Reesa Olins


Author Archive

Collaborations with State Agencies Yields High-Impact Research

The School of Social Work maintains robust partnerships with the State of Connecticut, linking social work researchers with state agencies, such as DMHAS and DCF. “These are important collaborations because social work is a research discipline and profession, and it’s also a practice profession,” says Dr. Nina Rovinelli Heller, dean of the School of Social […]

SSW Hires Three Tenure Track Faculty

Dean Nina Rovinelli Heller announced the appointments of three new tenure-track assistant professors to begin in Fall 2016. “Together, these three candidates bring excellent research and scholarship achievement and potential as well as teaching, practice and community engagement skills”, she said. “Their focus on violence prevention in child welfare, interpersonal violence and corrections will significantly […]

Michael Fendrich

Friends are Unreliable Sources for Drinking Study

Dr. Michael Fendrich’s research was featured in the inaugural issue of the UConn Health Journal In recent years, researchers have turned to friends of people in alcohol studies to verify what the subjects report about their drinking habits. People in the same social situations are sought out, in part, because of the inherent impairment caused […]

Antonia Cordero DSW

Preparing Graduates for the Child Welfare Workforce

The UConn School of Social Work and the CT Department of Children and Families (DCF) have established theConnecticut Partnership for Child Welfare Excellence. The SSW is one of only eleven schools of social work in the U.S. to be selected to participate in this five year federal grant funded by the Children’s Bureau, Administration for […]

School of Social Work Preparing Graduates to Work With At Risk Youth

Eighteen second year Casework and Group Work students are engaged in a program at the School of Social Work, in partnership with the Department of Mental Health and Addictions Services (DMHAS). The focus of this three year grant is to train MSW students to work effectively with the young adult population, ages 18-25, with serious […]

Doctoral Student Jason Ostrander Receives Award

Jason Ostrander is the recipient of the Association for Community Organization and Social Administration (ACOSA) Outstanding Student award. The award recognizes the contributions of a BSW or MSW student who has been involved in community or organizational practice. Dr. Louise Simmons, his dissertation advisor, nominated Jason because of his “amazing career and academic record related […]

SSW Welcomes Dr. Caitlin Elsaesser to the Faculty

Dr. Elsaesser joined the School of Social Work faculty in August. She teaches research in the MSW and doctoral programs.  Her research agenda focuses on evaluating the developmental impact of childhood violence exposure and victimization over the life course. She is examining and contributing much needed insight into how specific forms of violence exposure and/or […]