Amy Sui Jun He
Associate Professor
What I do
Dr. Amy He's work focuses on child welfare, moral distress, social services workforce health and wellbeing, Ripple Effects Mapping, research dissemination.Specialization(s)
Child Welfare Workforce Well-being (professional development, Leadership
Professional Biography
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).
Dr. He's 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. She has raised national awareness of moral distress among child welfare professionals through published studies, infographics, micro-learning videos, webinars, learning exchange platforms, podcasts, and conference presentations. She is also a national expert on Ripple Effects Mapping (REM), a participatory, strength-based storytelling approach. Her work with REM reflects her commitment to translating research into practice and making research accessible.
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.
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).
Dr. He's 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. She has raised national awareness of moral distress among child welfare professionals through published studies, infographics, micro-learning videos, webinars, learning exchange platforms, podcasts, and conference presentations. She is also a national expert on Ripple Effects Mapping (REM), a participatory, strength-based storytelling approach. Her work with REM reflects her commitment to translating research into practice and making research accessible.
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.
Degree(s)
- Ph.D., Social Work, University of Southern California, 2016
- MSW, Social Work , California State University , 2006
- BS, Sociology and Russian Stdies, University of California , 1998
Licensure / Accreditations
- Certified Professional Coach
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy
- Problem Solving Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
Professional Affiliations
- Society for Social Work Research (SSWR)
Research
Dr. He’s research focuses on advancing the health and well-being of the child welfare workforce while addressing systemic challenges that impact service delivery. Her overarching goal is to strengthen organizational capacity and create conditions that support resilience, belonging, and professional integrity among child welfare professionals. Through this work, she seeks to reduce burnout, moral distress, and workplace inequities, ultimately improving outcomes for children and families served by these systems.
Building on her prior scholarship on moral distress, including the development of the dynamic theory of moral distress and the Measure of Moral Distress–Child Welfare (MMD-CW), Dr. He is now starting a new project examining moral distress among Latinx/Latino immigrant-serving social service providers in the Los Angeles and Denver metropolitan areas. Currently in its early phase, this study uses narrative inquiry to explore how immigration policies and organizational constraints create ethical challenges for these professionals. It focuses on how social workers, counselors, outreach staff, program coordinators, legal advocates, and other service providers navigate these challenges and develop coping strategies within increasingly restrictive U.S. immigration policy environments. The goal is to deepen understanding of how moral distress develops over time within this historical context and how professionals interpret, navigate, and cope with ethical challenges and institutional constraints in their work.
Dr. He is also working to adapt and advance Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) for social work professionals in culturally diverse settings. Building on her experience applying REM in child welfare, higher education, and juvenile justice, she is exploring how to teach and modify this participatory evaluation method for different cultural and linguistic contexts. This work includes developing adaptation strategies with international partners and creating guidance for integrating REM into research and evaluation approaches. Through these efforts, Dr. He aims to expand REM for evaluating complex systems change and amplify community voices in shaping evidence-informed services.
Building on her prior scholarship on moral distress, including the development of the dynamic theory of moral distress and the Measure of Moral Distress–Child Welfare (MMD-CW), Dr. He is now starting a new project examining moral distress among Latinx/Latino immigrant-serving social service providers in the Los Angeles and Denver metropolitan areas. Currently in its early phase, this study uses narrative inquiry to explore how immigration policies and organizational constraints create ethical challenges for these professionals. It focuses on how social workers, counselors, outreach staff, program coordinators, legal advocates, and other service providers navigate these challenges and develop coping strategies within increasingly restrictive U.S. immigration policy environments. The goal is to deepen understanding of how moral distress develops over time within this historical context and how professionals interpret, navigate, and cope with ethical challenges and institutional constraints in their work.
Dr. He is also working to adapt and advance Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) for social work professionals in culturally diverse settings. Building on her experience applying REM in child welfare, higher education, and juvenile justice, she is exploring how to teach and modify this participatory evaluation method for different cultural and linguistic contexts. This work includes developing adaptation strategies with international partners and creating guidance for integrating REM into research and evaluation approaches. Through these efforts, Dr. He aims to expand REM for evaluating complex systems change and amplify community voices in shaping evidence-informed services.
Areas of Research
Child Welfare Workforce Well-being (professional development
leadership
Key Projects
- NCWWI 3
- Ripple Effects Mapping
Featured Publications
Presentations
. (2025). From Clinician to Scholar: Exploring What Counts as Knowledge and Enhancing Research. Jeff Jenson Research Award Address. Denver CO/Hybrid (https://socialwork.du.edu/news/advancing-child-welfare-workplace-justice): University of Denver GSSW.
. (2025). Establishing Factor Structure for a Measure of Moral Distress for Child Welfare Professionals. . 2025 Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR). Seattle WA.
. (2021). A dynamic theory of moral distress among child welfare caseworkers. . Council on Social Work Education .
. (2024). Workforce Health and Well-being among Social Work Professions . Society for Social Work and Research . Washing DC: Society for Social Work and Research .
. (2025). Research Translation and Dissemination: An Interactive Workshop for Enhancing Public Impact and Community Engagement. 2025 Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Denver CO.
Awards
- Jeffery Jenson Research Award , Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver
