UNA Social Work Professor Receives Grant to Study Licensure Outcomes

Sep. 30, 2026

Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, AL – Dr. April Viverette, an Assistant Professor of Social Work at the University of North Alabama, is the Principal Investigator of a $90,000 research grant awarded by the Association of Social Work Board (ASWB) to examine the disparities associated with social work licensing examinations.

“As Principal Investigator, I will have the opportunity to lead a multi-institutional research team, a mixed-methods design,” said Dr. Viverette. “I am especially appreciative of the opportunity to move from identifying important research questions to having the funding award to investigate it rigorously.”

Dr. Viverette’s research focuses on health services access and utilization, behavioral health, workforce development, program evaluation, healthcare and human service operations, and disparities affecting access to professional and health-related services. The project, “Modifiable Predictors of Social Work Licensure Preparedness and Examination Outcomes,” is expected to launch in early 2027. Dr. Shelly McDowell-Porter and Dr. Eveline Kalomo, of Chamberlain University, will serve as Co-Principal Investigators on the project.

“Social work licensure is an important part of the professional pathway for many social workers, and the licensing examination can have significant implications for career advancement, professional mobility, and the availability of qualified social workers to serve communities,” Dr. Viverette said. “My team and I were particularly interested in moving the conversation beyond identifying disparities in licensing examination outcomes toward examining potentially modifiable predictors of licensure preparedness and examination outcomes.”

Using a mixed-methods design, the study will examine actionable, modifiable factors and their relationship to self-reported preparedness for licensure and self-reported examination outcomes among social workers and licensure candidates. Findings will be used to develop evidence-informed recommendations to strengthen supervision practices, reinforce licensure-preparation supports, and inform regulatory decision-making while maintaining the public-protection mission of professional licensure. The research has implications for social work education, professional licensure, and workforce development.

Dr. McDowell-Porter is a licensed clinical social worker, I/O psychologist, and psychometrician whose career has centered on licensure and certification systems. Dr. Kalomo is an associate professor and former school of social work chair with a sustained record of peer-reviewed publication and as principal investigator on multiple funded studies.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; the Spencer College of Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I and United Athletic conference. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: www.una.edu and www.una.edu/unaworks/.