Research Agenda

In a time in society where people feel increasingly disconnected from each other, social workers proactively promote outcomes emphasized by the Social Work Code of Ethics by engaging in interventions that simply encourage people to be in relationship with one another in consistent and meaningful ways. 

My research agenda includes identifying the mechanisms in which social capital influences health as well as evaluating community interventions that social workers can incorporate into their practice toolbox. Importantly, my research acknowledges that the path to connection and belonging is different depending on one’s position in society. It becomes increasingly important to center points of view that historically have been left out of American social sciences. 

Through my work, I envision a future that is less lonely and where the fabric of society is more deeply stitched together through social connection, belonging, and social participation. This aim is not new to the social work profession, as the NASW Code of Ethics outlines social workers' obligations to the broader society and healthy communities. I hope that through my research, both the means and the ends of my work promote belonging, connection, self-worth, and dignity for individuals and communities.

Focus 1: Social Determinants of Health and Intersectionality of Well-being

Collaborate with Scholars that focus their research with marginalized populations with aims to integrate both structural-ecological and intersectional ways of knowing.

Center Marginalized Populations in the research of social determinants of health and social capital while emphasizing effective social work intervention.

Honor the Lived Experience of those being researched through participatory, mixed-methods, and phenomenological methods.

Focus 2: Social Capital in Social Work Community Intervention

Promote a Sense of Belonging by evaluating community interventions that develop social connections both individually and collectively.

Examine the Effects of Social Connectedness by utilizing mediation analysis, moderation analysis, and other forms of Structural Equation Modeling to map the paths of structural and cognitive social capital on well-being.