Category Faculty


Hee Yun Lee

Professor, University Distinguished Research Professor, Endowed Academic Chair on Social Work and Health, Co-Director of the Alabama Center for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence Contact Information Email: hlee94@ua.eduOffice: Little Hall 2024Phone: (205) 348-6553 Areas of Interest and Expertise Education Bio I am a Distinguished University Research Professor and tenured full professor at The University of Alabama…


Karen Johnson

Associate Professor Contact Information Email: kjohnson38@ua.edu Areas of Interest and Expertise Education Bio Dr. Karen Johnson is an Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama, School of Social Work, a Visiting Scholar at Yale University, and a 2023 Boston Congress of Public Health, Health Innovator to Watch award recipient. Dr. Johnson received her Ph.D. from Columbia…


M. Sebrena Jackson

Associate Professor Contact Information Office: Little Hall 1033Email: msjackson5@ua.eduPhone: (205) 348-4726 Departments Areas of Interest and Expertise Other Titles Founder of the National Social Work Enrichment Program (NSEP) Education Follow Dr. Jackson on Social Media Bio Dr. Jackson’s diverse career in academia has spanned from Title IV-E Coordinator/Instructor of an undergraduate social work program at an HBCU,…


Laura Hopson

Associate Professor Contact Information Email: lmhopson@sw.ua.edu Areas of Interest and Expertise Education Selected Publications


Schnavia Smith Hatcher

Dean and Professor Contact Information Email: schnavia.hatcher@ua.edu Areas of Interest and Expertise Education Bio Schnavia Smith Hatcher is the 8th Dean of the University of Alabama School of Social Work, bringing over 25 years of experience in clinical social work, community-engaged research, and higher education. As a native of Selma, Alabama, and a first-generation Pell Grant…


Luciana Giorgio

Assistant Professor Contact Information Email: luciana.giorgio@ua.edu Areas of Interest and Expertise Education Bio Dr. Giorgio is a social and behavioral health researcher with expertise in sleep health and health equity among marginalized populations. Her current research investigates how psychosocial factors, such as stress and relationships, influence sleep and cardiovascular health among Latina/o/x adults. She has an…


Curtis Davis

Assistant Professor Contact Information Office: Little Hall 3005Email: chdavis3@ua.eduPhone: 205-348-4323 Departments Areas of Interest and Expertise Education Bio Along with experience and specialization in the forensic social work field, Dr. Curtis Davis utilizes mixed method approaches to understand, develop, and influence approaches that foster an effective and equitable incarceration and reintegration experience for adjudicated youth and…


Ellen L. Csikai

Professor and Editor of The Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life and Palliative Care Contact Information Email: ecsikai@sw.ua.edu Areas of Interest and Expertise Education Bio Ellen L. Csikai, LCSW, MPH, Ph.D is Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Alabama. Prior to her academic career, Dr. Csikai was social work practitioner in…


Catherine Carlson

Associate Professor Contact Information Email: ccarlson5@ua.edu Areas of Interest and Expertise Education Bio Dr. Catherine Carlson’s research focuses on the intersection of violence and mental health, and the implementation of evidence-based interventions in low-resource settings. She was awarded a Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award (K01) from the National Institute of Mental Health to implement mental…


Daphne S. Cain

Professor & Title IV-E Principal Investigator Contact Information Email: dscain@ua.edu Areas of Interest and Expertise Education Bio Dr. Daphne S. Cain, LCSW, has served in higher education for 22 years. Her academic career began in the School of Social Work at LSU (2001 – 2014) where she earned tenure and promotion to Associate Professor and served…