Areas of research
Identity, Immigration & Racism
SP2 Faculty exhibit the School’s understanding of how personal, cultural, and social factors impact important issues concerning inclusion, economic injustices, and policy within marginalized communities.
FEATURED FACULTY
Amy Hillier, MSW, PhD
Associate Professor; PhD, University of Pennsylvania, 1991. Youth gender identity; parents of transgender children; WEB Du Bois and The Philadelphia Negro; food access; outdoor advertising.
FEATURED FACULTY
Yoosun Park, MSW, PhD
Associate Professor; PhD, University of Washington. Critical history of social work; historical and contemporary immigration; discourse analysis; critical theories and methodologies for social work research and education.
FEATURED FACULTY
Joretha N. Bourjolly, MSW, PhD
Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Inclusion; PhD, Bryn Mawr, 1996. Management of multicultural conflict; effects of chronic illness on individuals and family members; impact of racial and economic factors on the delivery of health care.
FEATURED FACULTY
Noor Toraif, PhD, MA
Assistant Professor; PhD, Boston University. The intersection of the child welfare and juvenile legal systems, crossover youth, criminal legal system, youth and emerging adult reentry, youth-engaged research.
FEATURED FACULTY
DeMarcus A. Jenkins, PhD
Assistant Professor; PhD, University of California, Los Angeles. Education policy, housing policy, criminal/juvenile justice, school safety & discipline, gentrification, anti-Black racism, Critical Race Theory, social movements.
FEATURED FACULTY
Alice Xu, PhD
Assistant Professor; PhD, Harvard University. Inequality and social policy, urban and distributive politics, environmental politics, quantitative and spatial methods, Latin America, Global South.
Related News
Faculty & Research
08/04
Researchers: Social scientists must address ChatGPT’s ethical challenges before using it for research
A new paper by researchers at Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) and Penn’s Annenberg School for Communication offers recommendations to ensure the ethical use of artificial intelligence resources such as ChatGPT by social work scientists.
Faculty & Research
07/12
New year brings new leadership appointments for SP2 faculty
Four SP2 faculty members have been appointed to new leadership roles to direct the PhD in Social Welfare Program, the Master of Science in Social Policy Program, and School-wide strategic initiatives.
Faculty & Research
07/05
SP2 welcomes three new faculty with interdisciplinary expertise
Three new faculty have joined Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) as of July 1, 2023. Working at the intersection of social policy and practice and the fields of education, juvenile justice, and environmental politics, the new faculty members listed below will deepen SP2’s expertise in inclusion and racial and economic justice.