Social Work PhD Graduate Receives GADE Award for Research

The Ohio State University College of Social Work is pleased to announce that the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education (GADE) has selected Dr. Natasha Mendoza, 2009 spring PhD graduate, as the first recipient of its newly established GADE Student Award for Research. GADE will formally recognize Mendoza at the Society for Social Work Research (SSWR) Annual Conference, January 14-17, 2010, in San Francisco.

“Dr. Mendoza’s research was highly rated by all members of the awards committee and clearly exemplified innovation, contribution to knowledge, likelihood of improving services, and scientific rigor,” wrote Mary Collins, chair of the GADE Student Awards Committee.

Having received a number of other awards, including both Merriss Cornell awards and the Fahs-Beck Doctoral Dissertation Grant, Mendoza said, “This award is by far the most significant honor I have ever received. What does it mean to me? It means that all of my tears were well worth it. It means that I am a worthy researcher and that my work is valid. I am endlessly grateful.”

Mendoza said she  owes the award to all of the people who helped her: her committee:  Tom Gregoire, Scottye Cash, Celeste Burke, Denise Bronson; Deborah Hahs-Vaugn, and Roderick Rose. She also extended a special thanks to Bill Meezan, dean (2005-09) and Theresa Early, PhD program director for being so supportive.

Mendoza’s dissertation--Single Mothers, Substance Misuse, and Child Well-being: Examining the Effects of Family Structure and Service Provision in the Child Welfare System--researches the connection between child well-being, child welfare services, and the influence of family structure (single mother v. supported mother) and substance abuse. Mendoza is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Research Institute on Addictions at the University of Buffalo, SUNY.