Dr Gina Chowa received prestigious research from University of North Carolina

Dr Gina Chowa, CSDA Research Associate has been named the Johnson-Howard-Adair Distinguished Professor of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work.

This endowed professorship recognises a leading scholar whose work is focused on the impact and influence of poverty on individuals, families and communities. Dr Chowa has committed her career to advance the well-being of vulnerable and marginalised populations across the globe, particularly youth and their families who live in poverty.

“We congratulate Gina on this very prestigious appointment. This is a highly prestigious award and it is a testament to her ongoing commitment to addressing poverty and inequality by understanding the root causes of these intractable social challenges,” said Prof Lauren Graham, CSDA Director.

Dr Chowa’s research focuses on developing holistic and high-impact interventions that address the root causes of poverty, including unemployment, financial exclusion, poor educational outcomes, and ill-health.

On receiving the award Dr Chowa thanked her colleagues, international partners and current and former students for supporting and helping to drive this research agenda. “I look forward to the future with excitement for the continued research that my team will do and the new research areas that will be created as a result of this recognition. I am thrilled that I can be a part of bringing hope and changing systems.”

Dr Chowa serves as the associate dean for global engagement at the School of Social Work and is the founding director of Global Social Development Innovations, a centre that works closely with university, state, national and international partners to improve the lives of vulnerable and marginalised people around the world.

In 2016, she was named a Wallace Kuralt Early Career Distinguished Scholar, and in 2014 she was awarded the Phillip and Ruth Hettleman Prizes for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement by Young Faculty, one of the most prestigious research awards at UNC.

Her work that has been supported by major funders, including USAID, the MasterCard Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the Chronic Poverty Research Centre in London.

Source: UJ