Research
Research at the Boston College School of Social Work is about more than publishing papers—our faculty and students analyze emerging trends in hopes of breaking new ground in the field, and uncovering innovative ways to address social problems locally and globally.
Our Research Focus
PrintImproving the Lives of Priority Populations
Our researchers are committed to fully engaging with people to understand their lived experiences in order to co-design the most effective interventions and programs. BCSSW research focuses attention on communities that experience disproportionate social, health, and economic disparities in the United States, including the following:
Latinx Communities
Black Communities
Homeless and Housing Insecure Communities
Older (or Aging) Populations
Low-wage Workers
Child and Family Well-being
Many factors contribute to child and family well-being, including maternal access to prenatal care, environmental factors such as housing and food insecurity, and even societal issues like structural racism. Our researchers are focused on numerous topics related to child well-being including:
Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Child Abuse Prevention
Positive Parenting
Maternal Health
Focus on Fathers
Global Research
BCSSW faculty forge strong collaborative relationships with government officials and policymakers to ensure effective interventions can be scaled and sustained, and our implementation partners include leading humanitarian organizations and local NGOs. Our global research includes the following areas of focus:
Research Partnerships in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)
Refugees and Migrants
Children and Families in Humanitarian Settings
Environment and Sustainable Development
Community-engaged Research
A key strength of our partnerships is application of novel approaches that enable community members to engage in intervention planning, design, and implementation. These methods center community voice, enable shared decision-making, and ensure culturally appropriate and relevant interventions and outcome measures. Our methods prioritize:
Research-Practice Partnerships
Participatory Research and Design
Participatory Modeling
Place-based Research
Centers, Labs, & Programs
Affirm Lab
<p>The Affirm Lab conducts research on youths who are stigmatized for their race, gender, and/or sexual identity as well as on the methods used to improve their care. The goal of the research is to improve the mental health and overall well-being of stigmatized youths.</p>
Cell to Society
<h3>Contact: <a href="mailto:j.black@bc.edu">Jessica Black</a></h3>
<p>Merging neuroscience and social work, the Cell to Society Lab examines neuroimaging studies of at-risk children and teenagers to understand the impact of social context on brain development.</p>
Center for Social Innovation
<p>The Center promotes faculty research and expertise in the design, implementation, and assessment of innovative social interventions to complex social problems. CSI's goal is to improve life in diverse and vulnerable communities through sustainable approaches focused on data, iteration, and collaboration.</p>
Center on Aging & Work
<h3> </h3>
<h3> </h3>
<h3> </h3>
<p>The Center promotes opportunity, choice, and quality of paid and unpaid work across the lifespan, with a focus on older adults. The Center's research studies and engagement with a multi-disciplinary network of scholars and practitioners strives to translate research into practice.</p>
Macondo Lab
<p>The Macondo Lab, which stands for "Mothers and Children of All Nations Defying the Odds," conducts research into mental health issues facing immigrant families, with a special focus on Venezuelan families who have migrated to Colombia and Latinx families living in the U.S.</p>
Racism-based Violence Injury & Prevention Lab
<p>This lab studies the interplay between racism, violence, and trauma among Black emerging adults 18 to 29 years of age. The goal is to provide evidence-based science that informs the development of culturally relevant prevention and intervention practices that combat racism-based violence.<br />
</p>
Research Program on Children and Adversity (RPCA)
<p>This program investigates key mechanisms shaping child development and mental health, focusing on the resilience of children facing multiple forms of adversity such as poverty, conflict, and infectious disease. The RPCA develops targeted psychosocial interventions that can be delivered effectively in low-resource settings.</p>
By the Numbers
32
Grants Awarded
Prev. 3 fiscal years
$10M
Grant expenditures
FY24
66
Paid student research positions
FY21
Global Symposium on Forced Migration
"“BC is a global university, and opportunities to come together and talk about issues that extend far beyond our campus are critically important.”
At a time when the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide has reached unprecedented levels, the Boston College School of Social Work’s Research Program on Children and Adversity (RPCA) and the Trinity College Dublin Centre for Forced Migration Studies gathered together at a symposium in Dublin to discuss the spectrum of resources and services necessary to aid such populations in remaking their lives.
Find information about training, mentoring, and consulting services to support BCSSW faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and student investigators to plan, fund, and implement research that generates a deeper understanding of and robust solutions to intractable social problems.
BCSSW Research Support Services
Provides education and 1:1 coaching to support faculty career progression and development—particularly for junior and mid-career faculty—to help them plan and implement a research agenda and generate timely and high-quality research outputs.
Contact
Kirsten K. Davison, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Research
kirsten.davison@bc.edu
617-552-1616
The Dean of Finance and Administration reviews all financial aspects of BCSSW proposals to external funders and authorizes the OSP to submit the proposal to funder on behalf of the BCSSW by signing the PTF in PeopleSoft Financials Grants Module.
Contact
Sveta Emery, M.B.A.
Associate Dean for Finance & Administration
sveta.emery@bc.edu
617-552-9198
Supports planning and implementation of new research and educational initiatives, including Dean’s priorities, Center for Social Innovation initiatives, and faculty-initiated projects.
Contact
Linda DeLauri, Ed.M.
Director of Research and Program Development
linda.delauri@bc.edu
Administrative contacts assist PIs in the development and submission of complete proposal packages to the OSP; and coordinate the BCSSW internal review and approval process by creating a proposal record in PeopleSoft Financials Grants Module and completing and managing the PTF signature process. BCSSW strongly encourages PIs contact their administrative contact as soon as a decision is made to pursue a funding opportunity.
Contacts
Alexandria Burk, Ph.D.
Assistant Director Fiscal and Grant Administration*
alexandria.burk@bc.edu
617-552-1040
(* Contact for all BCSSW faculty except those affiliated with or developing proposals in collaboration with Research Program on Children and Adversity.)
Andrea Morris
Associate Director, Grants Administration
Research Program on Children and Adversity
Andrea Morris@bc.edu
617-552-8394
Serves as a schoolwide resource for investigators. Interdisciplinary expertise in econometrics, epidemiology, and biostatistics. Collaborates with SSW faculty and doctoral students on study design, survey development, IRB applications, and data analysis. Contributes to the development of competitive grant proposals.
Contact
Indrani Saran, Sc.D.
Assistant Professor of the Practice
Indrani.Saran@bc.edu
University-wide Resources
Boston College’s Office of Corporate & Foundation Relations (CFR) is a resource for faculty identifying potential funders and developing proposals to submit to foundations and corporations.
The OSP is the University’s signature authority (authorized official) for proposals and awards. PIs may not submit requests for funding to outside entities (sponsors) without the prior approval of OSP’s Pre Award representative. In most instances, BCSSW Administrative Contacts act as liaisons between faculty and OSP Pre Award staff.
The Boston College Institutional Review Board's (IRB) mission is to protect the rights and welfare of people who take part in research at Boston College.
The Office for Sponsored Programs maintains lists of internal and external funding sources.
Research Services provides consultation, training, and tutorials to support computing and research at Boston College. The Research Services staff has expertise in statistics, statistical software, qualitative research, surveys, GIS, scientific computation, data analysis, computational mathematics, and visualization. We also provide assistance with coding, databases, Web technologies, and administration and consultation for research oriented computing hardware based within the departments and institutes.
