The Catalyst Center works to achieve the following objectives:…

Grounded in the principles of community organizing, civic education, transpartisan dialogue, and systems change, this initiative supports students in designing hubs that bring together residents, community organizations, and public systems to address pressing social challenges. Through hands-on training, mentorship, and access to tools and frameworks, students will explore how to:…

The team includes physicians, dentists, nurses, social workers, and psychologists who collaborate to deliver integrated care in underserved communities. During the two-week service trip, the medical brigade provides essential physical and mental health services while training local professionals—nurses, community health workers, and lawyers—on trauma-informed approaches. This collaboration strengthens the capacity…

Social workers are advancing justice, driving innovation, and shaping change across every sector that influences health and well-being—from housing and education to climate, public health, and beyond. Yet their leadership often goes unrecognized in national dialogues, policy spaces, and strategic decision-making. The Social Work Leadership Identification Project (LIP) is changing…

SURE Housing initiative is implementing and evaluating housing-related interventions for HIV positive people, including youth and young adults (aged 18-24), people involved in the legal system, and people who identify as LGBTQ+. The four-year project, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration HIV/AIDS Bureau, funds 10 Ryan White HIV/AIDS…

Adapted from a previous iteration, CoK is specifically tailored to meet the developmental needs of displaced children experiencing heightened vulnerability due to trauma before, during, and after migration. The program delivers 45-minute, play-based sessions in mobile classrooms—buses converted into vibrant preschool environments—which travel to 10 shelter sites in Central Massachusetts,…

The U.S. healthcare system faces a critical challenge: how to improve outcomes, contain costs, and address long-standing inequities. Social workers are uniquely positioned to meet this moment. Trained to integrate the social, psychological, and structural dimensions of care, they are often embedded across healthcare settings—providing essential services to individuals navigating…

We foster Benefits Demonstration Sites The initiative provided funding to the following 12 demonstration sites across the country: Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center The Evaluation and Technical Assistance Provider, The University of Massachusetts—Lowell (PI: Dr. Serena Rajabiun) in partnership with AIDS United, Boston University Center for Innovation in Social Work &…

BU-ALPS is one-year HRSA-funded project dedicated to strengthening public health social work education at Boston University and nationally. Public health social work is a sub-discipline within social work that draws on both social work and public health theories, frameworks, research and practice to promote health equity and mitigate human health…