Doctor of Social Work Dissertations
Dissertation Announcement
2022

Megan Tritt, LCSW
Oral Dissertation Presentation by Megan Tritt, LCSW
The Social Work Experience of Moral Distress Amit Covid-19
Friday, April 1, 2022 2-4 p.m.
Committee Chair: Dr. Juliana Svistova
Committee Members: Dr. Edward Hanna
Dr. Yoon Mi Kim

Tia White, LCSW
Oral Dissertation Presentation by Tia White
The Development of the Police Department Wellness Survey
Thursday, March 24 10 a.m.-12 noon
Committee Chair: Dr. Barth Yeboah, DSW
Committee Members: Dr. Yasoda Sharma
Dr. Jonathan Kremser

Tammy Ann Shay
Oral Dissertation Presentation by Tammy Ann Shay
Herstory: Women and Drugs
Women in the Environment Using Meta-Ethnography
Thursday, March 24, 2022 9-11 a.m.
Committee Chair: Dr. Sharon Lyter
Committee Members: Dr. Janice Gasker
Dr. Kim Shively

Michelle Alison Townsend, LCSW
Oral Dissertation Presentation by Michelle Alison Townsend, LCSW
African-American Pastors' Mental Health Literacy, Leadership, and Counsel: A Systematic Review
Thursday, March 10, 2022 1-3 p.m.
Committee Chair: Dr. Stephen W. Stoeffler
Committee Members: Dr. James Jackson
Dr. Sharon Lyter

Brendan P. Young
Oral Dissertation Presentation by Brendan P. Young
Human Behavior in the Political Environment: A Content Analysis of Political Content in HBSW Textbooks
Thursday, March 3, 2022 9-11 a.m.
Committee Chair: Dr. Stephen W. Stoeffler
Committee Members: Dr. Steve Lem
Dr. Laura Granruth
2021

Jennifer Marshall, LSW
Oral Dissertation Presentation by Jennifer Marshall
Awareness of and Value Placed on School Social Work: A Study of Pennsylvania's Public School Administrators
(https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/18/)
Wednesday, April 21, 1-3 p.m.
Committee Chair: Dr. John Vafeas
Committee Members: Dr. Julie Lewelyn
Dr. George Ioannidis

Alicia Chico, LSW
Oral Dissertation Presentation by Alicia Chico
School Social Workers and Threat Assessment Teams: Exploring roles, perceptions, and outcomes
(https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/16/)
Thursday, April 15, 2021; 1-3 PM
Committee Chair: Dr. Janice Gasker
Committee Members: Dr. John Vafeas
Dr. Jonathan Kremser

Michael William Hassler, MSW
Oral Dissertation Presentation by Michael William Hassler, MSW
A Qualitative Exploration of Social Work Identity
(https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/15/)
Thursday, April 1, 2021
1 pm – 3 pm
Committee Chair: Stephen W. Stoeffler, Ph.D.
Committee Members: Juliana Svistova, Ph.D. and Heather L. Girvin, Ph.D. (Millersville)

Mindy L. McCormick, MSW
Oral Dissertation Presentation by Mindy L. McCormick, MSW
Effectiveness of a Social Work Informed Casework Training Curriculum for Paraprofessionals in Non-Profit Social Service Agencies
(https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/17/)
Monday, March 22, 2021
12:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Committee Chair: Dr. Janice Gasker
Committee Members: Dr. John Vafeas and Dr. Gregory Shelley
2020

Bonnie Christian Marsh, MSW
Oral Dissertation Presentation by Bonnie Christian Marsh, DSW
CASEWORKER TURNOVER: WHY DO CHILD WELFARE CASEWORKERS WANT TO LEAVE THEIR JOBS AND WHAT MAKES THEM STAY?
(https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/13/)
Monday, July 20, 2020, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Committee Chair: Dr. Yoon Mi Kim, Ph.D.
Committee Members: Dr. Stephen Stoeffler, MSW, Ph.D.
Dr. Julian Svistova, Ph.D.

Nicki Snyder, MSW
Oral Dissertation Presentation by Nikki Snyder, DSW
School Social Work: A Curriculum Analysis
(https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/14/)
Monday, April 6, 2020, 2-4 p.m.
Committee Chair: Dr. Mary Rita Weller, LSW, Ph.D.
Committee Members: Dr. John Vafeas, LSW, DSW
Dr. Sharon Lyter, LCSW, MSW, Ph.D.

Amy B Downes, LCSW
Oral Dissertation Presentation by Amy B. Downes, LCSW, DSW
The Perceived Impact of Basic Need Insecurity on Social Work Student Success (https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/12/)
Monday, March 30, 2020, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Committee Chair: Dr. Juliana Svistova
Committee Members: Dr. Janice Gasker
Dr. Heather Girvin

Barbe A Fogarty, MSW, MEd
Oral Dissertation Presentation by Barbe A. Fogarty, DSW
"We Are Forgotten." Framing Disaster via Twitter in the Aftermath of Hurrican Maria: Implications for Social Work Policy Practice
(https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/11/)
Wednesday, March 25, 2020, 1:15-3:15 p.m.
Committee Chair: Dr. Juliana Svistova, PhD
Committee Members: Dr. Janice Gasker, DSW

Rachel Bernini, MSW, LSW
Oral Dissertation Presentation by Rachel Bernini
Understanding Effective Supervision and the Relationship Between Supervision Effectiveness and Education
Friday, March 20, 2020, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Committee Chair: Dr. John Conahan
Committee Members: Dr. Juliana Svistova
Dr. FangHsun Wei
2019
- Social Work Educators’ Perceptions of their Leadership and Management Competencies (https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/10/), Leah K. Lazzaro, DSW
- Intervention Research for the Education and Empowerment of Families Experiencing Homelessness: Exploring Knowledge of Tenant Rights and Perceptions of Personal Empowerment (https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/8/), Diane J. Irish, DSW, LSW
- Exploring the relationships of Email Overload, Stress and Burnout in Social Workers (https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/9/), Lisa M. Lowrie, DSW
- Social Work’s Contribution to Research Regarding Suicide Among African Americans (https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/7/), Darius Reed, DSW
2018
- Exploring the Role of United States Legal Discourse in Creating, Sustaining, and Disrupting Vestiges of Slavery, (https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/3/), Hanif M. Bey, DSW
- Intimate Partner Violence: A Narrative Analysis of the Jamaican Women Experience, (https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/6/), Sonia M. Brown, DSW
- Understanding College Students with Physical Disabilities, (https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/5/), Kimberly L. Hardner, DSW
- A Workable Balance: Maternity Leave and Female success in the Workplace in Finland and the United States (https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/4/), Karey J. Murphy, DSW
- Hispanic Parent/Caregiver Health Literacy: Examining Effect on Pediatric Emergency Department Utilization, (https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/2/), Sandy Anhai Ramirez Sanchez, DSW
- Academic Preparedness of Social Workers for Interprofessional Education/Collaborative Practice (IPECP), (https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/1/), Amy Corwin Sagen, DSW