Ball, Nam named SSWR fellows

By Matthew Biddle

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Annahita Ball, PhD, and Yunju Nam, PhD, associate professors in the University at Buffalo School of Social Work, have been named fellows by the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR).

The fellowship honors scholars who advance, disseminate and translate research that addresses issues of social work practice and policy and promotes a diverse, equitable and just society. Fellows serve as role models for emerging researchers as they advance SSWR’s mission throughout their careers.

Ball and Nam will be inducted as fellows at SSWR’s annual conference from Jan. 14-18 in Washington, D.C. Both UB scholars are also among more than 25 UB School of Social Work faculty, doctoral students and recent graduates who will present their work throughout the conference.

“Induction as SSWR fellows is a testament to the positive impact that Drs. Ball and Nam make on systems and individuals through their research,” says Keith A. Alford, dean of the School of Social Work. “Social work — and social work research — is vital, now more than ever. Drs. Ball and Nam have advanced educational justice and language access, respectively, across our community, and we’re thrilled that SSWR will recognize their efforts with this prestigious honor.”

An expert on school social work and school-based mental health services, Ball joined UB in 2014. Her research focuses on how schools, families and communities can partner to provide innovative and meaningful services that foster positive youth development and promote equity in education.

Most recently, Ball was the co-principal investigator on a $3.59 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to create an MSW student fellowship program that would increase the number of school social workers in four rural communities. She is also working on a project to design an intervention that would help parents collectively advocate for their children’s needs in schools.

The author of more than 40 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, Ball serves on the steering committee for the Erie County SMART (Supporting Mental Health by Advocating for Resources Together) Collaborative and is co-chair of the national Mental Health Education Integration Consortium. She was honored with the Higher Education Professional Impact and Leadership Award at the SMART Collaborative’s Youth Mental Health Summit last fall.

Ball earned her PhD and MSW from The Ohio State University.

Since joining UB in 2010, Nam has focused her research on economic inequality and social policies, particularly for disadvantaged populations. Through more than 60 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, Nam has studied how institutional barriers, discrimination, social networks and community resources can help — or hinder — low-income families, immigrants and refugees, and racial and ethnic minority groups as they build assets.

Nam is an internationally recognized expert on language access for individuals with limited English proficiency. As a policy fellow at the local think tank Partnership for the Public Good (PPG), Nam served on the Language Access Group, contributing her expertise to the language access law that passed in Erie County in 2024. PPG honored Nam with its first-ever Activist Scholar award for her advocacy and impact.

At the federal level, Nam testified on language access before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in 2025. Previously, she had consulted with the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services on immigrant access to financial services in the U.S.

Nam holds an MSW from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA and PhD from the University of Michigan. 

Matthew Biddle
Director of Communications and Marketing
School of Social Work
Tel: 716-645-1226
mrbiddle@buffalo.edu