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IN THIS ISSUE
From the MFP TeamFellows Spotlight
MFP’s Legacy
Apply Now: MFP 2025-2026 Doctoral Application
Interested in Becoming an MFP Fellow?
Update Your Contact Information
Resources
From the MFP Team
Greetings MFP Community,
Happy New Year! As we begin 2026, we are pleased to share updates from the CSWE Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) community as Fellows continue to engage in experiences that advance their academic and professional development. In the new year, many MSW Fellows are considering post-graduation paths, including licensure, employment, and doctoral study. Several doctoral fellows contributed their research findings at the 2026 Society for Social Work and Research Conference where they explored topics related to advancing mental health and/or substance use services, social work education, and leadership. CSWE MFP remains committed to supporting and acknowledging the significant efforts of Fellows whose work enhances community well-being at multiple levels, including direct service, research, teaching, and leadership.
Prior to the winter break, Fellows completed an activity focused on the history and impact of the CSWE MFP. Through reviewing selected Journal of Social Work Education articles commemorating 50 years of the program, Fellows reflected on the MFP’s mission, legacy, and contributions to advancing behavioral health. These reflections informed meaningful discussions during the MFP Fellow Connections virtual meeting where Fellows explored strategies for strengthening mutual support and professional resilience. These discussions also encouraged fellows to examine how they embody leadership in both formal and informal roles, and how these experiences inform their ongoing development as emerging leaders. We look forward to continuing hosting these spaces where Fellows can build meaningful connections and gain insights that strengthen their professional identity.
As we acknowledge the achievements of current Fellows, we also look ahead with enthusiasm to welcoming future CSWE MFP cohorts! The 2026–2027 Doctoral Minority Fellowship Program application is open for submission until March 13, 2026, at 11:59 PM (ET). We encourage you to share this opportunity with your networks. Read below for more details on the application, fellow highlights, and valuable resources.
Warm regards,
The MFP Team
Fellows Spotlight
Elisabeth Adams (she/her/ella) is a 2025-2026 MFP master’s fellow who is passionate about integrating social work services among underserved populations, especially Latine and immigrant communities. As the daughter of a first-generation Latina woman, Elisabeth has witnessed the consequences of mental health stigma and barriers to mental health care within her home city of Houston, Texas. Her upbringing in an underserved Hispanic community inspired her to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and later, a Master of Social Work degree to fulfill the wisdom provided in Micah 6:8: to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.
Elisabeth has been a graduate research assistant at the Child Welfare Education Project (CWEP) at the University of Houston since starting her master’s program. She spent her first year as an intern and case manager for Humble Area Assistance Ministries (HAAM), a local social service agency serving the Humble, Texas community. At HAAM, Elisabeth participated in programs that served older adults in a residential facility, provided disaster relief services through financial assistance, and offered resources to support at-risk youth in their career development through career counseling.
She is currently a graduate intern for Empathy First Clinical Counseling and Consulting, a private practice where she has begun filling her caseload to serve BIPOC women and youth. When she has free time, Elisabeth loves to volunteer at SIRE Therapeutic Horsemanship, a non-profit organization that provides therapeutic horse riding lessons to individuals with physical or cognitive disabilities and equine-assisted learning sessions to veterans.
Elisabeth plans to obtain a PhD in social work once she graduates with her MSW degree. She is eager to study mental health interventions that may act as the gateway to services for marginalized groups, rather than being supplemental services alone. For Elisabeth, such interventions include those that remain understudied in current literature, such as equine-assisted psychotherapy and indigenous healing practices. Through social work research and practice, she aims to dismantle barriers to care and increase the availability of services for individuals experiencing mental health stigmatization or other obstacles to receiving treatment.
Being a recipient of the MFP has been incredibly transformative for Elisabeth. The MFP has broadened her horizons, allowing her to think beyond serving her local community to considering what social work could look like on both a national and global level. The MFP award has also solidified Elisabeth’s desire to advance her social work education post-MSW and pursue a PhD in social work to continue the efforts she has started among underserved groups. Most importantly, her cohort of equally passionate MFP fellows reminds her that she is not alone in the fight to bring about change for a more just and equitable world.
My name is Javon Reese. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Eastern Michigan University and am currently pursing a dual Master of Social Work and Master of Public Health. My professional journey began in brain injury rehabilitation, where I worked in a residential setting as a direct care worker and grew to a program manger role over the Manchester site.
I currently serve as a Suicide Prevention Coordinator at Centers for Family Development, Inc., a nonprofit in Detroit, Michigan. In this role, I facilitate multiple evidence-based suicide prevention trainings including Living Works ASIST and safeTALK, QPR, and Mental Health First Aid. I regularly present in community, schools, organizations, and with first responders to increase awareness of suicide risk, promote early recognition of warning signs, and encourage people to engage in uncomfortable conversations. I view this work as an opportunity to spread hope and empower others to show up for one another.
My work primarily focuses on adults and youth who are often underserved. I approach suicide prevention through a public health and social justice lens, recognizing that suicide affects all people across race, religion, political identity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and socioeconomic status.
The Minority Fellowship Program has had a meaningful impact on my professional development. Being in community with other fellows has strengthened my intentionality, expanded how I engage with communities, and reinforced the importance of collective care and accountability in social work practice. I am also encouraged to know that I will be able to build community to grow resources for the individuals we impact. I look forward to intentionally building community and collaborating.
Looking ahead, my goal is to continue advancing suicide prevention as an integrated public health priority across multiple spaces, including athletics, community wellness, infant mental health, and basic needs such as food security. As a former collegiate athlete who needed mental health support myself, I am especially passionate about creating supportive environments for athletes. Additionally, growing up in a community affected by food insecurity shaped my belief in empowerment through access, education, and shared resources. I see suicide prevention as interconnected with all of these areas and remain committed to creating safe spaces where people can share difficult experiences, build connection, and know they are not alone.
MFP’s Legacy
51 years ago, CSWE’s MFP was awarded a grant by the National Institute of Mental Health to increase the number of minority doctoral students majoring in mental health research. This first award was the catalyst for the program we celebrate today. Please take time to acknowledge those who paved the way with our ongoing MFP Legacy section highlighting those fellows who first were awarded fellowship. Find information on all 15 of the 1975–1976 cohort of MFP doctoral Fellows here. Below is one fellow’s biographical profile from when they were a fellow.
Wilfred Yazzie will seek his MSW at the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Utah.
He has been a social service representative with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and a probation officer and welfare worker with the Navajo tribe in Arizona.
Open Now: MFP 2026-2027 Doctoral Application
The 2026–2027 Doctoral Minority Fellowship Program application is open for submission until March 13, 2026, at 11:59 PM (ET). To assist you with the application process, the MFP Team has prepared a Frequently Asked Questions document along with an Application Guidebook.
Interested in Becoming an MSW MFP Fellow?
If you are interested in learning more about the program, and would be interested in applying for the doctoral or MSW fellowship during the 2026–2027 fellowship year, please sign up to be notified once applications open by using the QR codes below:
Update Your Contact Information
Have you changed jobs in the last few years? Changed your primary email address? CSWE’s MFP relies on current contact information for our internal database, which we use to contact alumni and help us prepare our reports for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Please use this link to share your updated contact information. Additionally, you are encouraged to reach out to MFP alumni you are connected with and request that they share their updated information too. Thank you in advance for supporting MFP team efforts to enhance connectedness in the MFP community.
Resources
Call for Submissions—Urban Social Work Special Issue “Visibility Matters: Black Men in Social Work”
Urban Social Work invites manuscript submissions for a special issue dedicated to examining the lives, labor, and leadership of Black men in social work. Learn more.
The School of Social Work at San José State University is pleased to announce a search for a full-time, tenure-line position in generalist and advanced generalist social work practice beginning August 2026. Preference will be given to candidates with expertise in children, youth, and families (including child welfare), macro social work, and/or a passion for teaching at the bachelors level.. Learn more.
Podcast—Grant Writing Made Clear
The Grant Writing Made Clear podcast was created by Dr. Trenette Clark Goings (www.trenetteclarkgoings.com) to support nonprofit leaders, researchers, junior faculty, and graduate students as they navigate the often-daunting process of grant writing. Through brief, focused micro-episodes (typically less than 30 minutes), Dr. Trenette demystifies the process and offers practical strategies to help listeners develop competitive, fundable proposals. Topics include:
- Identifying the right funding opportunities
- Writing strong, compelling proposals
- Avoiding common grant writing pitfalls
- Interviews with successful funded researchers, including deans and tenured faculty
The podcast is available on all major platforms:
Training—SUD 101 Core Curriculum (2023)
The 23 modules in this 2023 curriculum provide an overview of evidence-based practices in the prevention, identification, and treatment of substance use disorders and co-occurring medical and psychiatric conditions for a variety of populations. Learn more.