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Noor Paracha Hayat Found Home at Loyola
Noor Paracha Hayat gave the student address at the School of Social Work's commencement ceremony in May 2026, reflecting on her journey that led her to Loyola.
Ren Horst Awarded 2026 President's Medallion
As this year’s recipient of the President’s Medallion, Ren is recognized not only for her academic excellence, but for the lived experience, cultural grounding, and unwavering purpose that inform her work in social services.
Loyola professor spotlights mental health on campus
As demand rises for mental health resources on college campuses, Loyola serves students with evidence-based resources. School of Social Work Professor Jonathan Singer, Ph.D. is leading the way.
Introducing Three New Faculty Members
We are pleased to welcome three outstanding scholars and educators as new full-time faculty members: Shannon Dunn, Ph.D., Amzie Moore II, Ph.D., and LaTasha Smith, Ph.D. Each brings a deep commitment to social work education, innovative research agendas, and a passion for teaching and mentorship that aligns with Loyola’s mission and values.
SSWR Conference 2026 Presentations
More than 40 presentations from School of Social Work faculty, students, and alumni were accepted for presentation at the Society for Social Work and Research Conference 2026. Find out when and where you can see them.
Building Bridges Through Bilingual Social Work
Loyola University Chicago’s Online Bilingual Master of Social Work (MSW) program is preparing a new generation of compassionate, culturally responsive social workers capable of navigating systemic barriers and providing critical care in both English and Spanish.
Dr. Abha Rai Named Top 2% Scientist
Assistant Professor Abha Rai, Ph.D., MSW was recently named to the prestigious Stanford/Elsevier Top 2% Scientist List for 2025, a global ranking that honors the world's most influential researchers.
CADC Grant Renewed
The School of Social Work is excited to announce a $452,000 grant for the Certificate in Alcohol and Other Drug Counseling (CADC) Workforce Expansion Program. The grant was renewed for the third year by the Illinois Certification Board and the Illinois Department of Human Services/Division of Substance Use Prevention and recovery.
Serving Those Who Served: A Day in the Life of a VA Social Worker
Join us November 5 for our panel discussion collaboration with Military Veteran Student Services and the Jesse Brown Veterans Association.
Loyola University Chicago’s School of Social Work celebrated the grand opening of its new Behavioral Health Simulation Lab on Friday, October 17, marking a major milestone in the University’s commitment to advancing behavioral health education and training.
Maribel Lopez, Ed.D. Recognized with President's Volunteer Service Award
Professor Maribel Lopez was recognized with the prestigious award in May for her impressive volunteer work
Goutham M. Menon, PhD, Appointed Dean of the School of Social Work
Goutham M. Menon, PhD, has been appointed as the dean of the School of Social Work. He will join Loyola on July 1 from the University of Nevada-Reno, where he serves as director of the School of Social Work.
Awards
Benjamin Marton: Empowering youth to be advocates for change
Marton, who is one of this year's President's Medallion recipients, is studying for his master’s degree in social work, serves as a graduate and research assistant for two professors, is the president of the School of Social Work Student Organization, and works several days a week as an intern at Loyola Community and Family Services.
Active alumni presented with Damen Award
Licensed social worker Daniel Kill is a long-time advocate for mental health
"Social work education is the future of all academic teaching, even if most academicians don’t know it yet. It mixes training in social theory with mandatory hours of work in the field, putting those theories decidedly into practice -- something that most students clamor for."
SSW Alum and Adjunct Faculty Member Honored as Emerging Leader of the Year
In celebration of Social Work Month, Loyola SSW's very own Sarah Buino has been honored as the Emerging Leader of Year by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW)-Illinois Chapter for her exceptional work as a clinician and leadership in promoting social justice and social change.
Loyola Faculty, Staff, Students and Alumni Present at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Meeting
Join us during the SSWR 23rd Annual Conference in San Francisco, CA from January 16 - 20, 2019. Attend to our faculty, students and alumni talks. We have included a copy of the presentations. On January 18, our school will be hosting a reception and we hope to see you there.
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Singer Named "Social Work Pioneer" by NASW
Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work proudly announces that Professor Jonathan Singer, Ph.D. has been named a Social Work Pioneer by the National Association of Social Workers. This prestigious recognition comes in light of Singer’s exceptional contributions to the field of social work, particularly in his innovative work with technology.
Social Work Pioneers
NASW recognized 25 new in its 2023 class as “social workers who have contributed to the evolution and enrichment of the profession.” In a career full of incredible accomplishments, the one that best exemplifies Singer’s impact on the field is the creation of the . Founded in 2007 as the first podcast by and for social workers, Singer has been using the platform to amplify important voices in the field of social work. The success of the podcast has allowed thought-leaders and researchers to present their ideas to a global audience. His pioneering work on the podcast largely contributed to Singer winning the 2012 NASW Media Award and being recognized as a “Social Work Hero” in 2013 by the University of Southern California.
“When I started the podcast, I hoped that a handful of social work students would find my summaries of practice theories useful,” Singer said on the podcast’s most recent episode. “I went to conferences and I handed out Social Work Podcast bookmarks and I explained what a podcast was, mostly to polite but disinterested academics.”
Impact of the Podcast
One hundred thirty-five episodes, 8 million downloads, and 40,000 monthly listeners in 208 countries and territories later, Singer’s podcast is renowned in the social work community and beyond. Social work students regularly look for podcast episodes to supplement their studies. Educators include episodes in their course syllabi. Episodes explore a wide range of topics, including crisis and psychosocial interventions, religion and spirituality, social work and policing, shared trauma, social work licensure, and more.
“It is a huge honor to be recognized alongside people I have looked up to for years,” Singer said. “You know, until I arrived at Loyola, I was told that podcasting was a waste of my time because it didn’t get me any closer to getting a grant or publishing in a top-tier journal. I knew that students, providers, and many of my academic colleagues around the country appreciated the ease of access, the content, and the price.”
A common topic on the Social Work Podcast is suicidology and suicide prevention, of which Singer is a leading authority in social work. In 2019, Singer was elected president of the , then the largest membership-based suicide prevention organization in the world. Within weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic hitting the USA, his embrace of technology helped convert a 2,000 attendee international conference from in-person to virtual in three weeks. For that feat, he and the AAS staff were presented the 2020 MeetingsNet Changemaker Award.
Continuing His Legacy
Though Singer’s work has already earned him plenty of awards and honors in his career, he said he has a lot still to give and hopes to continue to make an impact on the social work profession.
“Being named a pioneer for my efforts to bring podcasting to social work is more validation that this will be my lasting legacy. That said, it is also a little strange because ‘pioneer’ and ‘legacy’... those sound like words you use for someone at the end of their career,’ he said. “Although I’ve been a social worker for over 25 years and podcasting for 15 years, I feel like I’m solidly in the middle of my career. I might have a different answer in 25 years.”
Singer earned his MSW from UT-Austin in 1996 and PhD from the University of Pittsburgh in 2009. He joined the social work faculty at Loyola University Chicago as an associate professor in 2015. He is the author of more than 85 publications, including the 2015 book Suicide in Schools: A Practitioner’s Guide to Multilevel Prevention, Assessment, Intervention, and Postvention.
Since its launch in 1994, the Social Work Pioneer program has inducted almost 900 accomplished individuals to its rolls. The 2023 class of pioneers will be honored at the NASW Social Work Pioneers 17th Annual Celebration on October 14, 2023.