Monit Cheung

Monit Cheung, Ph.D., LCSW, serves as the Mary R. Lewis Endowed Professor in Children & Youth at the Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston. With over four decades of experience as a social worker and educator, she specializes in child protection, play therapy, family counseling, and addressing service disparities affecting Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander communities.

• Education: PhD in Social Work (The Ohio State University, 1986), Geriatric Education Fellowship (University of Iowa, 1988), Doctoral Work in Economics (Louisiana State University, 1983-84), MSW (OSU, 1982), MA in Public Administration (OSU, 1982), Diploma in Sociology (Hong Kong Baptist College, 1979)

Research Interests focus on clinical and policy dimensions of child sexual abuse, domestic violence, forensic interview training, creative family therapy, and disparities in services for AANHPI populations across the lifespan. Her work bridges clinical practice, geriatrics, and systemic interventions in child welfare systems.

Scientific Awards:

• Mary R. Lewis Endowed Professorship
• Geriatric Education Fellowship

She directs the Child & Family Center for Innovative Research and leads the Child Welfare Education Project, a Title IV-E funded initiative training child welfare professionals. Her teaching spans clinical practice, human development, and international social work seminars.