The UNC School of Social Work’s research institutes, centers and labs bring together researchers, community partners, interdisciplinary experts, organizational lenders, policymakers, consumers and other key partners to inform and partner on research locally, nationally and abroad. Connections within the institute and centers result in better informed research and facilitate the adoption of sustainable and evidence-based practices and policies.
Institutes
Jordan Institute for Families (JIF)
Since its founding in 1996, the Jordan Institute for Families’ mission has been to cultivate safe, stable, nurturing families over the life course. This work spans an array of interrelated initiatives in family health and well-being, economic supports for families, social work leadership, life course transitions, and caregiving across the life span, to name a few. The Institute’s efforts to connect community knowledge with social work research, policy and practice remain firmly rooted in equity and engagement.
Core Faculty and Staff
Sarah Verbiest, Katherine Bryant, Allison De Marco, Yvette Thompson
Centers
Global Social Development Innovations (GSDI)
Established in 2017 as a university recognized research center housed in the School of Social Work, Global Social Development Innovations research center amplifies the School’s global footprint and on-the-ground impact. GSDI’s work spans the research life cycle, from identifying issues to co-creating and evaluating innovative interventions, building knowledge and evidence, working closely with local stakeholders, and training future professionals in social work, public health, public policy, education, and business. With active projects and partnerships in Burundi, Ghana, India, Kenya, the Philippines, South Africa, Taiwan, Uganda, the United States, and Zambia, GSDI’s programs serve up to 5,000 youth and their families and communities every year.
Core Faculty and Staff
Gina Chowa, Rainier Masa, Hsun-Ta Hsu, Ankur Srivastava, Adam Milano, Annagrace Saufley
Center for Excellence in Assisted Living at UNC
The Center for Excellence in Assisted Living at UNC brings together broad expertise to serve as a thought leader; provide feedback to state, national and organizational initiatives; promote new projects; and develop and evaluate products and services, all to advance the well-being of the people who live and work in assisted living. CEAL was originally formed as an outgrowth of the landmark 2003 U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Assisted Living Workgroup report. In 2023, CEAL became CEAL@UNC, which maintains this national collaborative and goal, and has expanded capacity to advance well-being through research, practice and policy.
Core Faculty and Staff
Sheryl Zimmerman, Walter Moczygemba, Lea Efrid-Green, Johanna Hickey
Labs
INSPIRED Lab
Led by Sandra Reeves Spears and John B. Turner Distinguished Professor Trenette Clark Goings, the INSPIRED Lab’s mission is to inspire change and achieve health equity through innovative and rigorous research, education and community engagement. The lab’s interdisciplinary and multi-university research team aims to understand the mechanisms contributing to health disparities, currently focusing on behavioral health and youth substance use ; use that knowledge to develop interventions that improve population health and reduce racial and ethnic health disparities in North Carolina, the U.S. and globally; share its findings with the public; and mentor and train the next generation of prevention scientists and racial and ethnic health disparity researchers.
Core UNC SSW Faculty and Staff
Trenette Clark Goings, Andrea Murray-Lichtman
Living F.R.E.E. Lab
Created in October 2017, the Living F.R.E.E. (Research Focused on Reducing Excessive Eating) Lab is a research group focused on developing and evaluating interventions for those at the intersection of disordered eating and chronic disease led by Wallace Kuralt Early Career Distinguished Scholar Rachel Goode. The lab desires to cultivate interventions to help people reconnect with their bodies and rebuild their relationship with food, while also mitigating chronic disease risk. In addition to creating a safe and joyful research space, the Living F.R.E.E. Lab is dedicated to training and diversifying the next generation of social and behavioral scientists and is composed of social workers, public health researchers, clinicians, community members and students.
Core UNC SSW Faculty and Staff
Rachel W. Goode
Well Being and Illness in the Social Environment (WISE) Lab
Led by Assistant Professors Bridgette Thom and Tess Thompson, the Wellbeing and Illness in the Social Environment (WISE) Lab focuses on oncology and other health-related research. We engage in rigorous, interdisciplinary inquiry that analyzes how the social context influences access to care, economic well-being, and patient and caregiver outcomes.
Core UNC SSW Faculty and Staff
Bridgette Thom, Tess Thompson
