Tarkington Newman
Associate Professor
Areas of Expertise
- Independent Study (SW 395)
- Social Work Research (SW 450)
- Applied Research Methods in Social Work (SW 750)
- Research Practicum (SW 786)
- Theory Development in the Social Work Profession (SW 783)
Highlighted Publications
- Newman, T., Lee, L., Santos, F., Ferreira, M., & Anderson-Butcher, D. (2025). Photo-based methods to illustrate the what-where-how of life skill transfer. Research on Social Work Practice [advanced online publication].
- Newman, T., Reynolds, J., Santos, F., Ferreira, M., Tarr, C., Turgeon, S., & Moore, M. (2025). The social work sport coach: New possibilities for a contemporary coaching pedagogy. Journal of Social Work [advanced online publication].
- Newman, T., Renner, D., Bessaha, M., Beasley, L., Kelshaw, P., Cimini, D., Moyer, V., Lee, L., Ekas, A., Thorne, K., Mastroleo, N., & Florio, M. (2025). Understanding college athlete mental health: Insights from division I athletic department personnel. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 18(3), 283-307.
Current Projects
- Athlete Identity Expression: Walkout Songs and Social Anthems
- International Youth Adoptees: Experiences of Relationship & Social Skills Development through Youth Sport
- Experiences & Opportunities for Women in Sports
Student & Research Availability
- Accepting Students in Programs: Bachelors | Doctoral | Masters
- Available Student Positions: Honors Thesis | Independent Study | Internships | Other Opportunities | Paid Hourly Work | Practicum
- Research or Interest Area Key Words: positive youth development, youth sport, life skills, social justice, mental health
Get to Know Tarkington
Dr. Tarkington J Newman is an Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work, where they serve as Director of the Sport Social Work Research Lab (SSW-RL) and Co-Director of the International Institute for Sport & Behavioral Health. They also serve as Co-Chair of the Research Committee for the Alliance of Social Workers in Sports (ASWIS), Research Fellow for Future of Sport Institute (FoSI) and U.S. Center for Mental Health and Sport, as well as an Affiliated Researcher for the Outdoor Research Collaborative.
Through the SSW-RL, Dr. Newman is committed to serving youth populations (ages 10-24) who are socially vulnerable and/or at-risk for behavioral and mental health problems. Their research seeks to actively engage historically-oppressed populations including youth of color, youth from economically disadvantaged urban communities, and LGBTQ+ youth. Specifically, Dr. Newman’s research focuses on promoting critical positive youth development (CPYD) through sport and other forms of physical activity. Using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, their research investigates mechanisms that promote the development and transfer of normative life skills (e.g., emotional regulation, communication, teamwork, leadership) and social justice life skills (e.g., antiracism, LGBTQ+ allyship, healthy masculinity, mental health literacy). The culmination of Dr. Newman’s research is related to the advancement of youth-centric coach education and the use of social work practice in sport settings (i.e., sport social work). To date, they have published 82 peer-reviewed journal articles, presented 80+ peer-reviewed international and national presentations, and helped secure $3,922,884 in grant funding/contracts for research.
Dr. Newman earned a BS in psychology (nutrition and performance minor, coaching endorsement) at Central Michigan University, MSW at the University of Michigan (school social work certification), as well as a MS in kinesiology (sport management concentration) and PhD in social work at The Ohio State University. In addition to their scholarship, Dr. Newman has over 15 years of experience coaching track and field, earning three high school state championships in Michigan.