College of Social Work

Ryan Murr

  • Austin Johnson

    Austin is an MSSW student at the University of Tennessee’s Nashville campus. Their passions range from social, political, and racial justice to mental health support and advocacy. Primarily interested in education and therapy, they focus on the overlap between systems and individuals.” After graduation, they plan to pursue an LCSW to serve in the substance…

  • SSWR Presentations 2026

    The UT College of Social Work faculty and PhD students are presenting their latest research and projects at the SSWR 2026 Annual Conference, Leading for Transformative Change: Aligning Social Work Science with Policy and Practice. Our presenters will share important insights and advance the field of social work on the national stage. Check the schedule…

  • Oliver I. Eya

    Oliver I. Eya is a PhD student and Graduate Research Assistant in the College of Social Work at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His research focuses on intimate partner violence (IPV), faith-based responses to IPV, and help-seeking behaviors among survivors. He is particularly interested in how community and religious leaders can serve as key facilitators…

  • Ilana Shtivelman 

    Ilana Shtivelman is a second year international PhD student at the College of Social Work at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research interests primarily encompass moral injury at the intersection of identity and ideology formation, military mental health, global social work (particularly concerning culture and ethics), and Jewish identity/history. In 2016, Ilana completed her…

  • Jong Sung Kim

    Jong Sung Kim is a PhD student in the College of Social Work at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His research centers on trauma-informed education and equity for adolescents from socio-economically disadvantaged communities in the U.S. and globally. He investigates how family, school, and neighborhood environments influence academic outcomes, executive function, sleep, and mental health—leveraging large-scale…

  • Melissa Newman

    Melissa is from St. Petersburg, Florida and earned her bachelor’s in social work from the University of South Florida, St. Pete and her master’s in social work from the University of South Florida, Tampa. Melissa has experience in community mental health, medical social work, juvenile justice, and spent the majority of her career in school…

  • Vallee Vanover

    Vallee is a sophomore in the BSSW program at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. She was born and raised in Knoxville. She is the president of our student ran Bachelor’s of Social Work club, BSWO. Vallee wants to do macro social work. She hopes to focus on community health or anything involving nonprofit work. Her…

  • Emily Giacini

    Emily is an MSSW student at the University of Tennessee. She was recently chosen to be Secretary for the Bachelor’s Social Work Organization. She is a part of a few other organizations around campus. One of her favorite things she does is peer-mentor for the FUTURE program, a post-secondary education program for adults with disabilities. She…

  • Cecily Edmonds

    Cecily is an MSSW student from Chattanooga, TN. She has passions for advocacy, equity, and justice and has loved the opportunities the College of Social Work has allowed her to further her education, qualifications, and confidence in these areas. Cecily is minoring in both Political Science and Social Justice in addition to being part of…

  • Khalid Alsheri

    Khalid Alshehri has a master’s degree in social work from Southern Illinois University and a bachelor’s degree in social work from Imam Mohammed Saud University in Saudi Arabia. Alshehri has a practice background working with people experiencing food insecurity and in a variety of other social service and volunteer roles. Prior to joining the University…