Phd Student Profile

 I am Gashanew Worku, a dedicated social worker, academician, and community advocate from Ethiopia, deeply committed to social justice, human rights, and the empowerment of marginalized groups. I completed my undergraduate studies in social work at Addis Ababa University. I then earned a master’s degree in social work from Bahir Dar University, where I focused…

Camiell Foulger is a first-year PhD student at the College of Social Work. She attended Furman University for her undergraduate studies and completed her MSW at the University of South Carolina in 2023. She served as the Adult Advocacy Policy and Curriculum Writer for the South Carolina Department of Social Services prior to beginning her…

Ellen Rossano has come to the University of Tennessee Knoxville by way of Boston, Massachusetts. She earned her original bachelor’s degree from Providence College in Rhode Island, and after moving here almost 8 years ago, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Counseling) at Maryville College in 2023 and a Master of Science in…

Loren Deborah Ginn is a PhD student in the College of Social Work at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She earned her Bachelor of Social Work from Middle Tennessee State University and her Master of Science in Social Work from UTK, and is a Licensed Master Social Worker. Loren’s work centers on structurally vulnerable populations, and…

Eunmi Hwang is a PhD student in Social Work at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She holds a background in Counseling Psychology and Social Work, and her research interests center on developing interventions that promote mental health and recovery among individuals and families affected by trauma. Drawing on culturally informed and family-centered perspectives, her research…

Savannah Lindsey is a PhD student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. After graduating with her MSSW in 2021, Savannah has spent the last several years working primarily in interpersonal violence prevention and community-level response. She most recently served as the Project Manager for a multidisciplinary research team that focuses on the relationship between adverse…

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 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 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…