Two SSW Professors Receive $55,000 Research Grants
Sunny Hyucksun Shin and Marah Curtis received grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) recently awarded grants to two School of Social Work assistant professors for their research on health-related issues in the United States.
Sunny Hyucksun Shin and Marah Curtis have each received a New Connections Initiative grant of $55,000, the highest amount given to any recipient. The grants aim to “expand the diversity of perspectives that inform RWJF programming and introduce new researchers and scholars to the Foundation,” according to the foundation’s Web site.
Shin’s research focuses on the ethnic and racial disparities in children involved in welfare. As a social worker, Shin has seen that ethnic and racial minorities are less likely to turn to child protective services for support than non-Hispanic whites. He will try to uncover how family values in different racial and ethnic groups contribute to this disparity.
Curtis’ research looks at the effects of incarceration on the health of low-income urban fathers. Although incarceration has been studied from other perspectives, no one knows how it affects health — research Curtis says can provide policy-relevant information.
The grants run from May 15, 2007, to May 14, 2008.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health-care issues facing the country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to these issues, the foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve meaningful change in areas such as insuring all Americans, reversing the epidemic of childhood obesity, improving public health systems, and working toward greater quality — and equality — in health-care coverage for all Americans, particularly the most vulnerable. More information is available at www.rwjf.org.
Rebecca McNamara can be reached at ramc@bu.edu.