The Social Workers Radio Talk Show

Episoder

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  Artificial Intelligence in Social Work: A conversation with Cheng Ren 06.09.2025 39min

  Cheng Ren is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Welfare and part of UAlbany's AI Plus Institute. Cheng's work involves acquiring open-access data and utilizing data science tools to determine how these data can be leveraged to benefit the welfare system and the general public. Currently, his focus is on using advanced AI techniques like Natural Language Processing, Computer Vision to promote housing justice, conducting eviction research, and improving service accessibility for vulnerable populations.
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  An Update from Leadership: The College of Integrated Health Sciences 27.08.2025 37min

  Last year, we sat down with Dean Erin Bell and Senior Vice Dean, Victoria Rizzo, about the new UAlbany College of Integrated Health Sciences. This merger brought together the former School of Public Health and the School of Social Welfare, where Vicky also serves as the director. As we start the 2025-2026 academic year, we are sitting down with them again to discuss where we were, where we are, and where we are going. We hope you enjoy this interview with Erin Bell and Vicky Rizzo.
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  All About Aging: A chat with Jennifer Harvey '12 21.02.2025 40min

  In this episode, we speak with Jennifer Harvey '12. While at UAlbany, Jen was in the Internships in Aging Project (IAP) and her passion for working with the aging population has only grown since. Jen discusses what led her to social work and the many projects that she is currently involved in (hint: they all have to do with aging!).
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  From Policy Class to Impacting Policy: A chat with Sharon Kollar '06 07.02.2025 43min

  "How do we take care of the people who take care of the people." We were able to chat with Sharon Kollar, LMSW '06 about her 20+ years of experience in non-profit and public child welfare organizations. Much of Sharon's work has focused on helping child welfare organizations create systems and environments that allow them to do great work. Sharon continues to use her macro and micro practice skills to help organizations improve their practice with children and families.
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  Author Jordan Steven Sher 27.01.2025 42min

  Jordan Steven Sher '81 is the author of four books, three of which focus on Bosnia. His latest two books are non-fiction and historical fiction delving into the war in the 1990s that produced war crimes and genocide. His new book is his first for Young Adults. He knows, however, that this will appeal to all ages. Jordan uses his social work background to grade his characters. Find out more at jordanstevensher.com.
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  A Chat with Leadership: The College of Integrated Health Sciences 15.11.2024 32min

  Today we chat with the leadership team of the new College of Integrated Health Sciences (CIHS) at UAlbany. Erin Bell, a professor of epidemiology, biostatistics and environmental health, was named dean of CIHS, which encompasses the former School of Public Health and the School of Social Welfare. Victoria Rizzo is the senior vice dean of CIHS and the director of the School of Social Welfare.
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  Disaster Response with Anne Bink 07.10.2024 55min

  In this episode we speak with Anne Bink, MSW '04, about her work in the disaster response area. Anne serves as Director of Mitigation and Resilience at Innovative Emergency Management, or IEM, where she collaborates with state, tribal, territorial and local governments to build resilience in infrastructure and communities before and after disasters. From 2021 through May 2024, Ms. Bink served as the Associate Administrator of Response and Recovery at FEMA, where she led a team of 12,000 to deliver national response and recovery operations in an increasingly complex risk landscape.
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  Bill Serafin - UAlbany MSW Class of 1967 13.09.2024 43min

  With the UAlbany School of Social Welfare about to celebrate its 60th Anniversary, it was only fitting that Bill Serafin kicked off the first podcast episode of the academic year. Bill is a member of the first UAlbany MSW graduating class... the Class of 1967. Bill shares his memories of being a member of the first group of students enrolled at UAlbany's School of Social Welfare.
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  UAlbany Students in the Community: A chat with Sheri Stevens of CPSP 12.10.2023 39min

  The Community and Public Service Program (CPSP) is a popular course for UAlbany students, as they are able to volunteer in the community and earn academic credit at the same time. CPSP Director, Sheri Stevens, joins us to chat about the history of the program, the value it brings to the local community, and the impact of volunteering on students.
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  Digital Storytelling with Caroline Sharkey 21.09.2023 36min

  We are joined by Visiting Assistant Professor, Caroline Sharkey. Caroline's research centers on collective efficacy and social cohesion to mitigate community violence and school shootings, the impact of trauma and historical trauma, and to address the needs of young people in city contexts. We speak about the role of meso/macro-therapeutic interventions, particularly digital storytelling, to foster positive youth development, empowerment, and reclamation.
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  Faculty Spotlight: Angie Wootton 07.09.2023 51min

  We are joined by Angie Wootton, a new Assistant Professor at UAlbany's School of Social Welfare. Wootton’s mixed methods research focuses primarily on characterizing and seeking remedies to persistent mental health and behavioral health disparities in the LGBTQ+ community, primarily among sexual minority women, transgender and gender non-binary people, and those experiencing multiple intersecting forms of stigma, discrimination, and exclusion based on sex, gender, and sexuality. This work takes a strengths, resilience, and trauma recovery focus to identify and promote promising new pathways to wellbeing for multiply marginalized LGBTQ+ people.
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  The Intersection between Social Work and Public Health: Taylor Perre '22 24.03.2023 28min

  We are joined by SSW and SPH alum, Taylor Perre ‘22. We speak about the intersection of social work and public health, Taylor’s program and policy work at the Home Care Association of New York State, and navigating the political arena to make macro-level change.
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  UAlbany Student Stories 10.03.2023 32min

  In 2019, armed with a $6,500 University StAR grant, Associate Professor Carmen Serrano set out to establish a largely student-run podcast that would help to amplify the voices of underrepresented and marginalized UAlbany students and alumni, with stories that would prove both instructive and inspiring to others. Joining us today are Carmen Serrano and two student members of the UAlbany Student Stories Podcast, J-Lyn Thomas and Yesenia Melo.
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  The Elected Social Worker: A chat with Meghan Keegan of the Albany Common Council 20.10.2022 40min

  In this episode, we speak with Meghan Keegan of the Albany Common Council. We discuss social workers as elected officials and the benefits of bringing the social work perspective to the table in the political arena.
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  #KeepAlbanyConnected: A chat with Lex Bhagat of the FFAPL 13.10.2022 46min

  In this episode, we were joined by Lex Bhagat, Director of the Friends and Foundation of the Albany Public Library. We discuss how the library is making a difference in the community, particularly regarding the wi-fi expansion #KeepAlbanyConnected campaign aimed to bridge the digital divide.
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  Making an Impact Statewide: A conversation with Julia Duff of SBANYS 29.09.2022 34min

  We were joined by alumna Julia Duff '16, the Executive Director of the Spina Bifida Association of NYS. She discusses the organization's evolution from a local to a statewide chapter, the agency's growth and future goals, and the impact of UAlbany SSW interns on SBANYS's service delivery and success.
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  A Chat with Interim Dean Vicky Rizzo 22.09.2022 44min

  We were joined by Interim Dean and Professor, Vicky Rizzo. She speaks about her social work journey, vision for the SSW, goals as President of the NASW-NYS Chapter, and also shares some fun facts.
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  Navigating Systems: A mother's journey through her son's addiction 08.09.2022 50min

  Lynn Rothenberg graduated from the School of Social Welfare in 2008 after a career as a professional journalist. She recently completed a book-length manuscript that addresses her experience as a mother of a child battling addiction and its consequences.
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  Relationsnip: Is there life after your adult child rejects you? with author Keli Rugenstein, PhD, LCSW-R, LMFT 20.05.2022 42min

  Dr. Keli Rugestein is the author of "Relationsnip: Is there life after your adult child rejects you?" and discusses the factors that lead to estrangement, the impacts of estrangement, and what the research is saying on this topic.
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  Exploring History Through a Social Work Lens: A conversation with author Kathleen Earle Fox 10.05.2022 38min

  Kathleen Earle Fox, B.A.’67, M.S.W.’76, Ph.D.’96, is the author of a new book titled, "An Early History of the Wyoming Valley: The Yankee-Pennamite Wars & Timothy Pickering." She discusses how her social work background helped her to write a history book that is not like most history books, as this one pays attention to people and their motivations, and celebrates a group usually ignored in American History: the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois). Fun fact: In 1965, Kathleen submitted the winning entry to UAlbany’s mascot-naming contest, and the Great Dane – which represented “the grace, distinction and ‘strength’ of the new university campus” – became both the nickname of the sports teams and their symbol.