Erick da Luz Scherf, MSW
Social Worker,
Author,
Researcher & Educator
Hello, thank you for visiting this platform!
I'm Erick, an emerging scholar and researcher in the fields of Social Work & Health.
I follow a tradition of critical inquiry and human rights-based approaches to health and social care services. I have a passion for research, service, and advocacy at the intersection of social work, health, and public policies, especially concerning vulnerable groups and marginalized populations.
Personally speaking, my identity as a Brazilian-born individual informs the way I look at a lot of things in life, including the rampant inequities experienced by the populations I study. Growing up poor in South America has fundamentally shaped my worldviews and, to this day, still influences my theoretical and conceptual orientations toward socioeconomic inequality and health inequities.
I believe that solutions to society's most pressing social problems should be aimed at fostering structural reforms, empathy/solidarity, and collective action at all levels of government and society.
Short Bio
I am currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Alabama School of Social Work. I was born and raised in Brazil, where I completed my undergraduate degree in International Relations and Politics. My academic journey has taken me to Portugal, Norway, and Sweden, where I earned a Master of Social Work degree.
My research focuses on public health, social policy, and migration, with an emphasis on the social and structural factors affecting Latinx and Brazilian migrant communities. I have contributed to research projects on health and human rights in Denmark and Brazil, and I am currently involved with the Initiative on Social Work and Forced Migration at Washington University in St. Louis and the Rest & Resilience (R&R) Research Group at the University of Alabama.
For my doctoral research, I am examining how career trajectories — particularly occupational mobility — impact the health and psychosocial well-being of Latinx migrant workers.
As a first-generation college student, I am the first in my immediate family to pursue higher education, as neither of my parents completed elementary school. I was also the first in my family to travel abroad. My long-term goal is to become a university professor, combining research, teaching, and mentorship to advance knowledge on social issues and contribute to solutions that support underserved communities.
My latest accomplishments
Selected as CSWE Doctoral Student Policy Fellow
2025-2026 Cohort
"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes ... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. ... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things. ... They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."
- Steve Jobs