Faculty Director
gmsamuels@uchicago.edu 
773-702-8932

Gina (she/her) is Professor of Social Work at the University of Chicago's Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, and has served as the faculty director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture since September 1, 2022. Her research focuses on transracial adoption, mixed race and multiethnic identity formation, and the relational, kinship, and cultural ties among young adults affected by foster care, adoption, and home loss. Professor Samuels situates these lived experiences within broader historical, cultural, theoretical, and policy contexts to explore how identity and well-being are influenced by societal constructs of kinship, family, race, and belonging.

Her scholarship has been widely published in professional journals and academic books, and has informed practices in federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and state child welfare agencies. Additionally, she serves as a consulting editor for numerous prominent journals in her field and is an active board member of Creating a Family, a nonprofit focused on training adoptive parents.

Professor Samuels holds an M.S.S.W. and Ph.D. in Social Work and Social Welfare from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has experience in child welfare, juvenile probation, and community-based social work.