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Social Work
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Faculty - Social Work
Department Chairs
Amy Chanmugam, Ph.D.

Department Chair and Associate Professor, Social Work


210.458.3003
Amy Chanmugam, Ph.D.
Title

Department Chair and Associate Professor, Social Work

Phone Number
210.458.3003
Email

Room

FS 4.544

Department

Social Work

Downloads
< A. Chanmugam CV
Research Interests
  • Intimate partner violence, especially child/adolescent exposure
  • Family interventions & support services, especially shelter-based
  • Family systems & psychological trauma
  • Child abuse & neglect
  • Parent-child relationships
  • Adoption & foster care
  • School social work & school-based interventions
  • Qualitative methods
Education
  • Ph.D., Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, 2009
  • M.S., Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, 1996
  • B.A., Psychology and German Literature, Vassar College, 1990
Faculty
Manuel Cano, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Social Work


210.458.3005
Manuel Cano, Ph.D.
Title

Assistant Professor, Social Work

Phone Number
210.458.3005
Email

Room

FS 4.416

Department

Social Work

Downloads
< Cano CV
Research Interests
  • Epidemiology of substance use disorders in Hispanic Americans
  • Alcohol and drug use-related problems affecting U.S. Hispanics
  • Acculturation and contextual factors implicated in Hispanic health
Education
  • Ph.D., School of Social Work, Boston College, 2019
  • M.S.W., School of Social Work, Arizona State University, 2007
  • B.A., Business Administration, Tecnológico de Monterrey, 2003
Amy Chanmugam, Ph.D.

Department Chair and Associate Professor, Social Work


210.458.3003
Amy Chanmugam, Ph.D.
Title

Department Chair and Associate Professor, Social Work

Phone Number
210.458.3003
Email

Room

FS 4.544

Department

Social Work

Downloads
< A. Chanmugam CV
Research Interests
  • Intimate partner violence, especially child/adolescent exposure
  • Family interventions & support services, especially shelter-based
  • Family systems & psychological trauma
  • Child abuse & neglect
  • Parent-child relationships
  • Adoption & foster care
  • School social work & school-based interventions
  • Qualitative methods
Education
  • Ph.D., Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, 2009
  • M.S., Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, 1996
  • B.A., Psychology and German Literature, Vassar College, 1990
Candace Christensen, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Social Work


210.458.2918
Candace Christensen, Ph.D.
Title

Associate Professor, Social Work

Phone Number
210.458.2918
Email

Room

FS 4.404

Department

Social Work

Downloads
< C. Christensen CV
Research Interests
  • Using feminist methodology and arts-based research (theatre and photovoice) methods as both a tool for inquiry and intervention for preventing GBV (gender-based violence) among college students, within families and through media
  • Disseminate research results that inform GBV prevention policy
  • Intervention practices and feminist, arts-based research methods
Education
  • Ph.D., Social Work, University of Utah, 2012
  • Master of Social Work, University of Utah, 2008
  • B.A., Theatre Studies and Literature, University of Texas at Dallas, 1997
Richard Harris, Ph.D.

Professor, Social Work


210.458.2843
Richard Harris, Ph.D.
Title

Professor, Social Work

Phone Number
210.458.2843
Email

Room

FS 4.422

Department

Social Work

Downloads
< R. Harris CV
Research Interests
  • Social demography
  • Demographic techniques
  • Demography of aging
  • Gender roles
  • Sexual harassment and assault
  • Military sociology
  • Cultural competence
  • Stratification
Education
  • Ph.D., Sociology, Cornell University, 1976
  • M.A., Sociology, Cornell University, 1974
  • B.A., Sociology, Macalester College, 1971
Mary Houston-Vega, Ph.D.

Associate Professor


210.458.3008
Mary Houston-Vega, Ph.D.
Title

Associate Professor

Phone Number
210.458.3008
Email

Room

FS 4.512

Department

Social Work

Downloads
< M. Houston-Vega CV
Research Interests
  • Ethical dilemmas and professional liability specific to social work education, current social work practice, and emerging areas of social work practice (e.g. technology, animal assisted activities and therapy, etc.)
  • Practice oriented frameworks for preventing and managing life-endangering situations and crises, (i.e. disasters, suicide, and violence in the work place)
  • Application of transformative pedagogy in teaching in general and culturally competent practice in particular
Education
  • Ph.D., Social Work, University of Southern California, 1984
  • Master of Social Work, University of Denver, 1975
  • B.A., Social Work, Colorado State University, 1974
Lucinda Nevarez, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor


210.458.2306
Lucinda Nevarez, Ph.D.
Title

Assistant Professor

Phone Number
210.458.2306
Email

Room

FS 4.412

Department

Social Work

Downloads
< L. Nevarez CV
Research Interests
  • Health disparities
  • Health inequalities
  • Minority health and mental health issues
  • Health policy
  • Healthcare access and utilization
  • The influence of race and culture in accessing and the utilization of mental health and healthcare services
Education
  • Ph.D., Social Work, University of Houston, 2010
  • Master of Social Work, University of Houston, 1999
  • B.A., Mexican American Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, 1997
Megan Hayes Piel, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor


210.458.2938
Megan Hayes Piel, Ph.D.
Title

Assistant Professor

Phone Number
210.458.2938
Email

Room

FS 4.414

Department

Social Work

Downloads
< M. Hayes Piel CV
Research Interests
  • Child welfare and well-being
  • Resilience of foster youth and families
  • Mental health of youth aging out of foster care
  • Foster care alumni in postsecondary education
  • Preventing the intergenerational transmission of child abuse and neglect
Education
  • Ph.D., Social Work, Arizona State University, 2015
  • Master of Social Work, Arizona State University, 2011
  • B.S., Biopsychology, Nebraska Wesleyan University, 2005
Derek Plantenga, LCSW

Senior Lecturer & Graduate Advisor of Record


210.458.2026
Derek Plantenga, LCSW
Title

Senior Lecturer & Graduate Advisor of Record

Phone Number
210.458.2026
Email

Room

FS 4.536

Department

Social Work

Downloads
< D. Plantenga CV
Education
  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker, State of Texas
  • M.S.W., Our Lady of the Lake University, 2003
  • B.S.W. and B.A. in Spanish, Calvin College, 2002
Heidi Rueda, Ph.D.

Associate Professor


210.458.2309
Heidi Rueda, Ph.D.
Title

Associate Professor

Phone Number
210.458.2309
Email

Room

FS 4.408

Department

Social Work

Downloads
< H. Adams Rueda CV
Research Interests
  • Adolescent dating and sexuality
  • Domestic abuse and teen dating violence
  • Minority and at-risk youth populations (i.e., Latino youth, adolescents with disabilities)
  • The design and evaluation of developmentally- and culturally-grounded preventative interventions
Education
  • Ph.D., Social Work, Arizona State University, 2013
  • Master of Social Work, Arizona State University, 2007
  • B.A., Psychology and Spanish, University of Nebraska, 2004
Bonita B. Sharma, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor


210.458.2922
Bonita B. Sharma, Ph.D.
Title

Assistant Professor

Phone Number
210.458.2922
Email

Room

FS 4.410

Department

Social Work

Downloads
< B. Sharma CV
Research Interests
  • Impact of natural and built environment on sustainability and gender equality
  • Community and global health
  • Technology
  • Empowerment and leadership of women
  • Human mobility
  • Global social work
  • Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research
Education
  • Ph.D., Social Work, The University of Texas at Arlington, 2016
  • M.S., Social Work, The University of Texas at Arlington, 2009
  • B.S., Biology and Chemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington, 1998
Sherri Simmons-Horton, LMSW, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Social Work


210.458.2316
Sherri Simmons-Horton, LMSW, Ph.D.
Title

Assistant Professor, Social Work

Phone Number
210.458.2316
Email

Room

FS 4.516

Department

Social Work

Downloads
< Sherri Simmons-Horton CV
Research Interests
  • Child welfare-foster care, adoption, & kinship care; child well-being; intersection of foster care & juvenile justice (dual-status youth)
  • Race resiliency and race disparities in foster care and juvenile justice
  • Social justice policy with African-American males
Education
  • Ph.D., Juvenile Justice, Prairie View A&M University, 2019
  • Master of Social Work, University of Houston, 2003
  • Bachelor of Social Work, Texas State University, 1993
Jelena Todic, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor


210.458.2317
Jelena Todic, Ph.D.
Title

Assistant Professor

Phone Number
210.458.2317
Email

Room

FS 4.406

Department

Social Work

Downloads
< J. Todic CV
Research Interests
  • Health equity
  • Social determinants of health
  • Transdisciplinary place-based health equity interventions
  • Research translation for population health improvement
  • LGBTQ health
  • Social justice education
Education
  • Ph.D., Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, 2018
  • M.S.W., Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, 2002
  • B.A., Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, 1999
Staff
Eric Alva

Program Specialist


210.458.2335
Eric Alva
Title

Program Specialist

Phone Number
210.458.2335
Email

Room

BV 3.308B

Department

Social Work

Cyndi Beals

Administrative Associate II


210.458.3004
Cyndi Beals
Title

Administrative Associate II

Phone Number
210.458.3004
Email

Room

FS 4.544

Department

Social Work

Bryce Boddie, M.S.W., LMSW

Field Coordinator


210.458.3009
Bryce Boddie, M.S.W., LMSW
Title

Field Coordinator

Phone Number
210.458.3009
Email

Room

BV 3.308

Department

Social Work

Elizabeth Cruz, LMSW

Lecturer I & Title IV-E Program Director


210.458.2319
Elizabeth Cruz, LMSW
Title

Lecturer I & Title IV-E Program Director

Phone Number
210.458.2319
Email

Room

FS

Department

Social Work

Amy Manning-Thompson

Director of Field Education


210.458.3002
Amy Manning-Thompson
Title

Director of Field Education

Phone Number
210.458.3002
Email

Room

BV 3.308C

Department

Social Work

Downloads
<
Destiny Velasquez

Office Assistant


210.458.3169
Destiny Velasquez
Title

Office Assistant

Phone Number
210.458.3169
Email

Room

BV 3.308F

Department

Social Work

Department of Social Work

Phone: 210-458-3000
Fax: 210-458-3001
Location: FS 4.544
The University of Texas at San Antonio
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San Antonio, TX 78249-1644