About

Dr. Gina Chowa first joined the UNC School of Social Work staff in 2008 as an assistant professor and now serves as a full professor and as Associate Dean for Global Engagement.  Dr. Chowa is the founding director of Global Social Development Innovations, which launched in 2017. Her current work focuses on nationwide, large-scale experimental demonstrations of economic security interventions and pioneering pilot programs to improve the welfare of marginalized populations including low-income youth, people living with HIV/AIDS, women, poor rural households, and urban slum dwellers. She is currently leading groundbreaking research projects in India, Kenya, and the Philippines. Her work has been funded by the MasterCard Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Chronic Poverty Research Centre, University of North Carolina (UNC), National Institutes of Health and UNC Center for AIDS Research, and UNC School of Social Work.

Awards and Honors

• Ruth and Philip Hettleman Prize for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement (2014)
• Wallace Kuralt Early Career Distinguished Professorship (2016)
• Johnson-Howard-Adair Distinguished Professorship (2020)

In the news

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  Program Design and Youth Employability Outcomes in South Africa

  Gina Chowa, PhD, MSW, conducted a study examines the association between program design and youth employability outcomes. Using longitudinal survey data from the Siyakha Youth Assets project in South Africa, she analyzed responses from a sample of 1809 youth enrolled in eight different employment programs across the country. These findings underscore that the design and … Read more

Education