What roles do social workers play in primary health care? A new Ontario study takes a closer look 

A new study highlights the roles social workers play in supporting patients as key members of primary health care teams in Ontario — knowledge that can ultimately help optimize the quality of patient care.  

The research, led by University of Toronto professor Rachelle Ashcroft and published in BMC Primary Care, surveyed 159 social workers working in team based primary care settings across Ontario, including Family Health Teams, Community Health Centres, and Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics. The goal: to better understand social workers’ scope of practice, how they collaborate with other health professionals, and the key structures and processes that guide their work.  

Dr. Rachelle Ashcroft, shown here, welcoming participants to the National Summit on Social Work in Primary Care in October 2025, led a survey of primary care social workers in Ontario. the research was recently published in BMC Primary Care.

“Enhancing comprehensiveness of care is a key benefit of adding social workers to team-based primary care,” says Ashcroft, and Associate Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work . “With the expansion of interprofessional team-based care, the number of social workers in primary care is projected to increase substantively.”  

Rising demands for mental health care services as well as increasing social, environmental, and economic pressures that affect patient health (social determinants of health, such as housing and food insecurity, and employment) add to the complexity of care that is increasingly required.  

The study’s findings show that, in primary health care settings, providing mental health care is a core focus of social work practice. Nearly all respondents reported that they address mental health concerns daily through the delivery of assessments, counselling, and therapeutic interventions to patients across the lifespan.  

Beyond counselling, social workers also address a wide range of social and health-related challenges, including financial stress, housing insecurity, addiction, grief, chronic illness, parenting concerns, and social isolation. They conduct psychosocial assessments, help patients navigate health and social systems, connect people to community resources, and manage ongoing care for patients with complex needs. 

Social workers are highly collaborative with a range of different types of healthcare providers working in primary care teams. Many also collaborate with community-based professionals and services outside their teams, helping bridge gaps between health care and social services. 

At the same time, respondents pointed to system-level challenges. Many said current performance metrics used to assess their work focus mainly on counting patient visits, failing to capture the time spent on care coordination, documentation, and addressing the social complexity of patient needs. Nearly half reported that referral processes could be improved to increase access, and several noted long wait times for nonurgent care. 

The study underscores social workers’ role as vital contributors to comprehensive, team-based primary care. Based on the results of their survey, the authors recommend examining retention challenges and increasing the capacity for collaboration. They also stressed the need for primary health care teams to better understand how social workers deliver and evolve the complex care required to address the social and economic factors that affect patient health. The authors argue that involving social workers as leaders in shaping best practices and how care is organized will help patients receive more effective, accessible, and people-centred care. 

Read the full article “Enhancing comprehensive in primary care: results of a cross-sectional survey of primary care social workers in Ontario, Canada,” published in BMC Primary Care. 

Led by Associate Professor Rachelle Ashcroft, co-authors of this study include FIFSW alumni Simon Lam and Amina Hussain, PhD students Rumia Owaisi and Peter Sheffield, and Associate Professor Keith Adamson. Nele Feryn, Deepy Sur, Jennifer Rayner, Catherine Donnelly, and Judith Belle Brown are also co-authors.   

Citation: Ashcroft, R., Feryn, N., Lam, S. et al. Enhancing comprehensive in primary care: results of a cross-sectional survey of primary care social workers in Ontario, Canada. BMC Prim. Care27, 116 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-026-03226-4 

Related:

• Outcomes from the National Summit on Social Work in Primary Care
• Primary health care teams can help solve Canada’s health care crisis – and social work will play a key role
• Rachelle Ashcroft and co-authors publish “5 principles for action on primary health-care teams”

Documentary sponsored by MFARR-Asia highlights the complex journey towards family acceptance of same-sex marriage in Taiwan

This year, MFARR-Asia, a SSHRC Partnership led by Professor Peter A. Newman, has been working with Master of Science, Sustainability Management students at the University of Toronto. Under Professor Newman’s supervision, the students have been conducting multimedia research at the forefront of MFARR’s work on LGBTQ+ marriage equality and family acceptance in Taiwan — the first Asian jurisdiction to legalize same-sex marriage. FIFSW PhD alumni, Professor Desmond Chuang, at the Graduate Institute of Social Work at National Taiwan Normal University provided key support.

In February, the students — Valeria Widjaja, Jake Sajko, and Jordan Chang — presented their work to Yi-Peng Liang, the Director General of the Taipei Economic & Cultural Office, hosted at the Munk School. Widjaja was also honoured with a 2026 Student Award under Newman’s supervision from SDGs@UofT, an Institutional Strategic Initiative (ISI) created at U of T to catalyze research that advances United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainable Development Goal 10 (SDG10): Reduced Inequalities, and the promise to “leave no one behind” are among them.

The student researchers have also become filmmakers, creating a documentary to more broadly share the experiences of those who participated in their study and were among the first to engage in same-sex marriage in Taiwan. Professor Newman argues that sharing this research has become more critical than ever given the United States’ mass defunding of global programs supporting LGBTQI+ health equity and equality, and the promotion of homophobic and transphobic policies.

The documentary, After, Still. Navigating Same-Sex Marriage in Taiwan, will premier on April 15th at Imagine Cinemas Market Square in Toronto. The screening will be followed by a live Q&A with the researchers and filmmakers.

Write the researchers:

In 2019, Taiwan became the first jurisdiction in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage; today, it is changing the world order by advancing inclusion and human rights of LGBTQ+ individuals across the continent and beyond. But beyond the law, the journey toward acceptance continues in everyday life, especially within families and long-held cultural traditions. Our team travelled to Taiwan to document these lived experiences, capturing powerful personal stories of love, identity, and resilience.

We’re so excited to share these with you through the screening of our documentary After, Still: Navigating Same-Sex Marriage in Taiwan, exploring the intersections of family, culture, and LGBTQ+ selfhood. Through intimate narratives, the film sheds light on how concepts like filial piety and “saving face” shape relationships and acceptance within families.

Tickets to the documentary film screening are available through Eventbrite.

Learn how MFARR-Asia’s research on LGBTIQ inclusion in Asia is advancing human rights

Visit MFARR-Asia’s website.

The GLO app for 2SLGBTQI+ youth is up for a Webby Award and you can vote for it to win

GLO — an interactive app designed to support the mental health and wellbeing of queer youth — has been nominated for a Webby Award!

Created in partnership with It Gets Better Canada, Professor Shelley Craig developed the curriculum for the mobile-based app, drawing from her years of research dedicated to fostering the resilience of 2SLGBTQI+ youth. Craig is the Director of INQYR, The International Partnership for Queer Youth Resilience, and holds the Canada Research Chair in Sexual and Gender Minority Youth.

“Queer young people are under significant threat in the current political climate, but being online, even on social media, can offer a safe space where 2SLGBTQI+ youth build relationships and develop their identities,” says Craig. “With fewer and fewer offline safe spaces and safe people for them, harnessing the connectedness of online access and resources is needed more than ever.”

The international Webby Awards honours excellence on the internet. Members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite among the nominees. The GLO app is up for an award in the Education, Culture & Learning category.

Visit the Webby’s website to vote!

Learn more about the GLO app on FIFSW’s website.

Related:

The International Partnership for Queer Youth Resilience (INQYR) invites researchers, students, practitioners, community organizations, and young people to join INQYR Beyond Limits: The Conference 2026, October 2, 2026.

Call for proposals: Community partners, practitioners, students, academics, and scholars are invited to share work that challenges disciplinary, geographic, methodological, and institutional boundaries. Visit INQYR’s website to learn more about the conference and how to submit an abstract. Deadline: April 30, 2026

FIFSW field instructors honoured for their sustained and valuable contributions to the U of T community

The University of Toronto’s Arbor Awards recognize U of T volunteers who, through their exemplary generosity of time and talent, make sustained and valuable contributions to the U of T community. Each year the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work recognizes individuals who elevate and enrich our programs and initiatives.

FIFSW volunteers play a key role in helping us achieve our mission to educate ethical and skilled social work leaders and change-makers. We are so grateful for their sustained partnership and support.

This year, FIFSW was pleased to honour Elizabeth M. Creel and Danielle M. Grandmaison for their contributions to field education.

Left to right: Elizabeth Creal, Dean Charmaine Williams, and Danielle Grandmaison at the University of Toronto’s 2025 Arbor Awards reception

Elizabeth M. Creal

Liz has supported the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and its students for more than 30 years as a field instructor. At the Fred Victor Centre and Casey House, she guided Master of Social Work students in supporting marginalized populations, including people living with HIV and clients at the end of life, while fostering skills in healthcare navigation and interdisciplinary care planning. Her contributions exemplify the vital role of field instructors in the education and development of social work students.

Danielle M. Grandmaison

Danielle has been a valuable support for the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work since 1993. As a field instructor with the Community Health Centre, she has overseen nearly two-dozen Master of Social Work students over the years, providing them the valuable mentorship and hands-on work experience needed to succeed in their studies and careers. Danielle’s tireless volunteer efforts also extend to counselling other field instructors, thus greatly strengthening the program itself and the profession of social work.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: “INQYR Beyond Limits: The conference” invites work from community partners, practitioners, and students as well as academics and scholars

Social work students participate in Pain Week 2026

1 in 5 Canadians suffer from chronic pain and 5% will experience severe pain that leads to disability and difficulties with quality of life. Further, 50% of people attending pain clinics report moderate to severe depression and have higher risk for suicide. Social workers routinely support people experiencing chronic pain in various health and social service settings, though many feel unprepared to meet the complex needs of this diverse population.

Pain Week is a 3-day, 20-hour interprofessional curriculum where social work students learn and collaborate with students from different health disciplines (including Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and others) to understand the nature of pain and how to help people who struggle with it. The curriculum is based on the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) guidelines and is a part of the University of Toronto Interprofessional Education (IPE) Curriculum.

This year marks the third year that FIFSW is involved in Pain Week, with Professor Amar Ghelani leading the way as Pain Week coordinator for 2026. It has been exciting to see students from the Health & Mental Health and Gerontology fields of study participating in this interdisciplinary educational event. From March 2-4, students learned about the bio-psychosocial mechanisms, clinical complexity, social impact, and ethical issues related to pain assessment and management. Through virtual lectures, online modules, and in-person interprofessional activities, students explored topics such as opioid prescribing/risks, disability justice, gender inequities, supporting rural populations, interprofessional practice, mindfulness therapies, the latest in pain research, and more. The curriculum was delivered by clinicians, researchers, educators, and people with lived experience to over 1400 students in 9 different faculties.

On March 2, 170 FIFSW students attended a lecture from social workers Courtney Sas (St. Michaels Nephrology) and Miriam Blond (Holland Bloorview Get up and Go Kids Clinic), as well as a moving presentation by Paulette Caine, a person with living experience of chronic pain and kidney disease. These lectures, as well as the interprofessional case-based learning, taught students how to contribute to health teams while using systems-based and critical thinking skills to help individuals and families in need. A great benefit of FIFSW participating in Pain Week is that students from other programs across the U of T learned about the role of social work in supporting this vulnerable group.

In a follow up survey, students shared that they appreciated working with peers from other specialties and learning more about what they do while also exploring novel techniques such as mindfulness-based approaches for pain management. Some wished the learning was longer and most indicated that it helped increase their knowledge of chronic pain and skills in supporting affecting populations. Many students expressed that the involvement of service users and people with lived experience was particularly meaningful to their learning and has left them with a deeper understanding of how to support future clients in pain.

Interested in reading more about FIFSW students’ experiences with Pain Week? Take a look at this recent article: “A qualitative examination of social work students’ participation in an interprofessional pain curriculum symposium,” published by Rachelle Ashcroft, Peter Sheffield, Keith Adamson, David Burnes, Andie MacNeil and Nivetha Prabaharan in the journal Social Work Education.

By Amar Ghelani and Rachelle Ashcroft

Reimagining social work practice with The Queer Barber

After working in salons for a number of years, Master of Social Work student, E. S. Cuevas founded The Queer Barber, a hair studio “where people can show up exactly as they are, without apology or performance.” E (who uses all pronouns) is now pursuing a Master of Social Work degree with a goal of developing a practice that will bring the two professions — barber and social worker — together.  

We spoke to E about what inspires their work, how their social work education is influencing their practice as a barber and vice versa, and their vision for the future.  

When did you start cutting hair?

I started informally when I was very young and became licensed in 2016.  What began as a practical skill quickly became something much deeper. From the beginning, I was drawn to the one-on-one nature of hair cutting, the trust people place in you, the intimacy of the chair, the way conversations naturally unfold. Over time, I realized that hair cutting wasn’t just something I did — it was a way I connect with people.  

What inspired you to launch The Queer Barber?

The Queer Barber was born out of both necessity as well as a vision that I had for myself as a Black, Indigenous, Trans person. I experienced firsthand how unsafe, gendered and uncomfortable traditional hair cutting spaces can be, and I wanted to create a space where people didn’t have to explain themselves, where they didn’t have to brace for discomfort or shrink who they are just to get a haircut. At the same time, I saw how powerful the barber-client relationship could be when it was affirming. The Queer Barber was a way to intentionally design a space rooted in safety and rights, where identity is respected, pricing is gender neutral and people can just show up fully as themselves. 

[Read about The Queer Barber in BlogTO]

What were your experiences in traditional salons like in the past?

In my own experience, when I was exploring having short hair and asked for a short hair cut, the hair stylist tried talking me out of it, saying things like, no, don’t do that! You have such a beautiful face! It was just so uncomfortable, and not something that I wanted to hear. I didn’t want to be convinced or talked out of it. I just wanted to be accepted.

When did you decide to pursue a Master of Social Work degree?

After so many years behind the chair, I noticed that clients weren’t just coming in for haircuts, they were coming in to talk, to process, to feel seen. I found myself listening and supporting people through transitions and grief and identity. Pursuing Social Work felt like a natural extension of what I was already doing, but with ethical grounding, theory, and the skills to do it more intentionally and responsibly. I wanted language and structure and accountability for the kind of work I was already practicing informally.

Has your social work education been influencing your work as a barber and vice versa?

My social work education is deepening in my understanding of things like boundaries and consent and power and ethics. It’s made me more attuned to how identity and trauma shape people’s experiences, and I’m more intentional in how I listen and respond. At the same time, barbering has shaped how I show up as a social work student. It’s taught me how to build rapport quickly, how to meet people where they are, and how to practice presence without needing to fix anything. The chair has been one of my greatest teachers in relational work. 

What’s your vision for how you’d like to bring the professions of barber and social worker together? What might that look like?

As an MSW student whose work is informed by social work education, I see hair cutting and social work as being complementary, rather than separate, even though they’re both very distinct with different scopes. I envision having a space where, everyday practices, like hair cutting coexist with intentional wellness programming. My vision is to create a space called The Queer Wellness Co., where one can get everything they need in gender affirming care. You could go in for gender affirming hair cutting or gender affirming esthetics. You could go there for therapy and support informed by trauma-informed, anti-oppressive social work principles. My partner is going to go to school to become a nurse practitioner once I’m done with school. After that, she’ll step in to support the medical side of gender affirming care. It’s a big vision, and I’m super excited about it. I hope I’m not dreaming too big! 

Starting in April, The Queer Barber, in partnership with Understory Cafe, will be launching a monthly community workshop rooted in social work principles and lived experience. The first session of the workshop will focus on self-advocacy in health care and personal care spaces. The goal of these workshops is to equip people with the language and the confidence and the tools to advocate for themselves in spaces that can often feel intimidating and inaccessible. Information will be posted on The Queer Barber website for those interested in learning more and registering.

Your work challenges notions of what social work looks like and where social work expertise and support can be found. What advice do you have for your fellow students or others working in the field, who are thinking of different ways they might apply their skills to reach diverse communities?

Social work is just so flexible and adaptable and versatile; it doesn’t only live in offices or clinical settings. Our skills of listening, advocacy, relationship building and critical thinking can be applied everywhere. Community care often happens in informal spaces like salons, barber shops, cafes, and creative spaces. The key is grounding your work and ethics and humility and accountability while staying open to imagining new ways of reaching people. There’s real room in social work for innovation, especially when it’s rooted in community needs. 

Photo, top, by Fareen Karim

Read more student news

Dementia research must include voices of those with lived experience

A new Canadian study has found that people living with dementia (PLWD) are often excluded from research due to assumptions of incapacity and variations in institutional processes. The authors argue that with rights-based, supported approaches, PLWD can participate meaningfully in decisions that affect their lives.

“To ignore the PLWD from research is to exclude a critical piece of information that may affect research outcomes,” says Jim Mann, an advocate living with dementia and co-researcher in the study.

The study, based on interviews with dementia researchers across Canada, reveals how a range of research processes such as funding, ethics approval, participant recruitment and forms of involvement often err on the side of protectionism, inadvertently silencing the voices of those most affected. The study’s authors call for standardized, rights-based guidance across Canadian institutions to support the meaningful inclusion of PLWD.

“Our findings show that exclusion is rarely inevitable; it is designed into systems and thus, can also be redesigned through intentional, inclusive and rights-based approaches,” says Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work Professor Amanda Grenier of the Institute for Life Course Studies at the University of Toronto. “Inclusion is not just ethical; it is a legal and human rights imperative under frameworks like the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.”

The team offers six actionable recommendations for Canadian research institutions, including:

• studying the effects of excluding PLWD on research quality and participant wellbeing;
• revising research processes to reflect supported decision-making and ongoing consent;
• developing guidelines to facilitate participation compliant with Canadian laws;
• offering a range of research roles that recognize and include PLWD;
• applying equity, diversity, and inclusion frameworks to achieve comprehensive inclusion; and
• educating ethics boards, institutions, and emerging researchers on dementia, consent, and human rights to ensure full and meaningful participation of PLWD.

Strategies for inclusion identified by the study’s authors include involvement in capacities such as co-design, advisory committees, flexible and supportive consent procedures, and relationship-building with participants and care providers. By adopting flexible and creative research practices, and treating consent as a supported ongoing conversation, investigators can ensure that the insights gathered reflect the knowledge and insights of PLWD as well as needs that fluctuate over time.

The study’s authors argue that by implementing the recommendations Canadian research institutions can ensure that people living with dementia are recognized as meaningful contributors, while also reducing institutional risk and enhancing the relevance and quality of dementia research. This is best summed up by one of the researchers interviewed for the study, who said: “There’s a huge practice gap that needs to change”

Select quotes from Canadian dementia researchers who participated in the study

“I realized…staff were always wanting to put the most able residents into the program. So, there was that auto exclusion […] this idea that people who had more advanced symptoms…wouldn’t enjoy it or wouldn’t be able to participate.”

“Ethics boards and ethics reviewers are wanting to be very protective. They run under a risk model. Minimize, risk, protect, protect, protect…. [In] community driven research, we respect the fact that people live at risk. People can choose to have risk. That’s their right, that’s their choice.”

“It’s really important that research is grounded in [lived] experience…and the troubling issues for them [PLWD]. That should feed into decision-making about what we’re going to do and what type of outcomes we’re going to look at in a study”, noted another researcher.

Grenier A, O’Connor D, Tamblyn Watts L, et al. Consent and Meaningful Inclusion of People Living with Dementia: Insights from Canadian Dementia Researchers. Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement. Published online 2026:1-12. doi:10.1017/S0714980825100470

Amanda Grenier joined the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work in July 2019 as the Norman and Honey Schipper Chair in Gerontological Social Work. She is also appointed to Baycrest Hospital. Previously she was a Professor in Health, Aging and Society, the Gilbrea Chair in Aging & Mental Health, and the Director of the Gilbrea Centre at McMaster University. Prior to that she was a Faculty member in the McGill School of Social Work.

Giving for Change, by the Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain, highlights how strategic giving influences policy, transforms communities, and fosters lasting social progress

Margaret McCain’s new book, Giving for Change: How Philanthropy Shapes Early Education, takes readers on a compelling journey through the history of the landmark Early Years Study – Reversing the Real Brain Drain and follows its impact all the way to the creation of Canada’s first national universal childcare and early childhood education system. “The Early Years Study provided the scientific rationale for investing in young children,” she reminds us. 

The book illuminates how McCain’s lifelong commitment to securing children’s futures has been powered and deepened by strategic philanthropic support. “I have always believed that investing in children is one of the most powerful ways to shape the future,” she states. 

Punctuated by lively, behind-the-scenes accounts of how policy becomes reality, this is a must-read for policymakers, educators, social workers, and philanthropists alike. 

Ramona Alaggia, Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Chair in Child and Family (current)  

Faye Mishna, Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Chair in Child and Family (former) 

The book Giving for Change is available for free in PDF format 

Watch: Giving for Change: How Philanthropy Shapes Early Education Policy 

Learn how the Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain secured policy change and widespread support for early childhood education through research, universities partnerships, education and outreach backed by the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation. The video above provides an overview of McCain’s new book, Giving for Change. 

Download Giving for Change in PDF format 

About The Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Chair in Child and Family 

Margaret and Wallace McCain, one of Canada’s most notable and magnanimous couples, have contributed countless hours and millions of dollars to philanthropic causes. Known for his business leadership and entrepreneurial success, Wallace McCain (1930-2011), co-founded McCain Foods Limited in 1956. The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain was the first female Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick and is well known for her advocacy for healthy child development and child welfare. Together with her husband, Wallace and their four children, she founded the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation to promote the best possible early childhood for all of Canada’s children. A committed alumna of the Faculty, McCain has served as an honorary chair of the Boundless campaign, honorary chair of the Factor-InwentashFaculty of Social Work campaign, and on the Boundless campaign executive closing committee, as well as many, many other advisory boards and committees. 

In 1998, Margaret and Wallace McCain generously established the Margaret and Wallace McCain Chair in Child and Family at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. The Chair provides leadership in the area of child and family studies for the Faculty. The Chair focuses on research to analyze and determine the effectiveness of prevention and intervention programs targeting high-risk children and families.  

Past news posts about the Honorable Margaret Norrie McCain 

• Margaret McCain’s research and advocacy have helped pave the way for affordable child care across Canada 

• Early childhood advocate and philanthropist Margaret McCain recognized with the Rose Wolfe Distinguished Alumni Award 

• A historic turning point: Thanks to your efforts, a Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system has received support in this year’s federal budget 

Black History Month 2026: Celebrating Black History and Liberation 

FIFSW events 

FIFSW Alumni Association Lecture Series: Black History Month events 

Featured presenter 

Renata Hall is a PhD candidate, published Black feminist scholar, Woman of Distinction 2022 Awardee, President’s Award for Outstanding Individual Service Awardee, co-creator of the Learning in Colour digital platform, and former Inclusion and Anti-Racism Education Manager at McMaster University. Now situated as an anti-racist educational consultant at the University of British Columbia, Renata lives all things social justice through her counseling, teaching, and research pursuits. She loves building community connections, challenging marginalization and the status quo.

Session I: Combatting Racial Trauma and Burnout with Afrofuturistic Radical Dreaming 

February 23, 2026
6:30 to 8:00pm
Register for Combatting Racial Trauma and Burnout with Afrofuturistic Radical Dreaming
This event is open to all Black identifying persons 

This interactive session examines some of the barriers faced by people of African descent. From structural challenges to personal obstacles, we have all encountered moments that tested our strength. Together, we will create a space to learn from one another, to envision possibilities beyond the limits placed on us, and to explore strategies that replenish our spirit, affirm our identity, and ignite our capacity to rise. This is a moment to reconnect with our power, celebrate our resilience, and chart pathways toward collective growth and fulfillment. 

Session II: Addressing Historical Inequities: The Role of Allies in Advancing Collective Change 

March 2, 2026
6:30 to 8:00pm
Register for Addressing Historial Indequites
This session is open to all allies of the Black community 

This interactive session invites Allies into a purposeful exploration of their role in advancing equity and belonging for people of African descent. Building on an understanding of the structural and lived barriers faced by African Canadians, this workshop moves beyond intention to impact. Participants will reflect on power, privilege, and accountability, examine how systems are sustained or disrupted through everyday actions, and learn how to show up with humility, courage, and consistency. 

Student event: Black Futures in Social Work: Fireside Chat 

February 24, 2026
5:00 to 7:00pm 

FIFSW is hosting gathering designed to bring together Black social work students and faculty at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. This relaxed community event will feature brief remarks, meaningful conversation, and a catered meal from a local Black-owned business. 

The fireside chat will feature a panel including Professor and Dean Charmaine Williams, Professor Tanya Sharpe, Professor Keith Adamson, and Asante Haughton (MSW student), who will share reflections on Black futures in social work, followed by an open, informal discussion.   

A light dinner will be provided. Registration is required. A registration link and more information about this event was sent to all students. Questions? Email fifsw.dean@utoronto.ca. 

All students and faculty are welcome to attend this opportunity to connect and build community, bringing together Black social work students and faculty and those joining us in honoring Black excellence. 

University of Toronto events 

View a list of all events planned across U of T that recognize and honour Black History via U of T’s Black History 365 Calendar.  

Black History Month Luncheon 

February 26, 2026
11:30am to 2:00pm
Hart House, 7 Hart House Circle, Great Hall
Learn more and register for the Black History Month Luncheon 

2026 marks year 24 of the University of Toronto’s Annual Black History Month Luncheon, organized and sponsored by the Division of University Advancement and supported by Hart House, the luncheon is a staple celebration and recognition event within the University community that has grown in stature, scope and reach over its many years. As the capstone event to the month long Black History Month activities across the campus and broader community, the luncheon serves as an opportunity to celebrate and recognize black excellence and achievement past, present and future. The event is presented in a welcoming and inclusive environment where stories are shared, lived experience is amplified and diverse community engagement is encouraged. 

In case you missed it: Watch “Africentric Social Work,”with Dr. WandaThomasBernard

In a 2014 lecture entitled Racism is Killing Us Softly, Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard stated, “We need to lead the change. I want change yesterday, not 10 years from now.” Ten years later, in this 2024 Distinguished Lecture, Dr. Bernard explores how Africentricsocial work in Canada moved from the margins to the center to create opportunities for systemic change. Using lessons from the field, she highlights transformative practices rooted in Africentricity in her work with families and communities.  

This lecture, presented in 2024, was part of the FIFSW Alumni Association Distinguished Speaker Series. Watch it now on YouTube.

Black Faculty making history: recent news & outreach

Listen to Assistant Professor Harry Owen Taylor on The Curiosity Podcast 

Assistant Professor Harry Taylor was recently a guest on The Curiosity Project Podcast, for an episode titled “Is Social Isolation as Dangerous as Smoking?” The interview focused on Taylor’s 2023 publication “The State of Loneliness and Social Isolation Research: Current Knowledge and Future Directions.” 

Taylor joined FIFSW as an assistant professor in 2021. His research addresses the prevalence, risk factors, and associative health outcomes of social isolation and loneliness among older adult Black Americans. 

Find the episode whereever you listen to podcasts, or listen and watch the interview via YouTube. 

Read our Q&A with Dr. Harry Taylor.

Follow Professor Tanya Sharpe on instagram

Professor Tanya Sharpe has recently been sharing insight and advice as a Black woman scholar through a series of reels on instagram. Her videos include advice for Black scholars and Black women in the academy. She also speaks about joy as resistance, the power of imagination in research, tools for staying grounded, and insights from her work for and with Black survivors who have lost loved ones to homicide.  Sharpe is the founder and director of the Centre for Research & Innovation for Black Survivors of Homicide Victims (The CRIB) and holds the Endowed Chair in Social Work in the Global Community at FIFSW.

Follow Dr. Sharpe at @drtanyasharpe on Instagram! 

Read our recent news stories featuring Dr. Tanya Sharpe.

 

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A post shared by Tanya L Sharpe, MSW, PhD (@drtanyasharpe)

Inspiring the next generation of learners and leaders

In 2024, FIFSW Dean & Professor Charmaine Williams was featured in a CBC News article and segment on four Black academic leaders at the University of Toronto.

“I certainly think representation matters. I think that it’s important not only for Black students but for other students who don’t see people like them in this space to see us representing that possibility,” Williams told the CBC. Read the full article and watch the segment on CBC’s website.

Williams was appointed Dean of FIFSW in 2023, after serving for a year as Interim Dean. Her research bridges practice and access and equity issues that affect various populations including racial minority women, LGBTQ individuals in a local and international context, and individuals and families affected by serious and persistent mental illnesses. She has also been involved in organizational change initiatives in the health care sector and has extensive experience developing and delivering professional education in the areas of anti-racism, cultural competence, mental health and addictions. Recent activities include serving on the expert panel for the Mental Health of Black Canadians Initiative at the Public Health Agency of Canada and serving on the Anti-Racism Advisory Panel that developed the Toronto Police Service’s race-based data collection policy.

Read more recent news featuring Dr. Charmaine Williams.

Redefining Primary health care and social work education

MSW Director and Associate Professor Keith Adamson helped lead a summit in the fall of 2025 that brought together social work clinicians, researchers, teachers, and policy makers from across the country advanced a strategy to redefine primary health care with social work among the essential contributors. Adamson and his fellow summit organizers aim to contribute to a Canada-wide strategy for primary health care  involving multiple disciplines. Adamson is also working with the Council of Social Work Education  to develop a new guide on involving services users in social work education.

Adamson’s research seeks to explore innovative pedagogical approaches to interprofessional education and practice, research that explores new roles for social work within a changing healthcare system, as well as research that explores how compassionate care and empathy can be enhanced in social work education through collaboration with service users,  clients and their families.

Read more recent news featuring Dr. Keith Adamson.