The Junior Koenig & Ruth Knee Institute for Transformative Scholarship aims to support research and creative activity in the areas of Health, Mental Health & Public Health, Arts & Creative Activity in Social Work, Culturally Sensitive Social Work. Much in the spirit of our endowed namesake, the Institute is focused on forging new paths, particularly in spaces where traditional approaches have failed. We endeavor to collectively mechanize intellectual and social capitol to advance equity and develop sustainable solutions for our society’s most complex problems.
The Junior Koenig & Ruth Knee Institute for Transformative Scholarship aims to support research and creative activity in the areas of Health, Mental Health & Public Health, Arts & Creative Activity in Social Work, Culturally Sensitive Social Work. Much in the spirit of our endowed namesake, the Institute is focused on forging new paths, particularly in spaces where traditional approaches have failed. We endeavor to collectively mechanize intellectual and social capitol to advance equity and develop sustainable solutions for our society’s most complex problems.
For information about how to join our team as a Knee Scholar, contact Dr. Christina Miller at crmiller@ou.edu
The Knee Scholars program is designed to support graduate students in GRA positions within the Ruth Knee Institute. These students work for an academic year and support multiple research initiatives of the center. Scholars are often co-authors on published reports and academic products and highly involved in community engaged research. These positions are stipend supported. The KNEE Institute primarily funds travel opprotunities for students.
Andrew Helt
Graduate Research Assistant - OU Food First Pharmacy
Master of Social Work Student
Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work
University of Oklahoma - Tulsa
Dina Schupack
Graduate Research Assistant
Master of Social Work Student
Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work
University of Oklahoma - Tulsa
Instructions for applying for Knee funding are listed below:
Application packets should include the following:
Each year, the Junior Koenig & Ruth Knee Institute for Transformative Scholarship provides small grants to social work faculty conducting research related to the core areas of the Institute. Recipients of the Junior Koenig & Ruth Knee Institute for
Transformative Scholarship Seed Grant for AY 23-24 were Dr. December Maxwell and Dr. Noyori-Corbett.
December Maxwell
Assistant Professor
Informal Means of Healing Postnatal PTSD Through Tattoo
"An integrative mixed method study assessing the relationship between birth trauma and the use of tattoo for healing."
Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work
University of Oklahoma - Tulsa
Noyori-Corbett, Kirby Cannon, Yong-Mi Kim, and Roksana Alavi-Robb
Associate Professor
Culturally Appropriate and Non-Stigmatizing Conceptualization of Mental Health for Future Education Intervention among Afghan Refugee Women: Dr. Noyori-Corbett, Kirby Cannon, Yong-Mi Kim, and Roksana Alavi-Robb
"The study will explore the conceptualization of mental health and its related educational interventions which are culturally appropriate and non-stigmatizing among Afghan women."
Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work
University of Oklahoma - Norman
Ruth Knee was a national leader in the field of social work. Among her innumerable achievements, Ruth played an integral role in organizations such as the National Association of Social Workers and their Social Work Pioneers Program; helped in the drafting of Medicaid and Medicare legislation and the implementation of the Community Mental Health Act; and was appointed to the President's Commission on Mental Health. Ruth also created the first social work program for the United States military at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C.
An alumna of the University of Oklahoma, Ruth accomplished much in her lifetime and hoped to continue her legacy even after her death. Ruth left an endowment to the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work with the wishes that the gift be utilized in improving the quality of systems and programs that serve communities and families in Oklahoma and elsewhere.
Building on Ruth's legacy and gift, the Ruth Knee Institute for Transformative Scholarship was founded in 2009.
