Sunday B. Fakunmoju, PhD, MSW, has been a faculty member in the Department of Social Work at Westfield State University since 2010. He teaches in the research and practice sequences, guiding students through courses such as Research I & II, Advanced Practice with Children and Youth, and Field Seminar. Education A.A. Liberal Arts B.A. Sociology M.A. Sociology M.A. Regional Science / Regional Planning M.S.W. Social Work – Hunter College School of Social Work, New York Ph.D. Social Work – University of Maryland, School of Social Work, Baltimore Research Interests Dr. Fakunmoju’s scholarship centers on the intersections of violence, child welfare, and sexual health across cultures . Employing both quantitative and qualitative methods, he investigates how parental and interpersonal violence shapes attitudes and psychosocial outcomes, evaluates the efficacy of violence-prevention interventions, and explores gender-based violence myths and stereotypes in cross-national contexts. Recent work extends into corporal punishment abolition, life satisfaction among social workers, and the psychometric refinement of instruments measuring beliefs about relationship violence. Publication Trends His 2021-2025 output demonstrates a sustained focus on adolescent victimization , rape myth acceptance , and gender-based violence across the United States, South Africa, Ghana, and Nigeria. Additional themes include corporal punishment policy, environmental/social governance (ESG) perceptions, and mental health among secondary-school students. Scientific Presentations & Professional Sharing Oral presentations at annual conferences of the Society for Social Work Research (2016-2019) Invited guest lecture at the University of Johannesburg (2017) Presentations at the Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meetings (2008-2016) Grants & Reports Dr. Fakunmoju has co-authored funded reports examining student-loan-forgiveness impacts on social-work turnover and contributed to white-paper literature reviews for child-welfare group-care initiatives. Clinical & Practice Background Before academe, he practiced in child-protective services conducting abuse/neglect investigations, provided alcohol and substance-abuse counseling, managed casework in group-home and school settings, and maintained an independent practice with foster youths—experiences that deeply inform his teaching and research.





