Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health at BUSSW

10/26/2026

As Election Day approaches, we're launching our Civics & Social Work Series to highlight the role of social workers in civic engagement and policymaking.

Social worker perspectives are essential to advancing health equity and creating systems-level change. In an interview with Deloitte Health Forward, CISWH Director Dr. Tami Gouveia explains the role social workers can play at the policymaking table.

Read more: https://ciswh.bu.edu/news/social-workers-health-equity-deloitte-interview/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=organic_social&utm_campaign=civics_series

10/22/2026

What do social work workforce trends tell us about the future of the field?

At the 2026 The Network for Social Work Management Forward Thinking Summit, CISWH’s Dr. Tami Gouveia, Jadon Demeritte, and Debbie Stenoien presented findings on social work compensation, employment growth, and rising costs of living.

The CISWH team shared the importance of examining workforce trends alongside the larger systems influencing social work. Continued discussions around pay equity, workforce retention, and workforce development across the profession are important now more than ever as we work to protect and strengthen the social work profession.

Learn more: http://spr.ly/6180BHZggi

10/07/2026

10/20: Join us for the next Beyond 2025 Critical Conversation, “Social Work in Dangerous Times".

Tami Gouveia, CISWH director, will show social workers how system dynamics tools can help us understand the complex economic, societal, and financial factors impacting the profession and use this learning for broader mobilization.

Learn more and register: https://events.zoom.us/ev/Al-4EKJPsNH_DDfD9v5fOVHCXTrrh9y37uNu6O2cCEhSwsQlpKrM~At0LVcFq-RYIvdRRpmJ1lkLHup_iCOTvgyGgUqTRwxj5VIr5_mca1AVghaNOzC2bj4B7RwxBdx3K8nNxRMMDomCZ6A

10/01/2026

In a new peer-reviewed primer for Pediatric Clinics of North America, Meg Comeau, CISWH senior project director, offers a comprehensive look at health care financing for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN).

CYSHCN and their families navigate a complex range of costs, and insurance design is key to access to care. Comeau and co-authors examine these challenges and share opportunities to better support children and families.

Learn more: https://ciswh.bu.edu/news/health-care-financing-cyshcn/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=organic_social

09/30/2026

10/20: Join us for Social Work in Dangerous Times, a Beyond 2025 Critical Conversation. See how participatory system dynamics can illuminate the economic, societal, and financial factors impacting contemporary social work education, research, policymaking, leadership, and practice.

Register here: https://events.zoom.us/ev/Al-4EKJPsNH_DDfD9v5fOVHCXTrrh9y37uNu6O2cCEhSwsQlpKrM~At0LVcFq-RYIvdRRpmJ1lkLHup_iCOTvgyGgUqTRwxj5VIr5_mca1AVghaNOzC2bj4B7RwxBdx3K8nNxRMMDomCZ6A

09/11/2026

How can we strengthen home and community-based care for children with medical complexity?

CISWH Senior Project Director Meg Comeau joined the Complex Care Journal Club Podcast to discuss gaps in access to care and how research, advocacy, and national collaboration can help better support children and their families.

Listen and learn more: http://spr.ly/6189BGMfn9

09/03/2026

Welcome back, BU students!

As classes begin, we’re excited to welcome new and returning students and highlight some of the students and fellows who have been part of CISWH. Learn more about their experiences and explore their stories at the link in our bio.

09/02/2026

Systems thinking is key to understanding complex situations. To uncover the interconnected challenges social workers face, it is vital.

CISWH Director Dr. Tami Gouveia recently presented the Beyond Defense Causal Loop Diagram, mapping how forces across policy, professional identity, higher education, workforce development, and community needs interact to shape the profession.

Learn more:

Learn how CISWH Director Dr. Tami Gouveia's Beyond Defense Causal Loop Diagram uses systems thinking to examine the future of social work.

09/01/2026

Medicaid policy is not easy to understand for most, and especially when it relates to care for children and youth with special health care needs.

CISWH’s new EPSDT Policy Explainer Series translates complex federal guidance into practical resources for state partners, Title V programs, and family leaders to help strengthen access to care for this important population,

Explore the series:

A new EPSDT policy explainer series helps state partners navigate Medicaid requirements and strengthen access to care for CYSHCN.

08/31/2026

A new editorial in the journal, Social Work, shares early insights from CISWH’s Beyond Defense summit, examining the complex forces shaping the profession today.

Co-authored by CISWH Director Dr. Tami Gouveia, Clinical Professor Emerita and CISWH Strategic Consultant Betty J. Ruth, BUSSW Dean Dr. Barbara Jones, BUSSW, and social work leaders from across the profession, the article highlights opportunities to strengthen social work’s collective voice and drive meaningful change.

Read more:

CISWH’s Beyond Defense Summit participants share insights on challenges facing social work & opportunities to strengthen the profession.