B.A. (McMaster), M.E.S. (York), Ph.D. (Tor.)
Associate Professor &
Director of the Centre for Refugee Studies
Kinsmen Building
416-736-2100 x-70698
OR
321A York Lanes
416-736-2100 x-66662
smcgrath@yorku.ca
Community organizing, social development, critical social work practice, refugee re-settlement, social support processes for survivors of torture, war and genocide.
Academic Positions:
Director, Centre for Refugee Studies, York University.
Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies, York University.
2008 George, U., B. Lee, S. McGrath & K. Moffatt. Community Practice with Diverse Populations. Wilfrid Laurier Press. Under Review.
Peer Reviewed Book Chapters, Journal Articles and Proceedings
2007 McGrath, S., K. Moffatt, U. George & B. Lee. Seeking Social Justice: Community Practice within Diverse Marginalized Populations in Canada. Social Development Issues 29(2).
2007 Adelman, H. & S. McGrath. To Date Or To Marry: That Is The Question. Journal of Refugee Studies.
2005 Moffatt, K., U. George, B. Lee & S. McGrath. The Subjective Encounter in Community Practice Research. British Journal of Social Work 35, 89-104
2004 George, U., B. Lee, S. McGrath & K. Moffatt. Exploring Citizenship in Contemporary Community Practice. Journal of Community Practice. 11(3):71-85
2002 Lee, B., S. McGrath, K. Moffatt & U. George. Exploring the Insider Role in Community Work Practice Within Diverse Communities. Critical Social Work. 2(2):69-78
2002 George U., B. Lee, S. McGrath & K. Moffatt. Community Practice in Diverse Communities in Toronto, Canada. In Chen Qineng (ed.), Community Development in China and Canada. Beijing: Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. pp. 154-172
2001 "A Social Support Response to Survivors of
Torture: The Practice of the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture". Guest presenter
at conference of the Forum for Activists Against Torture, Kigali, Rwanda, June 26.
2001 Chambon, Adrienne, Susan McGrath, Mulugeta Abai, Suzanne Dudziak, BenZion Shapiro,
Teresa Dremetsikas. From Interpersonal Links to Webs of Relations: Creating Befriending
Relationships with Survivors of Torture and War. Journal of Social Work Research and
Evaluation.
2000 McGrath, Susan. Social Planning: Mobilizing Local Civil Society. Plan Canada.
39(2).
1999 Moffatt, Ken, Usha George, Bill Lee and Susan McGrath. "Practising Citizenship,
A Study of Social Planning Organizations". Community Development Journal.
34(4):308-317.
1999 McGrath, Susan, Ken Moffatt, Usha George and Bill Lee. "Community Capacity: The
Emperor's New Clothes." Canadian Review of Social Policy.
1998 Chambon, A,. M. Abai, B. Shapiro, S. McGrath, T. Dremetsikas, and S. Dudziak.
L'interculturel à l'aune des traumatismes communautaires: Les réfugiés survivants de la
torture. In K. Fall et al. (Eds.), Champ multiculturel, transactions interculturelles:
des théories, des pratiques, des analyses. Paris: L'Harmattan, pp133-155.
1998 McGrath, Susan, and Peter Clutterbuck. Third Sector Transformation in an Emerging
City State: A Case Study of the Toronto Social Planning Council. Proceedings of the Third
International Conference of the International Society for Third-Sector Research, Geneva,
Switzerland, July 1998.
1997 Chambon, Adrienne, Mulugeta Abai, Teresa Dremetsikas, Susan McGrath, BenZion Shapiro.
"Methodology in University-Community Research Partnerships: The Link-By-Link Project
as Case Study". Metropolis Year II, Proceedings of the Second National Conference.
Montreal: Immigration and Metropolis. Nov. 1997, pp151-169.
1997 McGrath, Susan. "The Child Poverty Action Group: A Study in Influence" in Rethinking
Child and Family Policies: Struggles, Strategies and Options, Jane Pulkingham and
Gordon Ternowetsky (eds.), Fernwood Press.
1996 Lee, Bill, Susan McGrath, Ken Moffatt and Usha George. "Community Practice
Education in Canadian Schools of Social Work", Canadian Social Work Review,
13(2):221-236
1996 McGrath, Susan. "Practising Community-based Social Development in Canada: The
Metro Toronto Social Planning Council Mobilizes the Social". Proceedings of Joint
World Congress of the International Federation of Social Workers and the International
Association of Schools of Social Work, Hong Kong. June 1996, pp 355-358.
External Research Funding
2008-2015 Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Strategic Knowledge Cluster Grant ($2.1M). A Canadian Refugee Research Network: Globalizing Knowledge. Applicant: S. McGrath. With nine co-applicants.
2007-2010 SSHRC Standard Research Grant ($90,000). Impact of Collective Trauma on Community Practice. Applicant: Bill Lee. Co-applicants: S.McGrath, K. Moffatt & U. George.
2007-2010 SSHRC Standard Research Grant ($145,140). Refugee Diasporas, “Homeland” Conflicts and the Impact of the Post-9/11 Security Paradigm. Applicant: Sharryn Aiken, Co-applicant: Rudhramoorthy Cheran. Collaborator: Susan McGrath.
2006-2009 SSHRC Standard Research Grant ($103,861). Social sustainability, diversity and public space in three Canadian cities. Applicant: Barbara Rahder, Co-applicants: Ranu Basu, Liette Gilbert, Susan McGrath, Patricia Wood.
2006 SSHRC Aid to Research Workshops and Conferences in Canada ($35,000). 10th Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration, York University, Toronto, June 18-22, 2006
2005-2006 SSHRC Interim Research Cluster Grant. ($25,000). Protection of Refugees and Forced Migrants. Applicant: Susan McGrath. Co-applicants: T. Derwing, J. Renaud, S. Aiken.
2005-2007 International Development Research Council. ($70,000). Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods and Grassroots Enterprise Development in Darfur and Southern Sudan. Applicants: David Wheeler & Susan McGrath.
2005-2007 Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. ($100,000). Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods and Grassroots Enterprise Development in Darfur and Southern Sudan. Applicants: David Wheeler & Susan McGrath.
2005-11 University Partnerships in Cooperation and Development, Tier 2, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and Canadian International Development Agency. ($1.5 million). Rebuilding Health in Rwanda. Canadian lead of one of three project teams - Specialized Training in the Care of Women and Children Truamatized by Violence. Canadian Principal Investigator is David Cechetto, Faculty of Medicine, University of Western Ontario. York is participant Canadian institution.
2005-07 SSHRC Aid to Research and Transfer Journals. ($39,000). Applicant and co-editor, Canadian Review of Social Policy
2004-05 SSHRC Research Cluster Grant. ($30,000). Protection of Refugees and Forced Migrants. Applicant. Co-applicants: T. Derwing, J. Renaud, S. Aiken, T. Das Gupta.
2003-04 TD Financial Group/York University Foundation. ($78,000). Leveraging Our Strength. One of two co-investigators, leader of Black Creek Project. Principal Investigator is Saddeiqa Holder, School of Social Work, Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies.
2003 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Initiative for a New Economy ($30,000 funding of Letter of Application to develop complete proposal). Building the Spatial Social Science Infrastructure in Canada. (Proposed value: $2,943,800). One of seven co-applicants, R. Sieber, McGill, principal investigator. Full proposal not funded.
2000-03 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada ($74,399). The State of Community Practice within Marginalized Groups in Ontario. Co-investigator of a group of four grantees (K. Moffatt, principal investigator, and U. George and B. Lee, co-investigators).
1997 "Link by Link: The Challenge of Building Community with Survivors of Torture". Using case study and network analysis of survivor/volunteer partnerships, this research examines how the Befriending Programme of the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT) promotes the development of community. This research is a project of the Faculty of Social Work of the University of Toronto and CCVT. Co-Principal Investigators: Adrienne Chambon and Mulugeta Abai, Co-Investigators: Ben Zion Shapiro, Susan McGrath and Teresa Dremetsikas. Funded by the Toronto Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement (CERIS), ($15,000).
Internal Research Funding
2007 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Travel Grant Program ($1200). Metropolis International Conference, Melbourne, October 8-12.
2007 York Incentive Grant ($5000). CIDA AUCC Building on Success Program. Gender Equitable Enterprise for Post-Conflict Reconstruction
2006 York Incentive Grant ($5000). SSHRC Strategic Knowledge Clusters Program on Refugee Issues.
2006 York Internationalization Grant ($7,696). Internationalizing the Summer Course on Refugee Issues.
2005 Dean of Atkinson ($5000). Supplementary funding for Adapting a European Experiential Training Program for Settlement Workers at Risk of Vicarious Trauma and Burnout.
2004 York Internationalization Grant. ($7500). Adapting a European Experiential Training Program for Settlement Workers at Risk of Vicarious Trauma and Burnout. Supplemented with a grant of $5000 from Dean of Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies.
2003 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Travel Grant Program ($1651). Conference: Impact of Global Issues on Women and Children, Bangkok, Thailand, February 16-21.
2001 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Small Grant Program, York University ($2000). The State of Community Practice with Marginalized Groups in Toronto. Principal Investigator of a group of four grantees (K. Moffatt, U. George and B. Lee, co-investigators).
1997 "Preparing for Community Practice in the Twenty First Century: A Study of Social Planning". A pilot study funded by York University, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Small Grant Program. This study of the contemporary practice of five social planning organizations in Ontario contributed to the development of the theoretical base and methodology for a SSHRC proposal for a province wide study on community practice of non-profit organizations. Principal investigator: Ken Moffatt, co-investigators: Usha George, Bill Lee and Susan McGrath. ($6500).
2007 Refugee versus Forced Migration Studies: An Inclusive Response. Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford Conference: An Unsettled Future? Forced Migration and Refugee Studies in the 21st Century, December 6-8.
2007 Refugees and Mental Health. Presentation at Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation Annual Conference, Ottawa, September 28.
2007 Moffatt, K., B. Lee, S. McGrath & U. George. Community Practice with Traumatized Populations. 5th International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities. Paris, July 17-20.
2007 Refugee and Asylum-seeker Research in Canada. Special meeting at the 9th National Metropolis Conference, Toronto, March 2.
2007 Enhancing Capacity to Undertake Research into Refugee Resettlement. A workshop presentation at the National Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) Conference, Vancouver, February 19 to 23, 2007.
2006 Badri, B., D. Wheeler, S. McGrath & S. Abdelnour. Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods and Grassroots Enterprise Development in Darfur and Southern Sudan. International Association for the Study of Forced Migration 10th Conference, Toronto ON. June 18-22.
2006 Lee, B. S. McGrath, K. Moffatt & U. George. Community Practice with Traumatized Populations. Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities, Toronto ON. May 31-June 3.
2006 Using Community-Based and Participatory Action Research to Enhance Immigrant and Refugee Education and Services. Toronto School Administrators' Association, Niagara Falls, April 5.
2006 The Changing Dynamics of Asylum and Refugee Settlement in Canada. Plenary speaker. Eighth National Canadian Metropolis Conference, Vancouver, March 23-26, 2006
2006 Being a Good Neighbour: Institutions and their Communities. Whitby Mental Health Centre Grand Rounds, March 10.
2005 McGrath, S. & B. Kitchen. Forging the Future of the Academic Journal in the Canadian Social Policy Scene. Canadian Social Policy Conference, Fredericton NB. June 16-18.
2004 McGrath, S. B. Kitchen & W. MacNiven. Leveraging Our Strength: York University's School of Social Work Establishes a University/Community Research Partnership. Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work, Winnipeg, May 29-June 1.
2004 George, U., B. Lee, S. McGrath & K. Moffatt. Civil Society Partnerships: A Study of Community-based Organizations. Inter-University Consortium for International Social Development, Mumbai, India, Dec. 29, 2003 - Jan. 2, 2004.
2004 Lee, B., S. McGrath, K. Moffatt & U. George. Seeking Social Justice: Community Development Among Diverse Populations. Inter-University Consortium for International Social Development, Mumbai, India, Dec. 29, 2003 - Jan. 2, 2004.
2003 McGrath, S., K. Moffatt, U. George & B. Lee. Disciplining Diverse Community Agencies: The Pressure to Partner. Canadian Social Welfare Policy Conference, Ottawa, June 15-17.
2003 McGrath, S. and T. Dremetsikas. Empowerment of Women and Children Survivors: Best Practices Within a Community-Based Model. Impact of Global Issues on Women and Children Conference, Bangkok, Thailand, Feb. 16-21.2003 McGrath, S. and T. Dremetsikas. Impact of War and Terrorism on the Settlement Process of Women and Children in Canada. Impact of Global Issues on Women and Children Conference, Bangkok, Thailand, Feb. 16-21.
2002 Lee, B., S. McGrath, U. George and K. Moffatt. Beginning to Explore the Insider Role in Community Work Practice Within Marginalized Communities. 2002 Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities, Toronto, May 25-29.
2002 S. McGrath and S. Dudziak. Narrative of Knowledge Building in the Shadow of the Eclipse: Bearing Witness to Survivors of Torture. Interdisciplinary Conference on Narrative Perspectives, Approaches, and Issues Across the Humanities and Social Sciences. St. Thomas University, May 16-19.
2001 Chambon, A., M. Abai, S. McGrath, T. Dremetsikas, M. Millard, B. Shapiro, S. Dudziak and M. Kumsa. Learning in the Shadow of the Eclipse: Bearing Witness to Survivors of Torture. Workshop presentation, Fourth International Conference on Transformative Learning, Toronto, November 2-4.
McGrath, Susan, Ken Moffatt, Usha George and Bill Lee.
"Community Practice in Diverse Communities Across Ontario". Canadian Association
of Schools of Social Work Annual Conference, Quebec City, Canada, May 27-30, 2001.
McGrath, Susan and Suzanne Dudziak. 2000. "A Settlement Service that Unsettles our
Knowledge Base and Moves Towards Social Change: The Challenge Posed by the Canadian Centre
for Victims of Torture". Joint Conference of the International Federation of Social
Workers and International Association of Schools of Social Work, Montreal Canada, July
29-Aug. 2, 2000.
George, Usha, Ken Moffatt, Susan McGrath, and Bill Lee. 2000. "Community Practice in
Marginalized Communities: A Pilot Study. Joint Conference of the International Federation
of Social Workers and International Association of Schools of Social Work, Montreal
Canada, July 29-Aug. 2, 2000.
Lee, Bill, Susan McGrath, Ken Moffatt and Usha George. 2000. "Defining Citizenship in
Contemporary Community Work". Joint Conference of the International Federation of
Social Workers and International Association of Schools of Social Work, Montreal Canada,
July 29-Aug. 2, 2000.
Chambon, Adrienne, Susan McGrath, Mulugeta Abai, Teresa Dremetsikas, BenZion Shapiro,
Suzanne Dudziak, Martha Kumsa and Michele Millard. 2000. "From Research to Service
Training: Creating Trustworthy Knowledge to Work with Survivors of Torture and War".
Fourth National Metropolis Conference, Toronto, Canada, March 22-25, 2000.
McGrath, Susan, Mulugeta Abai, Adrienne Chambon, BenZion Shapiro, Teresa Dremetsikas and
Suzanne Dudziak. 1999. "The Practice of Social Citizenship: Lessons from the Canadian
Centre for Victims of Torture", VIII International Symposium on Torture, Vigyan
Bhawan, India. September 22 - 25, 1999.
McGrath, Susan, Adrienne Chambon, Mulugeta Abai, BenZion Shapiro, Teresa Dremetsikas and
Suzanne Dudziak. 1999. "The Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture and Canadian
Universities: From a Research to an Educational Partnership for Social Services",
VIII International Symposium on Torture, Vigyan Bhawan, India. September 22 - 25, 1999.
McGrath, Susan. "Sustaining a Capacity for Social Policy Advocacy in Civil Society:
Lessons from the Toronto Social Planning Council". Ninth Canadian Social Policy
Conference, Montreal, Quebec, June 1999.
Abai, Mulugeta, Susan McGrath, Adrienne Chambon, BenZion Shapiro, Teresa Dremetsikas,
Suzanne Dudziak. 1999. "The Re-construction of Citizenship: Lessons Learned from
Survivors of Torture", Metropolis Year III, Vancouver, January 1999.
McGrath, Susan and Peter Clutterbuck. "Third Sector Transformation in an Emerging
City State: A Case Study of the Toronto Social Planning Council". Third International
Conference of the International Society for Third Sector Research, Geneva, Switzerland,
July 1998.
Moffatt, Ken, Usha George, Bill Lee and Susan McGrath. "Preparing for Community
Practice in the Twenty First Century: A Study of Community Social Planning", 1998
Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities, Ottawa, Ontario, May 31 - June 3, 1998.
Chambon, Adrienne, Mulugeta Abai, Teresa Dremetsikas, Susan McGrath and BenZion Shapiro.
1997. "Methodology in University-Community Research Partnerships: The Link-By-Link
Project as Case Study". Metropolis Year II, Montreal, November 1997.
McGrath, Susan and Peter Clutterbuck. "Sink or Swim Together: The Reconstruction of
Independent Social Planning in Toronto". Eighth Conference on Canadian Social Welfare
Policy, Regina, Saskatchewan, June 1997.
George, Usha, Bill Lee, Susan McGrath and Ken Moffatt. "The Contemporary Context of
Community Social Work Practice". Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work.
Learned Societies Conference, St. John's Newfoundland, June 1997.
"The Emperor's New Clothes: A Critical Examination of the Concept of Community
Capacity." Usha George, Bill Lee, Susan McGrath and Ken Moffatt. Canadian Association
of Schools of Social Work. Learned Societies Conference, St. John's Newfoundland, June
1997.
McGrath, Susan. "Practising Community-based Social Development in Canada: The Metro
Toronto Social Planning Council Mobilizes the Social". 1996. Joint World Congress of
the International Federation of Social Workers and the International Association of
Schools of Social Work, Hong Kong, July 1996.