News

UC Berkeley Social Welfare undergraduate major Charles Long has been awarded the 2026 University Medal, the campus’s highest honor for a graduating senior. A double major in social welfare and sociology, Long was recognized for his academic excellence, leadership, and commitment to advancing...Read more about Charles Long (BASW '26) Honored with University Medal

The UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare will celebrate the Class of 2026 at its commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 17 at Zellerbach Auditorium. This year’s ceremony...Read more about 2026 Commencement Speakers and Award Recipients

Jeffrey L. Edleson, Distinguished Professor of the Graduate School and Former Dean at the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare, was invited to speak at the...Read more about Jeffrey Edleson Presents on Intervention Programs at Ending the Violence Conference

For Jaxx Bobadilla, an undergraduate in UC Berkeley’s Social Welfare program, research was not always a given. It was something to fit in between classes, work shifts, and the demands of paying for school. Over time, though, a project rooted in Oakland’s educational history became central to...Read more about Undergraduate feature: Jaxx Bobadilla explores Freedom Schools and educational equity in Oakland

In a recent KQED Forum episode, experts including child welfare scholar Jill Duerr Berrick examine the challenges facing the foster care system following a recent child death in Santa...Read more about KQED Forum with Jill Duerr Berrick: How Can We Better Care for Foster Youth?

Assistant Professor Kristina Lovato delivered a keynote address at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare 2026 Spring Conference,...Read more about Kristina Lovato Delivers Keynote on Child Welfare and Immigration Enforcement

Daniel Webster, project scientist and principal investigator of the California Child Welfare Indicators Project (CCWIP), was invited to visit Monash University in...Read more about Daniel Webster of CCWIP Shares Child Welfare Data Expertise in Australia

UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare alum Shiree Teng (BA ’93, Psychology and Social Welfare) has been selected as the recipient of the Rosalie M. Stern Award, recognizing her outstanding contributions to public service.

The...Read more about Shiree Teng (BA '93) Honored with Rosalie M. Stern Award

UC Berkeley Social Welfare undergraduate student Marlenne Perez (BASW '26) has been recognized with the Chancellor’s Award for Public Service, the Mather Good Citizen Award, for her work supporting...Read more about Marlenne Perez (BASW '26) receives Chancellor’s Award for Public Service, Mather Good Citizen Award

Update (May 2026):
The honorary doctorate was conferred on April 30, 2026, during the UNED International Doctoral School Day. UNED has published the official laudatio, Professor Gilbert’s acceptance remarks, and a full video recording of the ceremony. Materials are...Read more about Professor Neil Gilbert to Receive Honorary Doctorate from Spain’s UNED

Doctoral student Nereida Heller has been awarded the Sosozei Pre-Dissertation Fellowship in recognition of her research on sobering centers and their role within behavioral health systems. A third-year MSW/PhD...Read more about Nereida Heller Awarded Sosozei Pre-Dissertation Fellowship

PhD candidate Leyi (Joy) Zhou has been awarded the Soroptimist International of the Americas Founder Region Fellowship Award, which recognizes outstanding...Read more about Leyi (Joy) Zhou Receives Soroptimist Founder Region Fellowship Award

Karina Davis (MSW ’26), a 2025–26 CSWE Minority Fellowship Program Fellow, is focused on advancing more equitable, community-driven...Read more about Student Spotlight: Karina Davis (MSW ’26) on community, care and systems change

Professor Jill Duerr Berrick is featured in a new Imprint article examining two studies of Michigan’s Rx Kids cash aid program that reach different conclusions using the same data. One finds a drop in child...Read more about Jill Duerr Berrick Featured in Imprint on Michigan Cash Aid Study Debate

Researchers from the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare’s Risk Resilience Lab have published a new study in Law and Human Behavior examining how financial sanctions affect outcomes for youth in the...Read more about New Risk Resilience Lab Study Explores the Impact of Financial Sanctions on Youth in the Juvenile Justice System

Dean Susan Stone co-authored a new opinion piece in The Sacramento Bee warning that proposed federal changes to student loan programs could deepen California’s shortages of teachers, social workers, nurses and...Read more about Dean Susan Stone Co-Authors Op-Ed on Federal Loan Changes Threatening Public Service Careers

Researchers at the Digital Health Equity & Access Lab (dHEAL) at the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare are exploring new ways to bring mental health care to Spanish-speaking...Read more about Research Feature: Expanding Access to Digital Mental Health Care for Spanish-Speaking Communities

Linda M. Burton, Emerita professor and former dean of the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare, will deliver the keynote address at the “Path to Freedom” program on February 28 in...Read more about Linda M. Burton to Deliver Keynote at “Path to Freedom” Program in Pennsylvania

A recent article in Mission Local on federal immigration enforcement in San Francisco includes commentary from Assistant Professor Kristina Lovato.

The story reports on the detention and deportation of a San...Read more about Impact of Deportation on Family Well-being Explored in Mission Local Story; Dr. Kristina Lovato Featured

The SHIFT Research Group has announced two new peer-reviewed publications advancing scholarship on parenting engagement and integrated school-based mental health systems....Read more about SHIFT Research Group Publishes New Studies on Parenting Engagement and School-Based Mental Health