On Monday, September 15, 2025, SIG welcomed our incoming class of students, who will spend the year working with faculty and researchers on numerous projects. The 14 students, one of whom is returning from last year, come from a wide range of academic backgrounds, including technology, creative writing, harm reduction, philosophy, and more. Over the course of the full-day training, the students got to hear from much of the SIG leadership, and learned from presentations about WINGS, gAyI, P3, the Center for Advancing Community Strengths and Social Wellbeing in Uzbekistan, the AI for Social Good and Society initiative, and more.
“I'm really looking forward to being part of developing implementations for WINGS+++ and working with PrEP for WINGS. All this work is near and dear to my heart, and all the faculty involved are the most supportive mentors a student could ask for,” said MSW student Shimeko Philippov.
While most of the students are pursuing degrees in social work, some are working toward dual degrees with the School of International and Public Affairs. They will be working on projects addressing their varied interests, including healthcare equity, human sexuality, violent systems and incarceration, reducing stigma, and centering community knowledge. During their time at SIG, they’ll be able to develop their research skills, expand their knowledge of social work and interdisciplinary intervention development and implementation, and make connections throughout their fields that they can use as their careers progress.
Dr. Dawn Goddard-Eckrich, Associate Director of SIG and student supervisor, said, “Our diverse student researchers this academic year bring essential perspectives that strengthen our research approach and enhance the overall quality of our work. Through their hands-on engagement in community-centered research and implementation science, they develop the cultural competence and methodological rigor needed to effectively serve populations most affected by health and social disparities. This training prepares them to become future scientists who will lead equitable, sustainable, and evidence-based solutions for underserved communities worldwide throughout their careers.”
The students joining SIG this year are:
Emily Carchia, a dual degree MSW/MPA student with a focus on international economics, social welfare and immigration.
McKynzie Nichole Clark, a graduate student at Columbia School of Social Work with policy and clinical concentrations who hopes to leverage her experience in advocacy, research, and policy to support human-centered systems change.
Kacey-Ann Cockett, an MSW student and a research assistant at SIG who's focused on violence against women within immigrant populations, and developing and adapting culturally responsive interventions among the Caribbean diaspora.
Ethan Freedman, an MSW student specializing in Leadership, Management, and Entrepreneurship while researching how technology, human sexuality, education, and informational technologies like artificial intelligence intersect to affect health and wellbeing.
Kali Kilpatrick, an MSW student with a background in both psychological and clinical research who will be working on the P3 study.
Yitao Liu, a second-year MSW student on the Advanced Clinical Practice track who will be working with the TechMPower and HEAL-WNY projects.
Greiby Janáky Medina, a biocultural cartographer and ethnographer of continuance and an MSW student working with the UNICEF-partnered Uzbekistan Center under Dr. Lyudmila Kim.
Austin Nelson, a second-year social work student who is working on the Perceptions of Housing Placement (PHP) study, a research partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice.
Shimeko Philippov, a second-year MSW student who is specializing in policy practice with a background in harm reduction and prior study of the criminal legal system.
Chris Ramirez, a second-year MSW student specializing in Leadership, Management, and Entrepreneurship for Social Justice who will be working with the Center for Advancing Community Strengths and Social Wellbeing.
Bineta Sarr, an MSW student focused on building her skills in health policy, program evaluation, and evidence-based research to make real change.
Ziyu Wang, an MSW student who is passionate about community advocacy and inclusive social policies.
Sofia Claudia Zografos