| Shauna P. Acquavita is a 3rd year doctoral student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Social Work. She is the Pre-Doctoral Fellow for the Maternal and Child Health Leadership Program at the University. Shauna graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Rehabilitation Services Education and a minor in Human Development and Family Studies. During her undergraduate studies, she completed an internship at a runaway and homeless youth shelter. She then attended the University of Pittsburgh to obtain her Master of Social Work with a Mental Heath Specialization. Field placements for her degree included an inpatient psychiatric hospital and an intensive outpatient drug and alcohol counseling program. Upon her graduation, Shauna moved to Philadelphia, Pa. where she worked in outpatient and inpatient mental health and drug and alcohol settings. Employment opportunities have included roles as a therapist, crisis worker, care manager, and supervisor. Most recently she was employed as a smoking cessation counselor at a large teaching hospital outside of Philadelphia, where she conducted bedside sessions to help patients stop their tobacco use. With nearly 10 years of post-master’s experience, Shauna has the highest licensure status in both Maryland and Pennsylvania. She is also a Board Certified Diplomate through the American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work. Current interests include: mental health; alcohol, tobacco and other drugs; dual diagnosis; women; disabilities; and social work education. Her dissertation focus is on racial and ethnic differences among pregnant women who smoke in Baltimore, Md. top . |