Amy Sui Jun He

Dr. Amy He (PhD, MSW, LCSW) is an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver and serves as a Faculty Affiliate at the Butler Institute for Families. She brings extensive clinical experience working with children and families, including her tenure as a caseworker for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.

Her current research focuses on child welfare and social work workforce well-being, emphasizing moral distress, worker engagement, professional training and development, and organizational capacity building. Dr. He has successfully led and completed multiple federal, community-based, and university-funded grants and served as the Evaluation Principal Investigator and project Co-Principal Investigator for the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI; 2018–2024, Children’s Bureau).

Her research integrates quantitative and qualitative methods, including program evaluation, secondary analysis of national survey data, and primary data collection at county, state, and national levels. Recognized as a national expert on Ripple Effects Mapping—a participatory, strength-based storytelling approach—Dr. He is committed to translating research into practice. She has raised national awareness of child welfare moral distress through published studies, infographics, micro-learning videos, webinars, learning exchange platforms, podcasts, and conference presentations.

Dr. He collaborates with child welfare leaders and workers to strengthen organizational capacity for workforce development (e.g., building inclusive and diverse implementation teams, leadership training, elevating worker voice) and to address workforce well-being challenges (e.g., workplace discrimination and equity, moral distress, burnout).

In addition to her academic and research work, Dr. He provides professional development coaching. She is a certified coach through the International Coaching Federation (ICF), working with nonprofit leaders, and also serves as a Faculty Success Program (FSP) coach for the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD), supporting pre-tenured faculty in navigating academic careers.