Peter Szto

BS, Calvin College (1977)
MA, Michigan State University (1986)
MAR, Westminster Theological Seminary (1986)
MSW, University of Pennsylvania (1992)
PhD, University of Pennsylvania (2002)

BSW Coordinator
402-554-2330
pszto@mail.unomaha.edu

Biography

Dr. Szto was born and raised in New York City. At an early age the plight of the city’s dispossessed and downtrodden impressed upon him the need to help. Questions regarding societal structures and social justice motivated him to study educational technology, theology and social welfare. In addition to his studies he has extensive clinical experience in various mental health settings working with preteens and adults with chronic mental illnesses. In the late 1980s, he was also among the first cadre of intensive case managers hired by the city of Philadelphia to reach out to the homeless mentally ill. His work with those suffering from severe and persistent mental illness eventually led him to study mental health in China—his doctoral research was a social welfare analysis of China’s first psychiatric hospital. Before moving to Omaha, Dr. Szto worked five years for the Christian Reformed Church as a Regional Director of Race Relations. This work involved anti-racism training to eradicate institutional racism. His current research involves documentary photography to study social welfare problems in China. Dr. Szto has also taught social work at Calvin College, Reformed Bible College, and Western Michigan University before joining the UNO faculty in 2004.

Professional Specialties

Asian American Mental Health
Social Welfare Theory
Psychiatric social work in China
Anti-Racism
Documentary Photography
Social Technology Transfer
Theology and Social Work

Teaching

Social Welfare Policy I (SOWK 3110)
Institutional Racism (SOWK 4120)
Social Welfare Policy (SOWK 8090)
Health and Mental Health (SOWK 8060)
Race Relations in East-West Perspective (SOWK 8900/4890)

Research

PUBLICATIONS

Peer Review Journal

Szto, P. (in press) Cultural Context and Social Technology Transfer: The Case of Canton, China. International Journal of Social Welfare.

Szto, P., Furman, R. and Langer, C. (2005) Poetry and Photography: An Exploration into Expressive/Creative Qualitative Research. Qualitative Social Work: Research and Practice

Furman, R. Puig, M. Szto, P. and Langer, C. (2003) Infusing Globalization into the Social Work Curriculum. Currents. Volume 2, No. 2.

MANUSCRIPTS IN REVIEW

Furman, R., Szto, P. and Langer, C. (2005) Poetic interpretations of a visual study of Chinese psychiatric hospital. Documentary Photography in American Social Welfare History: 1839-1939

MANUSCRIPTS IN PREPARATION

Peer Review Journals

Chinese Conceptualization of Mental Health Care: Historical Overview

On Psychiatric Space: design antecedents of the Guangzhou Psychiatric Hospital

A Visual Study of China's Floating Population in Guangzhou

Teaching Racism through Service Learning in China

Service Learning and Social Welfare Policy

Non-Peer Review

A Short History of Chinese in the Christian Reformed Church, Origins, Archival Magazine of the Christian Reformed Church.

PRESENTATIONS

A Visual Study of China's Floating Population in Guangzhou. Accepted as Oral Paper Presentation at Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, Feb. 16 - 19, 2006, Chicago.

Visual Medication: An Exploration into Photography and Faith. Accepted as Poster Session at Annual Conference of the National Association of Christians in Social Work, Grand Rapids, MI. October 2005.

Race Relations in East-West Perspective. International Conference on the Development of Social Work Education in the Context of Globalization: When East Meets West. Beijing, China. August 4-6, 2005.

Psychiatry in China. Lecture to undergraduate students - Zhongshan University, Guangzhou, China. June 2005.

Psychiatry in China. Creighton Ground Rounds. May 2005.

Poetry and Photography: An Exploration into Expressive/Creative Qualitative Research. Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, Feb. 26 - Mar. 1, 2005, New York City.

Shakin' & Shapin' Institutions of Color, 9th Annual People of Color in Predominantly White Institutions Conference, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Nov. 15-16, 2004.

Book Review

The New Immigration, Implications for Poverty and Public Assistance Utilization by Leif Jensen. Amerasia Journal. Vol: 17, No: 3, Yr: 1991, Pg: 62-64

RESEARCH GRANTS

A Visual Study of China's "Floating Population" in Guangzhou. UCR Research Grant. $4190.00, Awarded February 2005.

Omaha and the New Deal. UCAT Instructional Development Grant. $2000.00, Awarded 2005.

Service Learning for Social Welfare Policy. Midwest Consortium for Service-Learning in Higher Education Course Development Grant. $2000.00, Awarded April 1, 2005 - December 31, 2005.

Service

Associate Director & Undergraduate Coordinator of the School of Social Work

Improving Your Service with Children: Enhancing Team Dynamics through Diagnosis. Childrens’ Square, Council Bluffs, Iowa, February 22. Staff Training.

Affiliation, Associations, Consultations

BPD member
CSWE member
Omaha Chinese Christian Church, member
Prairie Lane Christian Reformed Church, affiliate
Consulting editor – Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies