Cynthia Grant, PhD, LCSW
Chair, Department of Research and Assistant Professor of Research
Division of Research and Doctoral Programs
Coordinator, Tomorrow's Promise
College of Graduate and Innovative Programs
Dr. Grant teaches master's and doctoral-level research methods courses, including quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, survey research, program evaluation, and action research courses. She also leads the dissertation supervision sequence for our doctoral programs.
Among her areas of research interest and expertise are emotional and behavioral disorders, research methodology, peer-led education and participatory action research. She also specializes in strategies to address dissertation completion, online teaching and learning in higher education, academic entitlement, and educator-targeting bullying.
Previously Dr. Grant served as a researcher with the UIC Center for Mental Health Services Research and Policy as well as the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Her clinical experience includes working as the Crisis Team coordinator at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, a mental health specialist for the American Red Cross and an emergency department social worker at Lutheran General Hospital. Her teaching experience includes Loyola University Chicago, University of Chicago, the Institute for Clinical Social Work and Aurora University.
She has been a member of Concordia’s faculty since 2009 and maintains a private practice in Chicago.
Degrees
- PhD, Social Work. Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Ill.
- MSW, Clinical Social Work. Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Ill.
- BA, Psychology and Women’s Studies. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Academic and Professional Highlights
Books
- How to Finish and Defend Your Doctoral Dissertation. Summer 2013 (Anticipated release date, with Tomal, Daniel)
Publications
- "Preparing the Professoriate to Prepare Globally Competent Leaders" (with Blaess, D. and Hollywood, K.). Journal of Leadership Studies, 2012.
- “A Survey of Graduate Student Academic and Psychosocial Service Needs” (with Blaess, D.). Lutheran Education Journal, 2010.
- “Restorative Justice: A Systematic Review of Social Work Literature" (with Gumz, E.). Families in Society, 2009.
Presentations
- “Examining Diversity and Facilitating Growth in Student-student Relationships in Asynchronous Learning” (with MacMillan, T. and Forte, M.). SLOAN-C Conference; Orlando, Fla., Oct. 2012.
- “A Global Mindset: Developing Faculty Members’ International Currency” (with Hollywood, K. and Blaess, D.). Association of Leadership Educators Annual Conference; Key West, Fla., July 2012.
- “The Evolution of Female Leaders” (with Safer, A., Mann, S., and Groh, J.). Fourth Annual Joint Gender and Women’s Studies Conference, River Forest, Ill., March 2012.
- “Teacher Bullying: Prevention and Coping Strategies for Online Instructors.” 27th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning, Madison, WI. Aug. 2011.
- “Internal Confidentiality and the Risk of Participant Identification in ‘Your Own Backyard’: A Case Example” (with Maddocks, A., and Lin, J.). 7th International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Springfield, Ill., May 2011.
- “Application of the Interpersonal Model of Group Development to Group Projects in Educational Research Course.” Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association; New Orleans, La., April 2011.
- “Listening to Faculty Voice during Transitions at a Lutheran University” (with Lin, J., and Maddocks, A.). 75th Annual Meeting of the Association of Lutheran College Faculties, Irvine, Calif., October 2010.
- “Ask the Experts: Understanding your Diagnosis.” National Alliance on Mental Illinois Metro Suburban, Oak Park, Ill., January 2010
- “An Exploration of the Interpersonal Research Experience of Participants with Schizophrenic Disorders: A Mixed-Methods Study.” 5th International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Springfield, Ill. March 2009.
- “How can we Know our Subjects are Informed? Expanding Informed Consent Procedures for Subjects who may have Decreased Cognitive Capacity.” Loyola University Chicago Second Annual Interdisciplinary Research Symposiums; Chicago, March 2009.
- “Acute Psychosis from a Dietary Weight Control Supplement.” North American Congress of Clinical Toxicology annual meeting; Tuscon, Ariz., September 2000.
- “Outliving a Terminal Medical Prognosis: Implications for Social Work Practice with HIV Positive Clients.” 43rd Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education; Chicago, March 1997.
Awards
- Concordia University Chicago Faculty Research Grant, summer 2010
- Concordia University Chicago Load Reduction for Research, 2011-2012
- Loyola University Social Service scholarship recipient
- Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society member
Memberships
- American Educational Research Association
- American Evaluation Association
- Give an Hour
- The Honeycomb Project
- National Alliance on Mental Illness
- National Association of Social Workers
- Society for Social Work Research