Research Interests: Child rights and welfare, childhood trauma, adolescent mental health, family systems, human trafficking, migration and resettlement, community-based practices, and micro and macro social work practices.

Email: eagyeipoku@luc.edu

Research interests: Equity, Social Justice, Social and Public Policy, Poverty, Inclusion.

Prior to starting the PhD program at Loyola, David Apopo worked with various international nonprofits in Kenya-CLC Kenya, World Vision International and ChildFund international for a combined period of 12 years. This experience included serving in a variety of roles that included: Teaching and management of secondary education for vulnerable youths, Project planning and management and Grants Acquisition and management. He graduated with MA in Social Justice & Community Development and Advanced master’s certificate in Non-profit Management & Philanthropy from Loyola University Chicago, and Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education from Kenyatta University, Kenya.

Research Interests: Intergenerational poverty, urban poverty, social welfare and social protection policy and practice, maternal and child nutrition, affordable healthcare, African indigenous knowledge, program development, evaluation and assessment, participatory service models, and international development.

Email: yayalew@luc.edu

Research Interests: My research interest is centered around the resettlement practices of various immigration agencies across the United States. I am particularly interested in understanding how these agencies prepare incoming Black immigrants to navigate their racial identity and understand the historical and political hierarchy of race within the context of their new lives in the U.S.

Email: jberety@luc.edu

Research Interests: Alicia’s current work focuses on the intersections of policy advocacy and community organizing – how grassroots advocacy can foster social change through and with community organizing, and how social movements affect public policy and social change. Additional research interest includes the intersection of policy advocacy and Black maternal health. She is interested in how community advocacy organizing efforts shape policy outputs and outcomes and tackle structural challenges. Her research examines how advocacy efforts can move health policy in ways that promote better maternal health outcomes, particularly for Black women by incorporating social justice interventions.

Email: abradford@luc.edu

Research Interests: School social work, history of mental health in school settings, education of school social workers, Latinx students and bilingualism, social workers working with immigrants and refugees, mental health counseling, psychotherapeutic process, child development, adolescent mental health

Larry (Leo) Davis is an active Ignatian Fellow for Social Justice and dual degree Graduate student currently pursuing his Ph.D./ MBA at Loyola University Chicago- School of Social Work and Quinlan School of Business. Leo received his MSW from the University of Michigan- School of Social Work and his MPH from the University Wisconsin Milwaukee Zilber School of Public Health. His interdisciplinary research interest is informed by both his lived experience as a father and foster care scholar who studies the nexus of Black fatherhood engagement, child/ foster youth development, social policy, mass incarceration, Social Determinants of Health, homelessness, mental health, social entrepreneurship, poverty, and racism. He is interested in expanding the literature, creating programs, and developing models to inform research, policy, and clinical/ treatment practice.

Email: Ldavis17@luc.edu

Research Interests: LGBTQIA+ community and the intersection of research, social work practice, and social justice. Implications of health care policies on transgender individuals as well as the implications of medical professional’s knowledge and attitudes toward transgender health care.
Before starting the PhD program at Loyola, Kimberly worked at a nonprofit community youth mental health clinic for 8 years. This experience included serving in a variety of roles: Research Assistant, Intake Coordinator, and Referral Coordinator. While obtaining her MSW, she examined research on sibling violence within the LGB community. She graduated with her MSW in Clinical Mental Health from Loyola University Chicago and a Bachelor of Science from North Park University Chicago, where she studied Nursing and Psychology.
Email: Kdressman@luc.edu

Research Interests:  Pediatric medical trauma; pediatric trauma; screening tool for pediatric trauma; hospital discharge and mental health treatment referral; and the impact of medical events on children and adolescents

Email: kherweh@luc.edu

Research Interests: Mental Health and Social Justice; Individuals Experiencing Mental Health Problems; Mental Health and Workforce Development; Community Mental Health; Culturally-Responsive and Anti-Oppressive Mental Health Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention; Clinical Practice and Supervision; Social Work Education; Field Education

Email: Rkim8@luc.edu

Research Interests: Spirituality, Religion, and Mental Health for Older Adults, Eco-Spiritual Social Work, Spiritually Based Practices/Interventions (e.g., Mindfulness, Gratitude) for Human Service Organizations, Spiritually Based Gratitude Practice from a Won Buddhism Perspective and Its Implications for Social Work Practice.

Email: slee43@luc.edu

Research Interests: Domestic violence (sibling violence, intimate partner violence, especially among minority population), Adverse Childhood Experience (ACEs), Attachment – during childhood and in adulthood, Psychological self-sufficiency (PSS), Economic self-sufficiency (ESS), vulnerable youth’s (with disabilities, foster youth, immigrant/refugee youth) transition to adulthood.

Email: amoon1@luc.edu

Research Interests: First-generation college students; low-income college students; peer mentorship; program development and evaluation; community college student persistence; macro social work; social justice; social work education; sense of belonging; social and cultural capital; poverty and welfare in the United States; social class; systematic change and innovation

Email: srivera4@luc.edu

Research Interests: LGBTQ studies and their acknowledgment within social work education and clinical practice. The implications of internalized trans/homophobia on countertransference in the clinical setting and bias in the classroom. 

Email: bsorensen2@luc.edu

Research Interests: School-Based Mental Health; Juvenile Justice; Trauma-Informed Care; Interprofessional Practice

Email: avanzwo@luc.edu

Research Interests: Mental health; individual and environmental factors that lead to healthy child development; evidence-based clinical practice; disadvantaged youth and families; social justice; disparities in social services and communities among various minority groups.

Email: hwatson2@luc.edu

Research Interests: Aging and social welfare; aging social policy; barriers to housing stability for older adults; housing security and aging; the role of senior housing on successful aging; productive aging among older adults

Email: dwilliams28@luc.edu

Research Interests: Adolescent sexual health and development; sex education; peer-led education; positive youth development; feminist theory; participatory research methods

Email: nwynn@luc.edu

Research interests: Advancement of human rights through social uprisings, the development of social work, social policy, food systems, and art as a method for social change.

Rachel Young has more than 10 years of experience working in a variety of settings at the intersection of positive youth development, workforce development, transitional living programs for youth experiencing homelessness, college access, and civic engagement among young adults ages 14-25 years old. Additionally, she has experience working in EdTech managing educational operations for technical education boot camps, most recently working as a business process analyst for a technical recruiting company. Rachel is passionate about learning from the perspectives of others and brainstorming creative solutions to address complex social issues.