Research Expertise

• International child adoption
• Child welfare
• Cancer health disparities

Teaching Expertise

• Social policy
• Feminist social work
• International social work
• Social theory

Background

Melania Popa-Mabe was promoted to her current title of Clinical Associate Professor in 2023 after eight years of teaching at the College of Social Work. She currently teaches in the undergraduate program, providing curricular leadership for macro-social work courses including social theory for social workers, social policy and advocacy for social and economic justice, feminist and anti-racist theory and practice.  

Popa-Mabe’s research and work experience in international child adoption and other transnational contexts informs her teaching international social work and social policy. Another key area of interest is feminist and anti-oppressive social work. She currently teaches Gender, Race and Social Justice as an Honors course H01 and as a Social Work elective. Current projects include developing a social justice and social movements course, and an international collaborative project with Romanian social work students. Popa-Mabe teaches in traditional and distance learning formats and completed the Carolina Online Learning & Teaching program in summer 2020, offered by the Center for Teaching Excellence. 

Popa-Mabe received bachelor’s degrees in social work and sociology, and a master’s degree in human resources management from Babes-Bolyai University in Romania. She earned her Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College, Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research.