Doctoral students from UMB’s Schools of Social Work and Nursing showcase advanced qualitative research.
Doctoral students from the University of Maryland Schools of Social Work (UMSSW) and Nursing (UMSON) recently came together for an interprofessional celebration of qualitative inquiry at the spring Methods Café, a poster‑style event hosted by the Qualitative Research Interest Group. The session highlighted the work of students enrolled in the Advanced Qualitative Doctoral Elective, a course intentionally designed with input from doctoral students and faculty across both schools to foster deeper cross‑school collaboration.
Held on Tuesday, April 30, the café‑style poster session transformed the space into a hub of conversation as students shared the qualitative methods they examined in pair and small‑group projects. In total, 11 doctoral students — five from UMSON and six from UMSSW — presented their work, embodying UMB’s commitment to interprofessional education and scholarship. Their participation underscored how bringing together learners from different disciplines strengthens methodological rigor and broadens perspectives on research that addresses complex social and health issues.
Guided by Corey Shdaimah, PhD, instructor for the Advanced Qualitative Doctoral Elective, students organized their posters around a range of qualitative and hybrid approaches. Featured methods included grounded theory, phenomenology, community‑based participatory research and other participatory approaches, Photovoice, content analysis, and additional qualitative designs that bridge traditions. Each “station” functioned as a café table where attendees could stop by, ask questions, and engage in informal, method‑centered dialogue with presenters.
The purpose of the Methods Café was threefold: to highlight students’ methodological learning, to encourage cross‑method dialogue, and to create a lively, low‑stakes environment for sharing ideas as the semester drew to a close. In practice, it did all three — offering space for UMSON and UMSSW students and faculty to engage one another around research design, epistemology, and the practical realities of conducting qualitative studies in community, clinical, and policy settings. The event also served as a visible example of how UMSSW and UMSON are advancing campus goals around cross‑school partnership and community‑engaged scholarship.
Attendees were invited to circulate freely, moving from poster to poster much like patrons in a café, and conversations often extended beyond individual methods to questions of ethics, power, and positionality in qualitative work. The informal format encouraged early‑stage and more advanced doctoral students alike to ask “how” and “why” questions about methodological choices and to learn across traditions in a collegial, curiosity‑driven environment. By the end of the hour, presenters reported feeling more confident articulating their methodological decisions and more connected to peers and faculty from both schools.
Framed as a celebration as much as a learning opportunity, the Methods Café marked the close of the semester for the Advanced Qualitative Doctoral Elective while reinforcing the shared mission of the Schools of Social Work and Nursing: to prepare scholars who can design nuanced, community‑responsive research. Events like this one demonstrate how interprofessional, method‑focused spaces can deepen students’ skills, strengthen cross‑school relationships, and ultimately enhance the impact of the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s research on the communities it serves.