UNC Social Work

06/17/2026

Congratulations to MSW students Enel Garcia and Jada McLeod on being selected for the 2026-27 Rural Interprofessional Longitudinal Scholars (RIPLS) program!

As part of the largest RIPLS cohort to date, Enel and Jada will join health professions students from across North Carolina in a year-long, team-based program focused on strengthening care in rural and underserved communities.

Inspired by their own experiences growing up in rural areas, both students are committed to advancing health equity, addressing systemic barriers and building stronger communities. Through RIPLS, they’ll gain hands-on experience collaborating across disciplines while helping create sustainable solutions for under-resourced populations.

Learn more about their backgrounds and this program ⬇️ https://ssw.unc.edu/2026/06/inspired-by-their-roots-msw-students-named-to-rural-health-scholars-program/

06/12/2026

Interested in helping others? Discover social work and see if it’s the right fit for you!

Learn about ’s developing Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree, explore career paths and discover how a BSW can prepare you for professional work or graduate study in this virtual information session.

📅 Tuesday, June 23
⏰ 5:15–6 p.m.

The BSW major is currently in development, with an August 2027 start date pending approval. A Campus Life Experience (CLE) credit available for attending.

Learn more and register ➡️ go.unc.edu/JuneInfoSession

06/11/2026

Congratulations to Ph.D. candidate Dicky Baruah, who was awarded a pair of university fellowships 🎉

Baruah was awarded the Carolina Center for Public Service (CCPS) Community Engagement Fellowship (May 2026) and the UNC Institute for the Study of the Americas Dissertation Fellowship (March 2026) to help cover research project expenses.

Read more ⬇

Dicky Baruah, a fourth-year doctoral candidate at the UNC School of Social Work, was awarded a pair of fellowships that will help further their research.

06/08/2026

A month later, and we're still celebrating the Class of 2026! 🎓✨

We’re taking it back to May 8, where we celebrated our MSW graduates with a commencement eve reception. It was a special evening filled with laughter, memories and excitement for what was ahead. Graduates, families, friends, faculty and staff came together and celebrated the hard work, resilience and accomplishments that brought our newest alumni to this milestone moment.

Congratulations again to all of our graduates! See more photos from our 2026 commencement weekend ➡️ https://ssw.unc.edu/2026/05/school-celebrates-msw-graduates-at-commencement-eve-reception/

05/15/2026

celebrated two major milestones during a special reception honoring outgoing Associate Dean for Doctoral Education Mimi Chapman and graduating Ph.D. student Spenser Radtke.

Faculty, staff, students, family and friends gathered to recognize Chapman’s years of steadfast leadership and Radtke’s inspiring journey as a three-time UNC graduate whose research focuses on resilience and youth victimization.

The event also recognized doctoral students Emmanuel Amoako and Joan Wanyama as the recipients of the 2025-26 Outstanding Doctoral Student of the Year award and 2025-26 Most Supportive Doctoral Student award, respectively.

“As someone stepping into this role, I know that they are big shoes to fill,” said Will Hall of Chapman’s impact on the doctoral program. Congratulations to Mimi Chapman, Spenser Radtke and all of this year’s honorees!

Read more in the full story ➡ https://ssw.unc.edu/2026/05/radtke-chapman-honored-at-doctoral-reception/

05/10/2026

It’s a great day to be a graduate 🎓🩵🎉🍾

Yesterday we celebrated the school’s largest graduating class at our 105th annual commencement ceremony, including 255 MSW students and two doctoral students. This year’s graduating class also featured the school’s first cohort of online students.

We are so proud of their accomplishments and can’t wait to see the impact they will continue to make in the future!

Read our 2026 commencement recap ➡ go.unc.edu/UNCSSW26

📸 Jafar Fallahi/Jafar Fallahi Photography, Chloe Thompson

05/08/2026

Congratulations to Professor Lisa de Saxe Zerden on receiving the 2026 Dr. Julie S. Byerley Award for Faculty Excellence in Interprofessional Education and Practice from UNC’s Office of Interprofessional Education and Practice! 👏

She was honored for making significant contributions that advance interprofessional education and strengthening the behavioral health workforce.

“Interprofessional collaboration is, by its very nature, about collective work, and while one person may be named, this honor truly represents the dedication and partnership of so many colleagues across our campus,” de Saxe Zerden said.

The celebration also recognized six students graduating as IPEP Distinguished Scholars: Katalia Alexander, Anita Frohlich, Evelyn Gibson, Sophia Maggiore, Elizabeth Marron and Kate Wirth. Ima Varghese Mac was also honored as the school’s lone Rural Interprofessional Longitudinal Scholar.

Read more about IPEP and de Saxe Zerden’s accomplishments in the full story ⬇️
https://ssw.unc.edu/2026/05/ipep-honors-de-saxe-zerden-students-for-interprofessional-excellence/

05/07/2026

From first grade memories in Raleigh to the MSW/MPH dual-degree program at , Kate Wirth and Kate McCarthy have been cheering each other on for 17 years ❤️📚

After spending their undergraduate years at separate universities, the lifelong friends reconnected at UNC where they’ve grown as future social work and public health leaders, and strengthened their friendship along the way.

“I feel like the universe kept putting us back together,” McCarthy said. “Connecting in grad school again felt like fate, almost.”

Learn more about their lifelong friendship and shared path in the full story ⬇
https://ssw.unc.edu/2026/05/childhood-friends-strengthen-bond-through-dual-degree-program/

05/05/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients 🎉

🌟 Distinguished Alumni Award: Johanna Greeson, ’09 (Ph.D.)
A national leader in child welfare, Greeson is a tenured associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice and founder of the C.A.R.E. program, advancing outcomes for youth aging out of foster care through research, mentorship and advocacy.

🌟 Distinguished Recent Alumni Award: Victoria Chavis, ’19 (MSW)
A proud Lumbee Tribe citizen and first-generation college graduate, Chavis leads AdviseNC at Duke University, supporting 5,000+ high school seniors annually across North Carolina. Her work expands postsecondary access, secures transformative funding and empowers students in rural and underserved communities.

Both will be honored May 9 at Memorial Hall during the school’s spring commencement ceremony. Learn more about the recipients and their impact in the full story ⬇️

Victoria Chavis will receive the 2026 Distinguished Recent Alumni Award and Johanna Greeson will be honored with the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award. They will be formally honored during the school’s spring commencement ceremony.

05/04/2026

Congratulations to Cierra Diaz on being named a 2026 National Association of Social Workers - North Carolina Chapter Equity and Inclusion Student Award recipient! 🎉 As a graduating MSW student at , Diaz is recognized for her powerful advocacy, leadership and commitment to equity and social justice.

Drawing on her lived experiences as a veteran, mother of a child with special needs and daughter of Deaf immigrants, Diaz continues to uplift marginalized voices and challenge systems through her work across student caucuses and community initiatives.

“To be recognized for my work rooted in equity and inclusion is something I could not have imagined,” Diaz said. “It reminds me that our stories matter, and that there is space for everyone in this profession and at UNC.

We celebrate Cierra’s impact and can’t wait to see how she continues to lead and inspire in the social work field! Learn more about Diaz and this award in the full story ⬇

The NASW-NC Equity and Inclusion Student Award is presented annually to students of color enrolled in a CSWE accredited social work program in North Carolina.