From workplace microaggressions to healthcare bias, NYU Silver PhD candidate Fatima Mabrouk has long focused her research and practice on the unique challenges faced by racial and ethnic minorities in the workplace. This year she will advance that work with financial and mentorship support as a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) Doctoral Fellow.
Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the goal of the doctoral MFP Fellowship is to improve healthcare outcomes of diverse populations by increasing the number of culturally competent behavioral health professionals with doctoral degrees.
“It helps individuals that look like me to go for their dreams,” said Mabrouk, who noted that it is particularly helpful for doctoral students who receive time-limited funding from their PhD programs.
With a monthly stipend from the MFP program, Mabrouk will continue to pursue her research examining the phenomenon of workplace microaggressions among Black and African American women social workers. She is also leading an empirical study focused on how human resource professionals respond to such complaints. Her study aims to address how Black and African American women navigate these experiences, if and how they report microaggressions to organizational leaders, if they feel supported, and the mental health impact of reporting.
In addition to financial support, the doctoral MFP Fellowship affords fellows extensive mentorship and professional development opportunities. Mabrouk has already enjoyed brainstorming sessions with other fellows and looks forward to attending training sessions, conferences, and connecting with alumni of the program.
After Mabrouk completes her doctoral studies she hopes to end up at a R1 research institution conducting interdisciplinary research focused on DEI and the workplace. She also would like to teach and mentor students while encouraging them to develop their own ideas and research studies.
“Mentorship has been a survival key throughout my career,” said Mabrouk. “Especially because we’ve seen an end to affirmative action and attacks on DEI, we need to have this bond with other scholars who are on the other side doing similar work.”
About NYU Silver School of Social Work
Founded in 1960 and renowned for a strong tradition of excellence in direct social work practice and dedication to social justice, NYU Silver has provided rigorous training to more than 20,000 social work practitioners and leaders in every area of the field, making it the leading destination for students who want to become innovative practitioners at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels of social work practice. The School has four campuses in the heart of New York City, Rockland County, Westchester County, and Shanghai.