March 2025 Faculty Highlights

University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work faculty continue to be recognized as leaders in the field by peers and the broader community. Here are some of their recent accomplishments and community impacts:

• Assistant Professor Tyrone Hamler was the 5th Biennial Brad Sheafor Lecturer Lecturer at the Colorado State University Department of Social Work. On March 13, 2025, he shared his experiences as a first-generation college student and his journey from practitioner to scholar whose work focuses on health inequities, chronic illness, aging, the intersection of mental and physical health, and health equity in kidney disease for older African Americans.
   
• Associate Professor Anamika Barman-Adhikari was featured on the AnitaB.org Tech Collaboratives Responsible AI Forum, held March 24–26, 2025. She discussed her use of AI-driven methods and social network analysis to uncover the hidden dynamics of risk and resilience.
   
• On Feb. 14, 2025, Professor of the Practice Rachel Forbes, program director of GSSW’s Western Colorado MSW Program, presented the webinar “Advancing Ecosocial Work: Leadership for Change” as part of the National Association of Social Workers continuing education program.
   
• Associate Professor Ramona Beltrán has been selected as the new editor of poetry and creative works for Affilia: Feminist Inquiry in Social Work.
   
• Professor Michele Hanna was selected as the next editor of the Journal of Social Work Education, the signature journal for the Council on Social Work Education.
   
• GSSW Butler Institute for Families Director and Research Professor Robin Leake was featured in a recent Denver 7 news story about the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the work lives of employees.
   
• Professor Johnny Kim was featured in a 9News story about his work on an AI tool to help screen adolescents for depression and anxiety.