Dr Hyacinth Udah ~ Senior Lecturer, Social Work

Hyacinth Udah is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work and Human Services, and currently works in the College of Arts, Society and Education at James Cook University (JCU), Bebegu Yumba Campus in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Before moving into the academia, Hyacinth worked as a teacher, editor, counsellor, social worker, and student’s success coach. He moved to Australia for further education and earned his Ph.D. in Sociology and Welfare from Griffith University. He has also a Master of Social Work degree from the Australian Catholic University, plus a Bachelor of Theology, 1st Class (Pontifical Urban University Rome), and Bachelor of Philosophy, 1st Class (Imo State University).

His teaching ethos is to support students to become lifelong evidenced based learners, problem solvers and outstanding practitioners. While teaching is a passion for him, he is also a community change agent, and an active researcher. His research projects are embedded in the interdisciplinary, overlapping, core research areas of critical social work, migration, critical race and whiteness, mental health, and wellbeing, focusing on equity and social justice for enabling transformative social change.

Since his doctoral research, he has been working predominantly on a long-term agenda for building practice-based evidence for interventions that improve wellbeing and integration of individuals, children, and families, including migrants, and refugees from culturally and linguistically diverse populations to reach their potential. He has expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methods. 

Hyacinth is committed to social justice, inclusion, and human rights, which are the principles that inform and guide his teaching and research scholarship. He has a social justice heart for all and works towards attaining social justice and human rights for individuals, families, and communities in a local and global context. 

His latest research project titled “COVID-19 and mental well-being of international students in North Queensland” is examining the experience of life and learning, as well as mental wellbeing and coping strategies of international students in North Queensland during COVID 19 crisis. The findings will help formulate recommendations on how international students can be supported in crisis situations and improve their wellbeing, life, and retention in the tropics.

Teaching

• SS5103: Post-Graduate Research Methods for the Social Sciences (Level 5; CNS & TSV)
• WS2510: Interpersonal Practice (Level 2; TSV)
• WS2512: Organisational Practice (Level 2; TSV)
• WS3027: Social Welfare Practice with Children and Families (Level 3; TSV)
• WS5005: Social Policy Analysis (Level 5; TSV)
• WS5103: Community Development (Level 5; TSV)

Interests

Research

• Critical social work
• Migration and social work
• Whiteness, critical race, and ethnicity
• Migrant and refugee settlement and integration
• Health, mental health, and wellbeing of minorities
• Indigenous studies and community development
• Coloniality, decoloniality, and transformation

Teaching

• Equity, social justice, and social change
• Human rights, and advocacy
• Social policy, and welfare
• Strengths-based and anti-oppressive practice
• Multicultural and inclusive practice
• Whiteness, critical race theory, and ethnicity
• History and community development
• Organisational practice
• Decoloniality, post coloniality, anti-colonial practice
• Research methodology and methods

Research Disciplines

• Social work (4409)
• Sociology (4410)

Awards

• 2021 - Editor’s Choice Award - This award is given to an article which, in the editors’ opinion, is a scholarly work of a high standard
• 2016 - International Sociological Association Scholarship Fund

Memberships

• 2016 - International Sociological Association
• 2012 - Australian Association of Social Workers

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU.

Journal Articles

• Ackah-Jnr F and Udah H (2021) Implementing inclusive education in early childhood settings: the interplay and impact of exclusion, teacher qualities, and professional development in Ghana. Journal of Educational Research & Practice, 11 (1), pp. 112-125, DOI:10.5590/JERAP.2021.11.1.08.
• Cartmel J, Miller D, Udah H, Harris P and Smith K (2021) WINGS to Fly: what can be learned from the evaluation of a programme for supporting children's social and emotional wellbeing and the resulting knowledge partnership? Advances in Social Work and Welfare Education, 22 (2), pp. 100-120.
• Udah H and Francis A (2021) COVID-19: challenges, opportunities, and the future of social work. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 15 (1), pp. 54-74.
• Udah H (2021) Coloniality of power and international students experience: what are the ethical responsibilities of social work and human service educators? Ethics and Social Welfare, 15 (1), pp. 84-99, DOI:10.1080/17496535.2021.1880612.
• Udah H (2021) Negotiating the challenges of everyday life: the African immigrant experience in Queensland, Australia. African Identities, 19 (2), pp. 123-140, DOI:10.1080/14725843.2020.1792272.
• Francis A and Udah H (2020) Coronavirus and Ruby Princess crew in Australia: a call for increased macro level social work. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 14 (6), pp. 166-181.
• Gimba S, Harris P, Saito A, Udah H, Martin A and Wheeler A (2020) The modules of mental health programs implemented in schools in low- and middle-income countries: findings from a systematic literature review. BMC Public Health, 20, Article: 1581, DOI:10.1186/s12889-020-09713-2.
• Holscher D, Kanamugireb C and Udah H (2020) A Matter of lies and death - necropolitics and the question of engagement with the aftermath of Rwanda's genocide. Journal of Gender Studies, 29 (1), pp. 34-48, DOI:10.1080/09589236.2019.1691982.
• Mwanri L, Gesesew H, Lee V, Hiruy K, Udah H, Kwedza R and Dune T (2020) Health literacy environment of breast and cervical cancer among black African women globally: a systematic review protocol of mixed methods. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17 (9), Article: 3158, DOI:10.3390/ijerph17093158.
• Cartmel J, Udah H, San Gil O and Prause A (2019) Self-regulation, behaviours and learning among children: an evaluation of the Journey to the Island of Calm programme in Australia. Children Australia, 44 (3), pp. 126-135, DOI:10.1017/cha.2019.9.

Book Chapters

• Gorrie A and Udah H (2020) Loose parts in an outside-school-hours care setting. In: Playwork Practice at the Margins: research perspectives from diverse settings. Advances in Playwork Research. Routledge, Abingdon, UK, pp. 78 -88
• Udah H (2020) Decoloniality and social work education and practice. In: Social Work Education, Research and Practice: perspectives from India and Australia. Springer, Singapore, pp. 127-137

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 20+ research outputs authored by Dr Hyacinth Udah from 2017 onwards.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Exploring Challenges faced by Domestic and Family Violence Service Providers when Working with Victims of Forced Marriage from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds (Masters , Secondary Advisor)
• Achieving Educational Equality and better outcomes for Students from Migrant and Refugee backgrounds (PhD , Secondary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.