Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare

08/24/2026

ACCOUNT UPDATE: This page will shut down on Monday, August 31.

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08/06/2026

Incoming SSW faculty member Sabrina Cluesman, PhD, MSW, LCSW, presented at AIDS 2026, the 26th International AIDS Conference, in Rio de Janeiro last month.

Dr. Cluesman's presentation focused on findings from Manas por Manas, a randomized controlled trial of a peer-led HIV prevention intervention with transgender women and travestis in São Paulo. The study examined changes in stigma and resilience-related processes over the first year of the trial.

"It was an honor to present this work internationally, and I’m excited to bring these collaborations, questions, and methodological approaches to Stony Brook this fall," said Dr. Cluesman.

The International AIDS Conference is the world’s largest scientific conference on HIV and AIDS, bringing together researchers, clinicians, advocates, community leaders, and policymakers from around the world.

Read more here: https://socialwelfare.stonybrookmedicine.edu/cluesman-aids-2026

07/28/2026

MSW student Eileen McNulty on what means to her and how she strives to be the mentor she sought in her youth.

07/16/2026

July is Disability Pride Month!

MSW student Christine Teitel works as a care manager at The Sayville Project, where she helps and advocates for people with disabilities.

Living with a rare genetic disability herself, she shares what Disability Pride Month — and this year's theme of “The World Works Better With Us” — means to her.

07/06/2026

SSW Assistant Professor Kristen Brock-Petroshius, PhD, MSW (first in the second row from the top), recently attended the J-PAL ARTEMIS program at MIT— an intensive training focused on designing rigorous randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

She will apply these advanced methodologies to an upcoming project that will evaluate how public safety-net agencies can be leveraged to close the democratic engagement gap in system-impacted communities.

06/25/2026

The SSW hosted more than 140 school social workers from Nassau and Suffolk counties for the third Long Island School Social Work Conference on Tuesday, June 2.

Organized by Clinical Associate Professor Robin DeLuca-Acconi and held in Stony Brook’s Charles B. Wang Center, the annual event provided a unique opportunity for social workers at Long Island schools to convene, network, and learn.

This year’s theme was Collective and Community Care Systems for Schools, featuring workshops and presentations that centered around collective trauma and community healing.

Read more here: https://socialwelfare.stonybrookmedicine.edu/3rd-annual-li-school-social-workers-conference

06/12/2026

Last month, SBU's LEND Program graduated more than 450 trainees at a ceremony in Stony Brook's Bauman Center!

The Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Program is an interdisciplinary training designed to improve the lives and care of individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families.

Federally funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration via the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, LEND is offered to students at the undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate levels as well as working professionals.

This year’s graduating cohort represented nine of LEND's 12 disciplines. Disciplines include social work, disability studies, public health, occupational therapy, self-advocacy, family leadership, and more.

After more than 4,200 hours of total cumulative training, LEND graduated 14 long-term trainees, 17 advanced medium-term trainees, 33 medium-term trainees, and more than 400 short-term trainees who have completed up to 39 hours of training.

Learn more about the LEND Program here: https://socialwelfare.stonybrookmedicine.edu/LEND

06/10/2026

SSW Dean Shari Miller was recognized at ALS Ride for Life's 29th Honoree Recognition Benefit at Larkfield in East Northport last month.

Since 2005, Stony Brook Medicine has provided more than $1 million in cumulative support for the Christopher Pendergast ALS Association Center of Excellence and ALS research. Stony Brook was well represented at this year's event to mark this important milestone.

Dean Miller was honored with the Christopher Pendergast Legacy Award for her continued commitment to the ALS Ride for Life mission.

Read more here: https://sbmatters.stonybrook.edu/decades-of-impact-als-ride-for-life-surpasses-1-million-in-support-for-als-care-at-stony-brook-medicine/

ALS Ride For Life has reached a significant milestone in its relationship with Stony Brook Medicine, surpassing $1 million in cumulative support for the Christopher Pendergast ALS Association Center of Excellence and ALS research.

06/09/2026

Congratulations to BSW grad Kamilah Pasha and MSW student Rachel Bennett, who were presented with scholarship awards by the New York State Society for Clinical Social Workers!

Kamilah and Rachel were honored at the SCSW's annual luncheon on Saturday, June 6, in Dobbs Ferry, NY.

The pair was nominated for the prestigious scholarship by SSW faculty for excellence in all areas of academic performance.

Both will be recognized in an upcoming issue of The Clinician, SCSW's publication.

06/05/2026

Congrats to SSW PhD student Courtney Kidd, LCSW, MSc, who published her first academic article in the June 2026 edition of the Journal of Consumer Affairs!

Courtney's paper explores the inadequacies of traditional adoption models in handling the ethical dynamics of AI-consumer interactions.

She introduces a framework that integrates insights with consumer-based theories to specify trust as a multidimensional construct, using "feedback-driven co-production" as the central mechanism to link user participation and evolve trust.

Read more here: https://socialwelfare.stonybrookmedicine.edu/courtney-kidd-june-2026-journal-of-consumer-affairs