DSW Student Mojdeh Rohani Receives CSWE Minority Fellowship

Mojdeh Rohani, a second-year doctoral social work student, was recently awarded the Council of Social Work Education's (CSWE) Minority Fellowship.

The program is designed for individuals with career goals of providing leadership in practice, research, teaching, and policy promulgation in government and private organizations serving underrepresented and underserved persons with or at risk for mental health and/or substance abuse disorders.

"I am humbled and honored to receive the CSWE Minority Fellowship and look forward to learning from the rich and diverse experiences of my cohort. The breadth of topics and societal challenges we explore exemplifies the cohort's collective commitment to empowering minority communities and advancing equity and social justice," Rohani said.

As a doctoral student, Rohani is working on a capstone project focusing on the role of social work in holistic reconstruction in post-conflict settings with a focus on the intersection of mental health, peace building, and social development.

She also serves as the executive director at De Novo Center for Justice and Healing in Cambridge, Massachusetts, working with survivors of torture, war trauma, gender-based violence, and human trafficking, as well as a consultant and board member for various organizations, a current member of the Massachusetts Attorney General Immigrant Advisory Council, and the past chair of the Training and Education Group of the Africa Global Mental Health Institute.

Prior to her executive director role, Rohani was a lecturer at Boston University's School of Social Work and co-designed and directed the Building Refugee and Immigrant Degrees for Graduate Education program.

CSWE's fellowship program supports the mission of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to reduce the effects of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities by increasing the number of individuals who are trained to work with underrepresented and underserved persons with or at risk for mental health and/or substance abuse disorders.