Upcoming CICW Presentations at the Society for Social Work Research Conference
Society for Social Work and Research National Conference • January 2026 • Washington, DC
CICW Director Dr. Kristina Lovato, CICW Research Workgroup members, and CICW Emerging PhD Scholars (names in bold) will be presenting research findings on the intersections of immigration and child welfare at the upcoming Society for Social Work and Research 30th Annual Conference in January 2026:
- Borders within, Bridges Beyond: Community Healing and Empowerment across Youth, Family, and Organizations in the Contemporary Immigration Climate
Friday, January 16, 2026, 9:45 AM – 11:15 AM, Eastern
Organizer: Kristina Lovato, PhD; Cheryl Aguilar, MSW, LICSW, PhD Student; Arlene Bjugstad, PhD; Jodi Cardoso, PhD; Sarah Howell, MSW, LCSW, STAR Counseling and Consultation; Tatiana Londono, MSSW, PhD; Discussant: Maryam Rafieifar, PhD - Coming of Age in a New Country: Navigating Schooling and Social Services Among Unaccompanied Immigrant Transitional Age Youth
Sunday, January 18, 2026, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, Eastern
Kristina Lovato, PhD - Enduring the Everyday: Necropolitics and the Lived Experiences of LGBTQ+ Asylum Seekers
Saturday, January 17, 2026
Michael Zuch, MSW, LCSW, PhD Student; Lillian Alexander, LCSW, PhD Candidate; Roei Hillel, LCSW; Edward Alessi, PhD - Flash Talk: Bilinguals Serving Latinx Families in Child Welfare
Saturday, January 17, 2026, 9:45 AM – 11:15 AM, Eastern
Vania Buck, PhD Student - Immigrant Service Access Needs & Recommendations in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region: A Qualitative Study
Sunday, January 18, 2026
Megan Finno-Velasquez, PhD, LMSW; Carolina Villamil Grest, PhD, MSW; Sophia Sepp, MSW, MPH; Danisha Baro, Ed.M., LMHC, LPC, M., LMHC, LPC; Gloria Brownell, MPS, MCJ - Key Factors Associated with Mental Health Services Use Among Immigrant Caregivers and Their Children Along a US-Mexico Border Community
Thursday, January 15, 2026
Carolina Villamil Grest, PhD, MSW; Megan Finno-Velasquez, PhD, LMSW; Irene Casey, PhD; Sophia Sepp, MSW, MPH - Navigating the Ethics of Research in a Challenging Policy Environment: Data Collection and Protection Strategies for Research with Immigrant Populations
Saturday, January 17, 2026: 4:00 PM-5:30 PM
Michael Zuch, MSW, LCSW; Megan Finno-Velasquez, PhD, LMSW; Maryam Rafieifar, PhD; and Cheryl Aguilar, MSW, LICSW, PhD Student - Predictors of Childcare Use and State Subsidy Uptake Among Immigrant Caregivers of Young Children on the US-Mexico Border
Sunday, January 18, 2026
Megan Finno-Velasquez, PhD, LMSW;Carolina Villamil Grest, PhD, MSW; Han Le, MA, MPP, PhD Student; Sophia Sepp, MSW, MPH - “Somos Como El Rio”: Stories of Survival and Love from Mothers Who Were Unaccompanied Refugee Minors
Sunday, January 18, 2026
Morgan Pardue-Kim, PhD Candidate; Celene Viveros Garces; Kerri Evans, PhD;
Melissa Smith, PhD - Workplace Confidence Among Latine/x Immigrants: The Role of Heterogeneous Identities, Social Support, and Policy
Friday, January 16, 2026, 3:45 PM – 5:15 PM, Eastern
Kerri Evans, PhD; Morgan Pardue-Kim, PhD Candidate
