
Erick da Luz Scherf, MSW
Erick (he/him) is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Alabama School of Social Work. He is also a Member of the Initiative on Forced Migration at Washington University in St. Louis. In addition, Erick serves as a Member of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Doctoral Student Committee. Before coming to the United States, he completed a Master of Science in Social Work degree at the University of Stavanger in Norway through the Erasmus Mundus mobility program, and a Bachelor of International Relations and Politics in his home country of Brazil. His academic pursuits have centered around critical inquiry in Social Work and Public Policies, with particular attention given to international migration. Erick has a strong track record of research experience and publications, and more recently, his focus has been on investigating health inequities among underserved communities in the U.S., as well as the impact of career trajectories on psychosocial outcomes among immigrants from Latin America.
Education

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Social Work
Aug. 2023- Aug. 2028 (expected)
The University of Alabama, School of Social Work
Doctoral dissertation: TBD
Master of Social Work (MSW),
Families and Children specialization
The University of Stavanger, Norway (Erasmus Mundus Mobility Program), Equivalency recognized/granted by CSWE in December 2024
MSW Thesis: Challenging the Colorblind Curriculum: Addressing Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity in Social Work Education in Portugal
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in International Relations and Politics
The University of Vale do Itajaí, Brazil
BA Thesis: Childhoods and Dreams Behind Bars in the “Promised Land”: An Analysis of Human Rights Violations of Migrant Children Imprisoned in Canada Between 2010 and 2016