BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.4.3//EN
TZID:America/New_York
X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:19@researchweek.unc.edu
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261020T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261020T133000
DTSTAMP:20260831T135810Z
URL:https://researchweek.unc.edu/events/ai-social-work/
SUMMARY:AI and the Future of Social Work: Exploring Opportunities and Ethic
 al Questions
DESCRIPTION:When thinking about the future of AI\, social work may not be t
 he first field that comes to mind. However\, researchers and educators at 
 UNC’s School of Social Work have long been engaged in AI-related project
 s and have unique insights to share about how the technology can be used t
 o address important social problems.\n\nThis panel discussion between Scho
 ol of Social Work faculty will explore current and potential uses of AI in
  social work research and education and key ethical considerations related
  to its use in the field. The panelists include experts with more than a d
 ecade of experience in AI-involved research as well as relatively recent a
 dopters of the technology.\n\nThis is a hybrid event.\nClick here for Zoom
  Link\n\nThe panel will be moderated by Kathy Colville\, Associate Dean fo
 r Community Engagement and Outreach\, and feature the following panelists:
 \n\n\n\nEric Rice\nDistinguished Professor\nAssociate Dean of Research and
  Faculty Development\nGordon Berg and Martha Beach Chair in Community Soci
 al Work\n\nRice’s current work focuses on the application of AI technolo
 gies to assist persons living with homelessness and the organizations that
  serve them. For the past decade\, he has worked with colleagues in comput
 er science to merge social work science and AI\, seeking novel solutions t
 o major social problems such as homelessness\, suicide\, and HIV. In 2016\
 , along with Milind Tambe\, he founded the University of Southern Californ
 ia’s Center for AI in Society\, the world’s first university-based cen
 ter merging AI and social work.\n\n\n\n\n\nHeidi McNeilly\nClinical Assist
 ant Professor\, Adams School of Dentistry\nAdjunct Assistant Professor\, S
 chool of Social Work\n\nMcNeilly’s work involves integrating social work
  services into dental education to enhance patient care and improve access
  for underserved populations\, and her current research focus is the integ
 ration of AI into education. To this end\, she recently led a team that de
 veloped an AI chatbot to help dental students build patient communication 
 skills. In 2026\, McNeilly was named the UNC Center for Faculty Excellence
 ’s Faculty Fellow for Generative AI and Clinical Education. The fellowsh
 ip will support her efforts to build resources related to the instructiona
 l needs and challenges presented by generative AI for faculty members camp
 uswide.\n\n\n\n\n\nHsun-Ta Hsu\nAssociate Professor &amp\; John A. Tate Ea
 rly Career Scholar\, School of Social Work\nAssociate Professor\, School o
 f Data and Information Sciences\n\nHsu has long been interested in how art
 ificial intelligence can help people make complex decisions with consisten
 cy\, but he also recognizes the ethical and fairness challenges that AI-ai
 ded decision-making may pose for disenfranchised communities. His recent w
 ork adopts a community-engaged data science approach to promoting health a
 nd housing outcomes among individuals experiencing homelessness by engagin
 g stakeholders to co-develop AI tools that address their most pressing nee
 ds in ways that are both efficient and equitable. Hsu also teaches courses
  on AI\, including a new offering entitled AI for Social Good and Social W
 ork Practice: Ethical and Applied Perspectives.\n\n\n\n\n\nStephanie Panke
 \nDirector of Digital Learning and Innovation\, School of Social Work\n\nP
 anke is actively engaged in researching\, promoting\, and advocating for t
 he responsible and effective integration of AI—particularly generative A
 I—into educational practices. Her work includes research on GenAI in aca
 demic writing\, teaching\, and instructional design\, with contributions t
 o a Journal of Teacher Education special issue and an edited\, student-aut
 hored e-book on GenAI in education. Recently\, Panke and School of Social 
 Work colleague Tina Souders were awarded a 2025–26 CFE/Lenovo Instructio
 nal Innovation Grant from the UNC Center for Faculty Excellence to support
  the School’s online MSW program through the use of AI to assist in the 
 development of high-quality\, immersive\, and accessible multimedia learni
 ng materials\, particularly case studies and simulations.
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://researchweek.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/
 2026/08/AdobeStock_476054398.jpeg
CATEGORIES:Hybrid Event,In-person Event,School of Social Work,Virtual
 Event
LOCATION:Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building\, Room 500\, 325 Pittsboro Street\, Ch
 apel Hill\, NC\, 27516\, United States
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=325 Pittsboro Street\, Chap
 el Hill\, NC\, 27516\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Tate-Turne
 r-Kuralt Building\, Room 500:geo:0,0
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
DTSTART:20260308T030000
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
END:DAYLIGHT
END:VTIMEZONE
END:VCALENDAR