andrew Bland, Bertha Saldana DeJesus, and Mary Glazier

Dr. Janice Nuss

The Impact of Global Learning on Social Work Student Values

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Karen Rice

Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Wanja Ogongi & Jason Petula

Dr. Carrie Snyder

#Say the Word: Is Disability Included in Diversity Training for Social Work Educators?

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Laura Brierton Granruth

Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Karen Rice & Thomas Neuville

Dr. Abigail Wilson
Social Workers and Child Welfare: Perceptions and Factors of Career Trajectory after Graduation

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Heather Girvin
Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Karen Rice & Jennifer Frank

Dr. Shin Yun
Social Work Awareness of Hospice Referral Barriers in the Veterans Health Administration

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Curtis Proctor
Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Joyous Bethel and Samuel Benbow

2021

Dr. Paula Ugochukwu Ude
Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders Among African Diaspora Living in the United States: Knowledge & Help-Seeking Behaviors

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Wanja Ogongi
Dissertation Committee Members: Drs. Juliana Svistova & Barth Yeboah

Dr. Gina Daniel
Family Secrets: Exploring Unexpected Paternity Through Direct-to-Consumer DNA Ancestry Tests

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Laura Brierton Granruth
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Karen Rice & Dr. Juliana Svistova

Dr. Amanda Musser
Social Work Leadership and the Needs of Pediatric Cancer Patients in Schools: Providing Education and Support to Teachers and Administration on the Front Line

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Heather Girvin
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Karen Rice & Dr. Laura Granruth

2020

Dr. Sylvia Bekele
Professional Identity Development in Graduate Level Social Work Students: An Efficacy Test of the Social Work Identity Workshop

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Karen Rice
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Wanja Ogongi & Dr. Barth Yeboah 

Dr. Heidi Kimmel
Utilizing Trauma-informed Supervision to Address Compassion

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Marc Felizzi
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Heather Girvin & Dr. Karen Rice

Dr. Kevin Lally
The Relationship Between Disability, Psychological Distress, and Opioid Use

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Alex Redcay
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Marc Felizzi & Dr. Sharon Lyter

Dr. Bradley Schaffer
A Qualitative Study of Rural Veterans Treatment Court: Participant Lived Experiences and Perspectives

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Karen Rice
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Heather Girvin & Dr. Edward Hanna

Dr. Dee Stalnecker
Revisiting the Visiting Teacher: A Historical Analysis of School Social Work Identity

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Leonora Foels
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Lesley Colabucci (Early, Middle, & Exceptional Education) & Dr. Jennifer Frank & Dr. Karen Rice

2019

Dr. Micah Beaston
Perceptions Of The Impact Of Community School Model On Well-Being And Resilience Of Students: A Case Study Utilizing Photo Elicitation

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Karen Rice
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Heather Girvin & Dr. Tiffany Wright (Educational Foundations)

Dr. Amy L. Freeman
Complex Organizational Trauma: Development Of A Measurement Tool

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Alex Redcay
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. John Conahan (Kutztown University) & Dr. Marc Felizzi

Dr. Allison Gosch
Teacher And Administrator Perspectives Of School Climate In A Rural School District

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Marc Felizzi
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Laura B. Granruth & Dr. Wanja Ogongi

Dr. Tammy Hendrix
When Change Comes: Mixed Methods Exploration Of The Perceived Effect Of Permanency Roundtables On The Decision Making Ecology Of Pennsylvania Child Welfare Caseworkers

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Heather Girvin
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Karen Rice & Dr. Jennifer Frank

Dr. Tami J. Micsky
The Community Of Inquiry Framework And Distance Education In Social Work

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Leonora Foels
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Joyous Bethel & Dr. Curtis Proctor

Dr. Alexandria Patrick
Participant's Perceptions Of An Urban After-School Employment Program: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Marc Felizzi
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Heather Girvin & Dr. Julian Svistova (Kutztown University)

Dr. Amy Roth
Adventure-Based Experiential Learning Components Essential For Teaching Social Skills: A Systematic Review

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Leonora Foels
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Karen Rice & Dr. Joyous Bethel

2018

Dr. Bertha DeJesus
Does Experiential Training Received By Field Instructors Affect The Supervision Students Received In Field Settings?

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Karen Rice
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Jennifer Frank & Dr. Kathleen Walsh

Dr. Ling Dinse
Barriers To Exiting And Factors Contributing To The Cycle Of Enter/Exit/Re-entering Commercial Sex Work

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Karen Rice
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Marc Felizzi and Dr. Wanja Ogongi

Dr. Ethan L. Haymovitz
Minority Stress, Gender Nonconformity, And Disparities In Young Men's Mental Health

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Curtis Proctor
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Karen Rice & Dr. Heather Girvin

Dr. Pia K. Houseal-Allport
Making Meaning Of Place: Facilitating Ecological Place-Based Experiences With Youth

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Heather Girvin
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Marc Felizzi & Dr. Juliana Svistova (Kutztown University)

Dr. Meredith E. Moore
Vantage Points: Variables Which Influence Female Ascent To Veterans Administration Leadership

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Heather Girvin
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Marc Felizzi & Dr. Laura Granruth

Dr. Karen E. Polite
An Exploration Of Culture As An Agent Of African American Male Persistence At A Community College

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Karen Rice
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Leonora Foels & Dr. Kimberly Mahaffy (Sociology/Anthropology)