PhD Student Spotlights: Q&A with Maegan Ramchal, Lucy Kovacevic and Erika La Frano
As part of our ongoing series highlighting doctoral scholars, we’re sharing PhD students’ perspectives alongside a snapshot of their research and the ideas driving their work forward. In this installment, Qihao Zhan, Argentina Coy, and Wei-Cheng Liu reflect on what brought them to the School of Social Work, the experiences that have shaped their academic journeys, the questions guiding their inquiry, and the impact they aspire to make through their scholarship and engagement. Together, their stories illustrate the depth, rigor, and sense of purpose that define the doctoral experience and the meaningful contributions they are making to communities, policy, and practice.
Maegan Ramchal
We spoke with Maegan Ramchal, a current PhD Student in the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois, about what drew her to the University of Illinois, where she finds focus on campus, and how her work is reshaping conversations about the intersection of climate change, environmental disasters, and issues such as gender-based violence, mental health, health, and disability.
What drew you to the University of Illinois, and how has the program supported or shaped your research?
I was drawn to the University of Illinois because of my advisor, Tara Powell. Her work with communities impacted by environmental disasters and promotion of behavioral interventions aligns with the research skills I want to explore as a graduate student. I chose UIUC because of the strength of the education and the collaborative, supportive environment of the program.
Where is your go-to place on campus for completing work or studying, and why?
I enjoy working outside on the lawn when it is nice outside the most! Getting to be in the sun is very important to me as someone who grew up in South Florida. But when the weather does not permit that, I enjoy working in the PhD student office.
What does your research consist of? What key questions are currently guiding your work, and how do you see this research contributing to the broader field of social work?
My research goals are to explore the intersections of climate change and environmental disasters, associated health, mental health, and disability outcomes, and gender-based violence. I am particularly interested in continuing to work with community-based participatory research. I hope to see my research expanding the knowledge base of how climate change impacts vulnerable individuals, particularly disabled women and children in the Global South, and to co-create mitigation and adaptation strategies that prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable.
Lucy Kovacevic
We spoke with Lucy Kovacevic, a current PhD Student in the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois, about what drew her to University of Illinois, where she finds focus on campus, and how her work is reshaping conversations on substance use treatment interventions and trauma-informed approaches, specifically in the context of child welfare systems.
What drew you to the University of Illinois, and how has the program supported or shaped your research?
I completed my bachelor’s degree in psychology and my master’s degree in social work at the University of Illinois. In my master’s degree, I worked with my current advisor, Doug Smith, discovered my passion for research, and realized a PhD was the next step in my academic journey.
The program has given me opportunities to work with career researchers from diverse fields and statisticians at the Center for Prevention Research and Development (CPRD). I’ve had first-hand experience following studies through conceptualization, grant writing, administration, analysis, and eventual publication. Invaluable experiences that have helped shape my research aspirations.
Where is your go-to place on campus for completing work or studying, and why?
My go-to place on campus is Caffe Paradiso. Not only is it close to the School of Social Work, but the coffee and atmosphere help me focus and write.
Your research interests center on substance use treatment interventions and trauma-informed approaches, particularly in the context of the child welfare system. What key questions are currently guiding your work, and how do you see this research contributing to the broader field of social work?
My research is centered on adolescent and young adult behavioral health, particularly focusing on substance use, mental health, and service engagement. I examine population-level patterns of access to care, risk, and protective factors using prevention and epidemiological approaches to better understand how societal and structural contexts shape these outcomes.
More specifically, I focus on youth and young adults who have been involved in the child welfare system and other vulnerable contexts. I’m interested in the intersection of trauma, substance use, and system involvement. Aiming to improve coordination across systems like child welfare and behavioral health. I look at whether services are connected in practice when it comes to trauma-informed care, continuity of services, and what happens after screening or referral.
Overall, my research focuses on the areas where systems fall short in addressing youth and young adult substance use and where earlier or better-coordinated support could make a difference. This work is intended to inform more equitable and practical approaches to treatment and prevention for youth and families.
Erika La Frano
We spoke with Erika La Frano, a current PhD Student in the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois, about what drew her to the University of Illinois, where she finds focus on campus, and how her work is reshaping conversations around trauma-informed interventions, integrated care approaches and the effect of immigration and intergenerational trauma.
What drew you to the University of Illinois, and how has the program supported or shaped your research?
I was drawn to the University of Illinois because of its strong commitment to community-engaged research and social justice–oriented scholarship. The School of Social Work emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, clinical practice experience, and meaningful partnerships with community organizations. I was also drawn to the program because it has faculty mentors who encourage rigorous scholarship and emphasize producing research that is co-developed with the communities we serve and accessible. Their mentorship has helped me refine my focus on developing culturally responsive interventions that address structural barriers to care for immigrant communities.
Where is your go-to place on campus for completing work or studying, and why?
I love to do work anywhere in nature and sometimes in coffee shops.
Your research interests consist of trauma-informed interventions, integrated care approaches, and the effects of immigration and intergenerational trauma. What key questions are currently guiding your work, and how do you see this research contributing to the broader field of social work?
My research is guided by questions about how to improve access to trauma-informed mental health and IPV services for immigrant populations, particularly Latina immigrants. I focus on understanding how structural, cultural, and linguistic barriers shape help-seeking and how mechanisms like capability, opportunity, and motivation influence survivors’ ability to engage with care. A central line of my work examines how the invaluable expertise of community-based providers, especially promotoras and community health workers, can be leveraged to reduce these barriers and deliver culturally responsive, contextually relevant care.
On a broader level, I am interested in how interventions can be designed to address the complex experiences of immigration, mental health needs, and trauma in ways that are both effective and equitable. Methodologically, I plan to combine community-engaged and implementation science approaches to identify not only what works but also how and why interventions succeed in real-world settings.
I see this research contributing to social work by advancing culturally grounded, trauma-informed, and access-oriented intervention models, particularly for underserved populations. Moving forward, I plan to build a program of research that informs scalable interventions and policy changes, while also supporting interdisciplinary collaborations across social work, healthcare, and community organizations.