Faculty & Staff

Thomas D. Davis, 

PhD

University of Washington

Title: Professor

Interests: Substance abuse treatment, macro social work practice, research methods, and healthcare among Native Americans.

Yawen Li,

PhD, MSW

University of Southern California

Title: Professor

Interests: Social determinants of health and health behaviors, Self-management of chronic illness, home and community based long-term care services, minority older adults

Laurie A. Smith,

PhD

University of California, Los Angeles

Title: Professor

Interests: AIDS prevention and services, foster youth, technology in teaching, service learning.

Carolyn McAllister, PhD, MSW

Michigan State University

Title: Professor

Interests: Social work practice with individuals with disabilities and their support systems, integrating disability content into social work education, transition issues for adolescents with disabilities and their families, and teaching with technology, alternate forms of instruction.

Nicole L. Arkadie,

EdD, LCSW, PPSC

Grand Canyon University

Title: Assistant Professor

Interests: Mental Health, positive and negative emotional responses in clinical practitioners with focus on preventative interventions. Factors that impact the mental wellness of working mothers

Rigaud Joseph,

PhD

Florida International University

Title: Associate Professor

Interests: Poverty and social welfare policies, economic self-sufficiency among low-income families, evaluation of program effectiveness, children and youth well-being, theory and scale development, empowerment practice, and social advocacy.

Caroline Lim,

PhD, MSW

University of Southern California

Title: Assistant Professor

Interests: Clinical outcomes of schizophrenia; ethnic and racial disparities in mental health service use and outcomes; early intervention and prevention of schizophrenia and other psychoses; psychosis risk in vulnerable populations; quantitative research

Erik Schott,

EdD, MSW, LCSW

University of Southern California

Title: Assistant Professor

Interests: LGBTQI2S+ health equity (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, two-spirit, plus); science of learning; transgender wellness and access to gender-affirming healthcare; healing trauma with Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and art therapy.

 Herbert Shon,

PhD, LCSW

University of California, Los Angeles

Title: Assistant Professor

Interests: Developing strategies that reduce barriers to accessing services among hard-to-reach populations, integrating technology into social work courses, caregiving and Alzheimer's disease.

Rachel Allinson,

MSW, LCSW

The Ohio State University

Title: Director of Practicum Education

Interests: Social work education, supervision of pre-licensed social workers and students, forensic issues, severe and persistent mental illness, discharge planning and community integration, and micro practice.

Shyra Harris,

MSW, LCSW

California State University, San Bernardino

Title: Associate Practicum Director & Pathway Practicum Coordinator

Interests: High risk child welfare and juvenile probation, forensic issues, severe and persistent mental illness, discharge planning and community integration, medical social work, and micro practice.

Jeannine Meza,

MSW

University of Southern California

Title: Advanced Standing Program Field Coordinator | Part-time Lecturer

Interests: Social Work education, field education, supervision and leadership, child welfare, child and adolescent mental health, school social work, DEIPAR (diversity, equity, inclusion, power analysis, antiracism).

Nick Watson,

MSW

San Diego State University

Title: BASW Program Director | Full-time Lecturer

Interests: Child welfare, high risk youth, health policy and substance abuse.

Melinda Corral,

MSW

California State University, San Bernardino

Title: Child Welfare Outreach and Admissions Specialist

Interests: Program development, Non-Profit Management, Child Abuse prevention, Mental Health & Well-being, At-Risk Child Welfare, Community Engagement, and Grant Writing

Stephanie Schneider,

PhD, MSW

California State University, San Bernardino

Title: Grants Support Director

Title IV-E Project Coordinator/Pathway Coordinator

Interests: Child welfare, child abuse and neglect, technological innovation in social work practice, increasing technological self-efficacy in child protection work, organizational culture and policy.

 Michael Edwards,

MSW

California State University, San Bernardino

Title: Child Welfare Specialist and Title IV-E Field Support

Interests: Child Welfare, Juvenile Probation, Transition Age Youth (TAY), Micro practice.

Sadania Gibbons,

LCSW

Title: Title IV-E Child Welfare Specialist

Interests: Social Work Education, Field Education, Supervision of Pre-Licensed Social Workers and Students; addressing best practices in Child Welfare, Community Mental Health, Adoptions, and Kinship Care; and meeting the needs of communities with impacted resources. Title IV-E graduate and former Child Welfare Worker.