Athens, Ga. – Dione King, a Ph.D. student in the School of Social Work, was one of five students from across the country awarded the2010-2011 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Fellowship through the Council on Social Work Education’sMinority Fellowship Program. The fellows were selected for their commitment to excellence in mental health and substance abuse services that will improve the social well-being of minority communities.
“Professionally, it is a tremendous honor to be selected for the CSWE Minority Fellowship Program,” King said. “I am honored to have the opportunity to gain additional training and research that can positively impact my community.”
The fellowship provides mentorship, training and support to ethnic minorities in social work to complete a doctoral degree and pursue leadership roles in mental health research and mental health services.Recipients have already completed a master’s degree and are expected to generate research that adds to social work scholarship related to mental health and substance abuse issues.
“After completing my Ph.D., I plan to pursue a career in academia where I can utilize my research and teaching skills to train new social workers and make strong contributions to enhancing the social work knowledge base,” King said.
The fellowships are funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Other fellows hail from the University of Washington, Portland State University, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras and Columbia University.
King grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and received her bachelor’s degree from Spelman College in Atlanta. She recently received her M.S.W. at the University of Georgia. King’s dissertation research focuses on aggressive and violent behaviors of adolescent females in dating relationships.
CSWE is the sole national accrediting agency for social work education in North America.