The head and the heart

As the University of Louisville Kent School of Social Work and Family Science celebrates its 90th anniversary year serving the campus, city, commonwealth and beyond, today’s generation of social workers face a fiercely challenging landscape according to state and national sources.

A lingering post-pandemic 30% increase in global prevalence of anxiety and depression. A Kentucky child-abuse rate nearly double the national average. 73.1 million Americans turning 65 and older by 2030, resulting in urgent demand for gerontological social services and workers. And a reported 79% of working-age adults in the U.S. feeling very or moderately stressed due to inflation, economic inequality and the high cost of living.

Yet despite these sobering statistics, Kent School Dean John Miller is proud to note that UofL’s school of social work is experiencing record enrollment for its bachelor of science in social work program, aligning with UofL’s record enrollment in 2025-2026. “Social work has done what we’ve always done – fill the gaps,” Miller said. “We are that presence everywhere. Whether it be the most rural community or the most metropolitan community, social work is alive and well.”

According to Miller, social work continues to attract empathetic and steadfast individuals who want to be difference makers. “Kent School’s influence is absolutely touching the lives of every level of social work from individual micro level to community macro level,” he said.

Offering numerous specializations and career paths from marriage and family therapy to oncology social work, child welfare, research or community organizing, Kent School offers a wide avenue to find a niche and advance in social work through any of its five degree programs.

Reach through research

Kent School is the top-rated social work school in the state and ranks in the top 50 social work programs in the country, offering a bachelor of social work, master of science in social work, master of science in couple and family therapy, doctor of social work and doctor of philosophy in social work.

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Anita Barbee ’01, Kent School’s PhD program director, said that through Kent School’s Center for Family and Community Well-Being, the school has generated an impressive research portfolio of about $30 million through 25 tenured and tenure-track faculty who conduct research, contributing to a notable national reputation for collaboration and connection.

“It’s not ‘ivory tower’ research,” Barbee said, “but results in the development of programs that directly reach individuals, build capacity in social service, health and educational organizations to achieve positive outcomes and conduct community-based research and evaluation to show what practices and interventions work, for whom and in what contexts.”

Barbee said in these challenging times, faculty are educating the next generation of social workers to have the ability to pivot to make sure the needs of people are met after executive orders and changes in funding to social services, education and healthcare.

"Social workers remind us that in a just world, we look after one another to ensure needs are met, rights are protected and opportunities are available and accessible to achieve and enhance individual, family and community well-being." BIBHUTI SAR

Scholars and servants

“I view social workers as the conscience of the community,” said Bibhuti Sar, a UofL social work professor of 32 years whose special research interest is immigrants and refugees.

“Social workers remind us that in a just world, we look after one another to ensure needs are met, rights are protected and opportunities are available and accessible to achieve and enhance individual, family and community well-being,” Sar said.

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Professor Martin Hall ’04, born and raised in Eastern Kentucky, drew inspiration to pursue social work from witnessing the opioid epidemic take root in his community. Hall, who has been at UofL for 15 years, worked closely with addiction treatment providers, child welfare workers and people in long-term recovery from substance use disorders as part of a 2013 research grant. Through this partnership, they were able to build an ongoing evidence base that led to expansion into nine other states for further study.

Hall said this is just one example of the widespread adoption of evidence-based practice, one of the most significant changes in social work education in the last 30 years. “Every student who graduates from the Kent School will take classes that focus on understanding and intervening in problems at each level, from the individual to the community to the policies we all live under.”

Since joining Kent School, Hall has seen faculty apply these same rigorous methods to the study of acculturation, adverse childhood experiences, autism, child wellbeing, dementia, fatherhood, HIV, human trafficking, incarceration, suicide and more.

For Professor Heehyul Moon, “What makes social work distinctive is that combination of head and heart. We are trained in evidence-based practice, research and policy, but also in understanding people, families, communities and the systems and resources that shape their lives,” she said. “We focus on building resilience – the capacity not just to endure hardship, but to grow stronger through it.”

Wearing many hats

Helping clients marshal strength through adversity is a familiar concept to Emily Watts, Kent School professor and coordinator of the state child welfare training program known as CWPREP. With Kentucky’s fourth-highest abuse rate and fifth-worst poverty rate in the U.S., CWPREP students learn that poverty is the strongest predictor of involvement in child welfare, said Watts. “While separating abuse and neglect from poverty, students need to learn to think, make decisions and take ethical and family-centered action on child safety, while minimizing trauma and building relationships and support networks for long-term family stability,” she said. “Social workers excel at change processes and should be leading the charge for a rising tide to lift all boats.”

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Mentor. Guide. Facilitator. Mediator. Researcher. Educator. Collaborator. Advocate. Ka’Lynn Johnson ’26, a first-generation alumna and CWPREP student, said her training has prepared her to wear many hats while serving families with both accountability and compassion.

“I have seen how one dedicated social worker can shift the trajectory just by simply showing compassion, consistency and advocacy,” she said.

For Johnson, growing up around individuals impacted by the child welfare system shaped her desire to be someone who leads with understanding rather than judgment. “Social work reflects my personal mission to create stability and opportunity for families who may feel unheard or unsupported,” she said. “My passion allows me to turn my experiences, education and leadership into meaningful action.”

Bobby Cortes ’15, who has walked a path from first-generation Kent School alum to child agency worker to Kent School staffer shaping the careers of future social workers, said something he carries throughout is the knowledge of the “profound impact one person can have on another’s life trajectory.” 

“We are mentors, advocates, social justice champions and partners in problem solving,” he said. “Every person carries inherent value, autonomy and unique lived experiences. Being seen and heard without judgment is powerful.”

Kent School’s anniversary gala at the Speed Art Museum in March gave the school a well-earned salute and toast to 90 years of impact in teaching, research and service, Miller said.

“Social work is like superhero work. If you’re that person that says, ‘I don’t want to just talk about changing the world, I actually want to jump in and do it,’ this is for you. Join us – because we’re not done yet.