Research Projects

Explore the compelling research projects led by BUSSW faculty and funded by major grants.

Strengthening the Infrastructure and Impact of the Diversitydatakids.org Research Project to Increase Wellbeing and Equity for Children
Project Investigators:

PI: Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, Institute for Equity in Childhood Opportunity & Healthy Development at BUSSW

Sponsor:

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Funding Period:

7/1/25-6/30/27

To Promote Access to Rigorous, Equity-Focused Research and Data to Improve Child Well-Being and Increase Racial and Ethnic Equity in Opportunities for Children by Supporting Updates and Sustainability
Project Investigators:

PI: Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, Institute for Equity in Childhood Opportunity & Healthy Development at BUSSW

Sponsor:

W.K.Kellogg Foundation

Funding Period:

6/1/25-4/30/27

Designing an Evidence-to-Action Hub on Children in Immigrant Families
Project Investigators:

PI: Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, Institute for Equity in Childhood Opportunity & Healthy Development at BUSSW

Co-PI:Pamela Joshi,Institute for Equity in Childhood Opportunity & Healthy Development at BUSSW

Sponsor:

Foundation for Child Development

Funding Period:

4/1/25-9/30/26

Immigrant Inclusion in the U.S. Tax and Transfer System: Advancing Evidence and State Policy Action
Project Investigators:

PI: Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, Institute for Equity in Childhood Opportunity & Healthy Development at BUSSW

Co-PI:Pamela Joshi, Institute for Equity in Childhood Opportunity & Healthy Development at BUSSW

Sponsor:

W.T Grant Foundation

Funding Period:

9/1/25-8/31/26

Developing the Core Data Infrastructure for a Research-to-Action Hub for Children in Immigrant Families
Project Investigators:

PI: Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, Institute for Equity in Childhood Opportunity & Healthy Development at BUSSW

Co-PI:Pamela Joshi, Institute for Equity in Childhood Opportunity & Healthy Development at BUSSW

Sponsor:

Foundation for Child Development

Funding Period:

9/1/25-8/31/27

Building the Data Infrastructure to Reimagine an Equitable System for Healthy Children and Families
Project Investigators:

PI: Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, Institute for Equity in Childhood Opportunity & Healthy Development at BUSSW

Co-PI: Pamela Joshi, Institute for Equity in Childhood Opportunity & Healthy Development at BUSSW

Sponsor:

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Funding Period:

11/1/25-10/31/27

Peer Mentors Supporting Retention to Care and Sustained Viral Suppression
Project Investigators:

PI: Luis Alvarez-Hernandez, BUSSW

Sponsor:

Valley AIDS Council

Funding Period:

7/1/25-12/31/26

Training for Scientists Conducting Research to Reduce HIV/AIDS Health Disparities
Project Investigators:

PI: Luis Alvarez-Hernandez, BUSSW

Sponsor:

The Regents of the University of California; NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Funding Period:

11/1/25-4/30/26

CFAR Initial AIDS Research Project:Building New England Collaborations for HIV Community-Engaged Implementation Science Research
Project Investigators:

PI: Luis Alvarez-Hernandez, BUSSW

Sponsor:

The Miriam Hospital; NIH/National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases

Funding Period:

8/15/25-8/14/26

Youth Centered Social Capital Research Cohort
Project Investigators:

PI: Astraea Augsberger, BUSSW

Sponsor:

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Funding Period:

11/2/23-2/28/26

General Preventative Medicine Maternal Health Program
Project Investigators:

PI:Dawn Belkin Martinez, BUSSW

PI: Pablo Buitron de la Vega, Boston Medical Center (BMC)

Sponsor:

U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration via BMC

Description:

The aim of this training grant is to prepare highly motivated, diverse and well-qualified primary care physicians in public health and general preventive medicine with a focus on maternal health. Buitron de la Vega is principal investigator of the parent grant ($2,957,632) and Sprague Martinez leads the development of curriculum related to social determinants of health and community engagement. Belkin Martinez leads the integration of the liberation health model in residency training and medical education.

Funding Period:

Through August 2027

Patient Advisory Panel
Project Investigators:

PI: Deborah Chassler, BUSSW

Sponsor:

BMC-Grayken Funds

Funding Period:

6/30/24-7/31/26

Evaluation of the Impact of Massachusetts’ Child Care Subsidy Payment Policies on Family and Provider Participation
Project Investigators:

PI: Yoonsook Ha, BUSSW

Sponsor:

HHS/Administration for Children and Families

Funding Period:

9/30/2023-9/29/26

Embedding Quality Improvement in Child Care Contracts to Improve Access to High-Quality Care
Project Investigators:

PI: Yoonsook Ha, BUSSW

Sponsor:

HHS/Administration for Children and Families

Funding Period:

9/30/2024-9/29/2026

HEAL Study: Suicidal Thoughts, Behaviors, and Quality of Life among Suicide Bereaved Asian Americans
Project Investigators:

PI: Hyeouk Hahm, BUSSW

Sponsor:

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Description:
This study aims to identify risk factors that could elevate Asian American families’ suicidality and mechanisms that promote resilience and effective coping, such as family cohesion, forgiveness, and post-traumatic growth. Below are detailed research goals and methods.
  • Collect qualitiative data to explore the impact of loss and grief on functioning
  • Explore individual risk factors (lack of self-care), family risk factors (cohesion, blaming, invisibility), and socio-cultural risk factors (stigma, guilt, shame) that evolve post-suicide
  • Develop a conceptual framework on Asian American survivor family members’ functioning and suiciduality
  • Collect quantitative data to test the conceptualized model
  • Explore potential mediators and moderators that could exacerbate or mitigate family members’ suicidality
  • Contribute to the development of culturally grounded interventions to support suicide-bereaved families in Asian American communities in social work research
Funding Period:

9/1/25-8/31/27

Center for Interdisciplinary Research
Project Investigators:

PI: Daniel Jacobson, BUSSW

Sponsor:

Yale University; NIMH

Funding Period:

3/15/24-2/28/26

Effectiveness of Paid Family and Medical Leave Policies and Policy Components on Adverse Childhood Experiences Prevention, Positive Childhood Experiences Promotion and Health Equity
Project Investigators:

PI: Pamela Joshi, Institute for Equity in Childhood Opportunity & Healthy Development at BUSSW

Sponsor:

Tufts Medical Center; HHS/Center for Disease Control (CDC)

Funding Period:

9/30/24-9/25/26

Boston Public Health Commission Bold Project
Project Investigators:

PI: Bronwyn Keefe, BUSSW

Sponsor:

Boston Public Health Commission BOLD Project

Funding Period:

9/30/24-9/25/26

Friends-Based Intervention to Reduce Alcohol-Involved Sexual Assault Risk
Project Investigators:

Co-I: Christina Lee, BUSSW

Sponsor:

NIH National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Funding Period:

10/1/2025-9/30/2030

Supplement Addressing Alcohol
Project Investigators:

PI: Christina Lee, BUSSW

Sponsor:

NIH

Funding Period:

5/5/2023-6/30/2026

Addressing Alcohol Health Disparities: A Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Study of CHW delivered CAMI to Latino/a/e Alcohol and Drug Users
Project Investigators:

PI: Christina Lee, BUSSW

Co-I: Jorge Delva, BUSSW

Sponsor:

NIH National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Description:

Using a Type 1 Hybrid randomized Effectiveness–Implementation design, Latino primary care patients will receive either a culturally adapted motivational interview (CAMI) from community health workers or standard care. The study’s public health impact is to minimize HD related to alcohol use among Latino/a/e primary care patients by: 1) providing a culturally tailored preventative SUD intervention with promising preliminary data in a primary care setting, thus minimizing stigma related to seeking care; 2) by examining how such interventions can be delivered in a real lift setting with high quality, and 3) understanding and disrupting the association between structural and individual stigma and substance use.

Funding Period:

9/10/2020-6/30/2026

Building a Knowledge Base for the Prevention of Violence Against Young Children in South Africa
Project Investigators:

Co-PI: Margaret Lombe, PhD, BUSSW

Co-PI: Lenette Azzi-Lessing, PhD, BUSSW

Sponsor:

BU Institute for Early Childhood Well-Being

Description:

Objective is to build a knowledge base that will:
1. Provide the foundation for the development of an innovative, evidence-based, and community-informed pilot project to prevent violence against young children in a marginalized community in South Africa.
2. Further inform the violence-prevention efforts of policy makers, practitioners, and other researchers in South Africa and other Low-and-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).

Funding Period:

July 2022 – Present

SNAP Distribution Schedules and Student Standardized Test Score Performance
Project Investigators:

PI: Daniel Miller, BUSSW

Sponsor:

American University; Russell Sage Foundation

Funding Period:

6/1/24-5/31/26

Home Safety Training Project: Engaging Health Professional Students using Innovative Technology and Integrated Learning Approaches
Project Investigators:

BU PI: Jordana Muroff, BUSSW
BU Co-PI: Bronwyn Keefe, BUSSW
Co-PIs: Co-PI: Craig Slater, Karen Jacobs , BU Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences)

Sponsor:

The  Shipley Center at Boston University

Funding Period:

2023-2026

PrEP and MOUD Rapid Access for Persons who Inject Drugs
Project Investigators:

PI: Jordana Muroff, BUSSW

Sponsor:

BMC- NIH

Funding Period:

9/1/23-6/30/26

Researching Effective Strategies to Prevent Opioid Death (RESPOND)
Project Investigators:

PI: Jordana Muroff, BUSSW

Sponsor:

BMC- NIH

Funding Period:

9/15/23-7/31/26

Planning a Workforce Development Initiative
Project Investigators:

PI: Ruth Paris, BUSSW

Sponsor:

Stahl Family Foundation

Funding Period:

1/1/2026-12/31/2026

Early Connections/Conexiones Tempranas II (EC/CT II)
Project Investigator:

PI, Ruth Paris, BUSSW

Sponsor:

SAMHSA National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative

Description:

The research team at BUSSW, led by Ruth Paris, PhD, will evaluate all aspects of Early Connections/Conexiones Tempranas II (EC/CT II). One of the sites of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, EC/CT II plans to foster resilience and ameliorate the symptoms and consequences of trauma among marginalized children aged 0–5 in Waltham, Mass., and surrounding communities. While serving a diverse population, EC/CT II will specialize in reducing disparities in access, utilization, and outcomes affecting Latino immigrant families, addressing child, family, and community needs. Building on the collaboration in EC/CT I where improvements were found in parental mental health, trauma symptoms, stress, protective factors, and child social-emotional development, the research aims for EC/CT II to include a better understanding of the mechanisms of change associated with the unique interventions which include clinical work with bilingual/bicultural infant and early childhood mental health clinicians and family support partners using individual, dyadic and group modalities.

Funding Period:

9/30/22-9/29/26

A BRIGHT Approach to Early Childhood Trauma, Parenting and Substance Use: Process and Outcome Evaluation
Project Investigator:

PI: Ruth Paris, BUSSW

Sponsor:

SAMHSA National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative

Description:

Dr. Ruth Paris and her research team are partnering with the Institute for Health and Recovery and Boston Medical Center to conduct a mixed-methods evaluation of Project BRIGHT (Building Resilience through Intervention: Growing Healthier Together). BRIGHT is an attachment-based parenting intervention designed to meet the needs of caregivers with a substance use disorder (SUD) and their young children (birth to age six). Utilizing dyadic techniques, BRIGHT focuses on (1) strengthening parent-child relationships and parenting capacities, (2) mitigating child traumatic stress and improving developmental outcomes, and (3) supporting parental mental health and recovery.

Funding Period:

9/30/23-9/29/26

About M-C & Me: A Digital Tool to Support
Project Investigator:

PI: Renee Spencer, BUSSW

Sponsor:

University of Arkansas System: Department of Defense/Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity

Funding Period:

9/1/22-8/31/26

Dually-Involved Youth Project
Project Investigator:

PI: Noor Toraif, BUSSW

Sponsor:

Mass. Office of Child Advocate

Funding Period:

12/4/2025-6/30/2026

Guaranteed Income Experiment – LA County
Project Investigator:

PI: Noor Toraif, BUSSW

Sponsor:

LA County

Funding Period:

7/1/2025-11/30/2026

An Evaluation of the Emerging Adult
Project Investigators:

PI: Noor Toraif, BUSSW

Sponsor:

UTEC

Funding Period:

7/1/25-1/31/26

Improving Outcomes and Equity for Released Prisoners with OUD: Trajectories of Participation in Pre-Release and Post-Release MOUD,Peer Navigation, and Outcomes
Project Investigators:

PI: Peter Treitler, BUSSW

Sponsor:

Rutgers; NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse

Funding Period:

5/1/24-2/28/27

National Research Center on Poverty
Project Investigators:

PI: Peter Treitler, BUSSW

Sponsor:

University of Madison-Wisconsin

Funding Period:

9/30/2025-9/28/2026

Advancing Quality of Care
Project Investigators:

PI: Peter Treitler, BUSSW

Sponsor:

NIH

Funding Period:

5/1/2026-4/30/2031

Community-Centered Modeling of Housing Related Health Disparities
Project Investigators:

PI: Darien Williams, BUSSW

Sponsor:

U. of Florida: NSF

Funding Period:

8/15/25-7/31/28

    For grant-funded projects at The Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health at BUSSW, please check out their projects page at ciswh.org.

    Students and others interested in assisting with research projects may reach out to the BUSSW project investigator at the email found on their faculty profile page.

    Please direct all media or web inquiries and updates to BUSSW Marketing & Communications at ssw-marcom@bu.edu.