May/June 2025 Community Highlights

University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work faculty and staff 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:

• Anamika Barman-Adhikari was invited to serve as a grant reviewer for The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw), a leading national research agency in the Netherlands with a role comparable to that of the NIH and NSF in the United States. This invitation reflects Dr. Barman-Adhikari expertise and scholarly contributions. ZonMw relies on a carefully selected group of reviewers to help maintain the rigor and relevance of the research it funds.
• MSW Student Jess Craig was awarded the 2024-25 Institute for Human-Animal Connection Excellence in Research Award. The award acknowledges leadership in the pursuit of scientific documentation of our field. Additionally the awardee played a significant role in helping to foster a culture of innovation through strong skills in critical thinking, creativity and knowledge of the field. Recipients of this award also demonstrate leadership among the research team by contributing to the cultivation of a positive team culture.
• MSW Student Liana Semonse was awarded the 2024-25 PJ Hart Loving Bond Award in recognition of leadership in human-animal interactions (HAIs). The awardee has demonstrated compassion for animals and theoretical and application of animal interaction competencies, focusing on any level of social work practice.
• Associate Professor Jennifer Greenfield was awarded Fellow status (FGSA) by the Gerontological Society of America, the organization’s highest honor. This recognition celebrates her outstanding and ongoing contributions to the field of aging through research, education and service.
• Professor Lisa Reyes Mason was named a 2025 Distinguished Recent Contributions to Social Work Education Awardee by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). This national recognition honors Dr. Reyes Mason’s outstanding contributions to social work education, research and leadership.
• The 2025 GSSW Faculty Career Champion nominees are:
  • Clinical Assistant Professor Amity Good
  • Associate Professor Amy He
  • Professor Daniel Brisson
  • Assistant Director MSW@Denver Program Dominique (Dom) Harris
  • Professor Eugene Walls
  • Clinical Assistant Professor Jason Lester
  • Professor of the Practice of Social Work Karen Bensen
  • Adjunct Faculty Lori Blinderman
  • Adjunct Lorna Lind McDonald
  • Adjunct Michele Smith
  • Adjunct Professor Savahanna Matyasic
  • Adjunct Faculty Shenhaye Ferguson
• Professor Nicole Nicotera has been selected as a 4D Faculty Teaching Fellow for the 2025-2026 academic year. The 4D Faculty Teaching Fellows serve as activators and ambassadors who work to advance transformative, inclusive, and impactful teaching practices that not only support faculty across lines in their respective colleges/schools but also holistic student development in line with the 4D Experience. This work puts the goals of DU colleges/schools into conversation with one another as well as university-wide initiatives to ensure that faculty have the strategies and tools they need to provide all students with the opportunity to grow holistically as learners.
• PhD Student Shikha Advani was awarded the Center for Community Engagement to advance Scholarship and Learning (CCESL) Student Signature Work Grant for her project exploring grief processes in people healing from eating disorders. She was also accepted to the Interdisciplinary Minority Fellowship Program (IMFP), which will help fund her doctoral studies moving forward. Shikha's research was recognized as one of the Top 10 research posters at the International Conference of Eating Disorders, among hundreds of poster presenters.