PhD Faculty Research Interests

Interested in learning more about a particular PhD faculty member listed below? Click the name to view their individual profile page. However, please do not contact faculty directly during the application process.

Stephanie Boddie, PhD 
Fuller Family Endowed Chair for Social Justice
Associate Professor

• Faith, social innovation and entrepreneurship
• Faith-based social services and policies
• Asset-based development
• Race and psychology of difference
• Community-based participatory research

Brianna Lemmons, PhD 
Associate Professor

• Predictors Non-Resident Father Involvement
• The Role of Spirituality in Fathering
• Evaluation of Fatherhood Programs
• Effective Delivery of Research Related Curriculum Content in Social Work Programs
• Assessment, Outcomes, and Accreditation Processes in Social Work Education Programs

Jinyu Liu, PhD
Dorothy Barfield Kronzer Endowed Professor in Family Studies
Associate Professor

• Aging and health
• Mental health of older adults
• Stress of family caregivers
• Intergenerational relationships
• End-of-life care
• Gerontological social work practice

Elissa Madden, PhD
Professor

• Foster Care
• Adoption (Public and Domestic Private)
• Trauma and Child Maltreatment
• Permanency for Children in Foster Care
• Post-Secondary Education for Youth Who Have Aged Out of Care

Jocelyn Shealy McGee, PhD, LP 
Associate Professor

• Contemplative Science
• Culture and Diversity
• Positive Aging
• Human Flourishing
• Spiritual Diversity

Sung Seek Moon, PhD
Carl and Martha Lindner Endowed Chair for Global Studies
Professor

• Mental Health Among Racial Minority Groups
• Influence of Social Contexts and Environments
• Addictive Disorders
• Substance Abuse Prevention in Adolescents

Holly Oxhandler, PhD
Associate Dean for Research & Faculty Development
Professor

• Religion and Spirituality in Clinical Practice
• Mental Health
• Evidence-Based Practice Process
• Scale Development
• Mentoring and Professional Development

Edward C. Polson, PhD
Professor

• Civil Society
• Organizations
• Religion
• Diversity
• Civic Engagement

Rob Rogers, PhD
Associate Professor & PhD Program Co-Director

• Career Resilience of Leadership in Senior Living Communities
• Social Work and Long-Term Care
• Congregational Community Engagement
• Family Literacy
• Workforce Development

Laine Scales, PhD
Professor & PhD Program Co-Director

• Social Welfare History
• Settlement Houses (Historical and Contemporary)
• Baptists and Social Work (Historical)
• Doctoral Education as a Process for Formation

Jon Singletary, PhD
Professor & Diana R. Garland Endowed Chair of Child & Family Studies

• Strengthening Congregational Community Ministries
• Community Development
• Advocacy and Social Justice

Please Note: Dr. Singletary is currently on sabbatical until January 2027.

Ling Xu, PhD, LMSW
Danny & Lenn Prince Endowed Chair in Gerontology
Professor

• Dementia caregiving
• Aging and mental health
• Psychosocial interventions
• Community-engaged research
• Intergenerational relationships
• Immigrant or Asian American older adults

Gaynor Yancey, DSW
Director of the Center for Church & Community Impact (C3i)
Professor

• Congregational and Community Health
• Congregational-based Community Organizing & Community Development
• Religiously Affiliated Organizations
• Advocacy and Social Justice
• Social Welfare
• Policy

Qianwei Zhao, PhD
Associate Professor

• Criminal Justice
• Women and Children
• Health and Wellness
• Mental Health and Trauma
• Addictions and Substance Use
• Prisoner Reentry
• Causal Inferences

Please Note: Dr. Zhao is currently on research leave until January 2027.

Click here to learn more about all of the Garland School faculty.

Want to meet our current PhD students? Follow this link to learn more about them and their research interests.