Social Welfare hires assistant professor who strives to help students become social work leaders

Dr. Kortney Carr joins the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare this fall as an assistant professor.  

Dr. Carr brings experience in assisting students in building advanced, competent, multi-system skills while infusing equality and social justice into the courses she teaches.  

In October 2024, Dr. Carr successfully defended her dissertation and earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work. She didn’t always intend to pursue social work or a Ph.D., but her journey in the field sparked a deep dedication that continues to inspire new goals and meaningful ways to give back. 

Dr. Carr was awarded the Toni Johnson Scholars for Racial Justice Dissertation Award for her research, which is titled “The Influence of Societal Discourses about Black Men on Social Work Practice.” In her dissertation, she examined how social workers construct Black men in their practice narratives, how those constructions reflect broader societal discourse and how social workers' narratives of their practice are informed by their constructions of Black men. 

Dr. Carr also received the CSWE Doctoral Fellowship from the Minority Fellowship Program in 2023. 

"I’m excited to join KU’s School of Social Welfare in this new role, where I can continue supporting students as they grow into leaders in the profession and help strengthen the connections between research, education, and practice," Carr said.