Faculty Leaders and Research Affiliates


Centre Directors

Faculty Research Interests
Sarah Dow-FleisnerDr. Sarah Dow-Fleisner is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna, BC and Director of the CSSCF.

Her work focuses on the pathways to positive adaptation for children and families experiencing adversity, in particular for those involved with the child welfare system. In particular, her work is aimed identifying protective factors that promote resilience among vulnerable populations, including factors related to individual differences, supportive family relationships (e.g. siblings), and the services provided.

Dr. Dow-Fleisner earned a PhD in social work from Boston College, a MA in child development with a clinical developmental psychology focus from Tufts University, and an honors BA in psychology and a BSc in Child Development from Colby-Sawyer College.
Barbara LeeDr. Barbara Lee is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC and Director of the CSSCF.

She was the 2016 recipient of the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) Transforming Child Welfare Dissertation Award for her research entitled “Examining child welfare outcomes for Asian-Canadian children and families: A mixed methods study”. Her research interests include racial disparities and racial disproportionality in child welfare and social services, cross-cultural social work, evidence-informed policies and practices, and the use of simulation in social work education and training in working with children, youth, and families.

Dr. Lee earned a PhD and MSW from the University of Toronto, a BSW from the University of Victoria and a BA in psychology from Queen's University.

 

Founding Centre Director

Faculty Emerita Research Interests
Susan J. WellsDr. Susan J. Wells is a Professor Emerita in Psychology and Social Work at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna, BC and the Founding Director of the CSSCF.

She focuses on evidence-based practice and cultural competence in child welfare practice and policy with special interests in risk assessment and screening, decision-making, service coordination, and promoting research-based practice. Dr. Wells’ current project is a study of child protective services organizational environment, practice, and outcomes which is looking to determine the relationship among organization environment, approach to practice, and case outcomes in delegated Indigenous child welfare agencies in British Columbia.

Dr. Wells earned a PhD from the University of Southern California, was an NIMH post-doctoral fellow in Psychiatric Epidemiology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, received an MSW from the University at Albany, and a BA from Pennsylvania State University,

 

Research Affiliates

Faculty  Research Interests
Grant Charles Dr. Charles is an associate professor at the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC and associate faculty member of the Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC Vancouver.

Grant Charles’ research falls into two board categories of vulnerable children and youth and system change. He is currently involved in projects with young carers, children of parents with mental illness, families where there is a parental mental illness, youth homelessness, youth in care and student-to-student abuse in the Indian Residential School System.
Jamie PiercyDr. Jamie Piercy is an Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna, BC.

As a clinical neuropsychologist, Dr. Piercy is passionate about helping children and families grow and thrive in our local community. My research centers on medical and psychosocial influences on early childhood and adolescent brain and social development. I focus on easing access to assessment and intervention services to support families in raising resilient children and communities.

Dr. Piercy has a PhD. from Wayne State University and a BSc from the University of Victoria.
Jeffrey MoreJeffrey More is an Assistant Professor of Teaching in the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna. Jeffrey has over 25 years of practice concentrating in rural, remote, and medium-sized city environments. He provides counselling, training, and consultation emphasizing anti-colonial clinical practice and trauma treatment, including posttraumatic stress, intergenerational trauma, and complex trauma.

Jeffrey’s research intends to enhance practice in clinical social work, work with Indigenous peoples, and child protection. Jeffrey’s teaching aligns with his practice and research. He focuses on advanced clinical social practice, interpersonal skills, trauma-specific practice, anti-colonial clinical social work practice and education. Jeffrey’s role with the Centre includes that of co-investigator and co-authorship. He also liaisons with agencies and communities and leads the Centre’s team to pursue culturally safe research processes.

More earned his MSW from UBC Okanagan and is currently a Ph.D. student in social work at Memorial University.
Judy GillespieDr. Judy Gillespie is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna, BC.

Her current research focuses on multi-sector collaboration for community-level change to enhance Indigenous child and family well-being, including participatory approaches to examine culturally- relevant methods for evaluation of the impacts of multi-sector collaborations. She is also interested in place; the role of place in well-being, the interactions of person and place, including the ways in which professional practice is shaped by place using a post-structural lens.

Dr. Gillespie has a PhD from the University of British Columbia and an MSW from the University of Calgary.
Lea CaragataDr. Lea Caragata is Director and an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

Areas of research and specialization include gender, poverty and marginalization including in international context. Her research has examined welfare and labour market changes, critical constructions of resilience and the provisioning roles played by children and youth in low-income families. Other research has focused on citizenship, social movements, gender and social exclusion. Lea contributes to “Canada’s conversation” through her active role as a member of the Educational Review committee of The Walrus magazine as well as having served on numerous non-profit Boards.

Dr. Caragata completed her PhD at the University of Toronto, focused on the interplay between land use, social movements and the democratization of public space. Her return to academe to do a PhD followed an almost 20-year career that included grassroots community organizing, social housing development, public policy coordination and public administration in non-profit community organizations and in government.
Monty MontgomeryDr. Montgomery is an associate professor at the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC.

His professional experience includes social welfare policy development for First Nations and Provincial governments and planning, developing and administering First Nations Social Development, Post-Secondary Education and Child Welfare programs.

Monty has a PhD in Education from the University of Saskatchewan and a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Victoria.
Sheila MarshallDr. Marshall is a professor emeritus at the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC and associate faculty member of the Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC Vancouver.

Her work primarily focuses on the ways in which adolescents’ social relationships promote psychosocial development and how adolescents actively engage in their own development during interactions with parents and peers. Her research also includes investigations of how foster parents integrate children into the family.

Dr. Marshall has a PhD and MSc in Family Relations and Human Development and a BASc in Family Studies from the University of Guelph.
Shelly Ben-DavidDr. Shelly Ben-David is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna, BC.

Her program of research works closely with youth and young adults with mental health challenges and their families to: 1) examine decision-making and engagement with mental health services; 2) examine social, community, and online mental health messages; and 3) understand how identity is disrupted after the development of a mental health disorder.

Dr. Ben-David has a PhD in social work from New York University, an MSW from Columbia University, and a BSc in psychology and religion from the University of Toronto.

 

 

 

 

(Last update: September 15, 2023)