Shahnaz Savani
Dr. Shahnaz Savani
Assistant Professor of Social WorkSocial WorkBiography
Professional Interests:
- Mental Health awareness/education in low and middle-income countries
- Suicide prevention/intervention in the global south, particularly Central Asia
- Closing the treatment gap for mental health care in low-income countries
- Scaling up mental health services at the community level by training lay personnel to provide evidence-based psychosocial interventions
Degrees Earned
Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work, University of Houston, 2020
Master of Social Work, University of Houston, 2008
Master of Arts in Education, University of London, 1993
Master of Arts in Muslim Societies and Cultures, University of London, 1992
Bachelor of Arts in Ancient Indian Culture, Bombay University, 1988
Courses Taught
- Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare
- Human Behavior and the Social Environment 2
- Urban Practice I
- Issues in Field Practicum I & II
- Contextualized Strength based Practice
- Assessment in Social Work Practice
- Understanding Suicide
Experience Qualifications
2022 – present, Assistant Professor, University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, TX
2019 – 2022, Assistant Director of Field Education, University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, TX
2019 - present, Adjunct Professor, Tulane School of Social Work
2019 – present, Research Fellow, Center for Mental Health Research and Innovations in Treatment Engagement and Services, University of Houston, Houston, TX
2016 – present, Lecturer of Social Work, University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, TX
2012 – 2014, Adjunct Professor, Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston, Houston, TX
More Information
Publications
Savani, S. (2023). A Renewed Commitment to Life: A Grounded Theory Study of Suicide Attempts in Badakhshan, Tajikistan. Journal of Mental Health and Social Behavior 5(2):183. https://doi.org/10.33790/jmhsb1100183
Brewer, K. B., Gearing, R. E., Cheung, M., Leung, P., Carr, L. C., Savani, S., Ma, Y., Chen, W., & He, X. (2023). Formal versus informal pathways to mental health care in China. China Journal of Social Work. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17525098.2023.2252913
Gearing, R. E., Washburn, M., Savani, S., Mytelka, C., Carr, L. C., Robinson, A., Clark, D., & Robbins, S. P. (2023). Strengthening social work skills and competency through exposure to diversity. Journal of Social Work Education. doi:10.1080/10437797.2023.2199049
Savani, S., Barros-Lane, L., Germany, A. (2023) Closing the Mental Health Treatment Gap Through Field Education: A Call to Action in Field Scholar, 13(1). https://fieldeducator.simmons.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/23-320-2.pdf
Bonano-Broussard, D., Henry, A., Williams, N., Mitchell, D., Savani, S., (2023). Social Work Field Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review of the Literature in Field Scholar, 13(1): 1-21. https://fieldeducator.simmons.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/22-310.pdf
Diebold, K., Graham, C., Laventure, M., Williams, N., Savani, S., (2023) Telehealth Suicide Assessment and the Emergency Order of Detention (EOD) Process: A Systematic Review in The Journal of Mental Health and Social Behavior, 5(1): 176. https://gexinonline.com/uploads/articles/article-jmhsb-176.pdf
Savani, S., & Gearing, R. E. (2023). "I didn't do it!": Lived experiences of suicide attempts made without perceived intent or volition. Transcultural Psychiatry, 60(6), 942–953. https://doi.org/10.1177/13634615221126057
Gearing, R. E., Washburn, M., Brewer, K. B., Kovach, J. V., Mandiberg, J. M., Borja, S., Barthelemy, J., Savani, S., Smith, L., Robinson, A., & Gardner, J. (2022). Center for Mental Health Research and Innovations in Treatment Engagement and Service (MH-RITES Center) at the University of Houston. Research on Social Work Practice.
Savani, S., Webb, A., McCarty, D. (2020) Confronting Islamophobia through Social Work Education in Islamophobia Studies Journal https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.13169/islastudj.5.2.0134#metadata_info_tab_contents
Smith, D.S., Goins, A.M. & Savani, S. (2020). A Look in the Mirror: Unveiling Human Rights Issues Within Social Work Education. Journal of Human Rights and Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41134-020-00157-7
Savani, S. (2020) Suicide in Asia: A Literature Review in Institute of Public Policy Working Paper Series, University of Central Asia https://ucentralasia.org/Resources/Item/2779/EN
Savani, S., Gearing, R., Frantsuz, Y., Sozinova, M. (2020) Suicide in Central Asia in Suicidology Online 2020; 11(1), 1-12 http://www.suicidology-online.com/pdf/SOL-2020-11-1-1.pdf
Memberships
International Association for Suicide Research (IASR)
International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP)
American Association of Suicidology (AAS)
Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR)
Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
National Association of Social Workers (NASW)