Luis R. Alvarez-Hernandez Joins BUSSW Faculty as Assistant Professor
Luis R. Alvarez-Hernandez will join Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW) as a tenure-track assistant professor beginning July 1, 2023.
A licensed clinical social worker and scholar, Alvarez-Hernandez’s research is focused on the well-being of Latinx, LGBTQ+, and immigrant and refugee communities with particular attention to the experiences of people living at the intersections of these identities. He has published in numerous peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Social Work in the Global Community, the Journal of Family Violence, and is engaged in global collaborations with scholars at universities in Honduras and Mexico. His teaching and research are informed by over 10 years of experience as a bilingual clinical social worker in mental health and integrated healthcare settings, and by critical and feminist theories.
Originally from Puerto Rico, Alvarez-Hernandez began his studies in social work at the Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico and studied in Mexico and Spain before completing his bachelor’s degree in social work at Dalton State College. He earned his MSW and a PhD in social work from the University of Georgia, where he completed his dissertation, “Juntas en La Lucha: The Lived Experiences of Trans Latina Immigrants Generating Change in the Southern United States.” Most recently he was an assistant professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Social Work.
As a member of BUSSW’s faculty, Alvarez-Hernandez’s expertise will deepen the School’s existing knowledge base in global social work and culturally responsive clinical practice with intersectional Latinx, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ populations.