LSU School of Social Work Assistant Professor Ebony Williams awarded Outstanding Student/New Professional Paper Award from the National Council on Family Relations

November 13, 2023

BATON ROUGE, LA - Ebony Williams, PhD, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice with the LSU School of Social Work, has been honored with the Outstanding Student/New Professional Paper Award from the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). The award was presented at the Families and Health Section meeting during the NCFR conference on November 8, 2023, at 7:15 PM.

Dr. Williams' awarded paper, titled "Navigating Health and Wellbeing During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Experiences of Latina Immigrant Mothers in Rural Midwestern Communities," delves into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Latina mothers in the rural Midwest. The research, grounded in the mundane extreme environmental stress theory, explores challenges faced, strategies employed to avoid virus infection, and the resulting impacts on health and wellbeing.

Reflecting on her achievement, Dr. Williams stated, "I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with Kimberly Greder as a part of her research team during 2020-2021 when the study was conducted. This study emphasizes the importance of studying the experiences of minoritized populations during times of crisis and uncertainty."

In addition to the award-winning paper, Dr. Williams presented a poster at the NCFR conference titled "Coparenting Among African American Families: Challenges, Possibilities, and Persisting Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond." The poster, co-authored with Christina M. Grange, PhD, of Clayton State University, and Nakeiha Primus, PhD, of Millersville University, highlighted challenges faced by African-American mothers during the pandemic, using the mundane extreme environmental stress theory to illuminate unique stressors.

NCFR is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting all families through research, teaching, practice, and advocacy.

About SSW
Learn more about Dr. Williams' research and her contributions to Human Development and Family Sciences.The Human Development and Family Sciences major available in the LSU School of Social Work educates students on how humans develop physically, emotionally and socially throughout the lifespan in the context of the family.