Humanities & Society

Mark Rank, the Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare, won the 2026 Independent Press Award in the category of sociology for his book “The Random Factor: How Chance and Luck Profoundly Shape Our Lives and the World Around Us.” 

The Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis will fully fund practicum internship experiences and provide living stipends to students in its Master of Social Work program beginning in fall 2026, Dorian Traube, the Neidorff Family and Centene Corporation Dean of the Brown School, announced. 

Trish Kohl, a professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, has been selected as a 2026 fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.

Researchers from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis have released new findings from their evaluation of St. Louis’ Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Program, showing that regular, unrestricted cash payments significantly improved participants’ economic security, credit health and overall quality of life.

Cal J. Halvorsen, an associate professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, has received the Leadership Award from the Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work.

Millions of Americans rely on public assistance programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid to meet basic needs for food and health care. Yet a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis finds that the very systems designed to help are often the hardest to navigate — especially for the people who need them most.

Proscovia Nabunya, at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, has received a $5 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health toward efforts to streamline mental health treatment and HIV medication support for adolescents living with HIV in rural Uganda.

The Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis is deepening its engagement with the St. Louis community through a new initiative that connects university expertise with residents, community organizations and industry partners.

Michael Sherraden, the George Warren Brown Distinguished University Professor at WashU, has dedicated much of his research to asset building. His efforts helped lay the groundwork for a recent federal law to help children and families.