Dr. Fariyal Ross-Sheriff is a graduate professor and the Director of Ph.D. degree Program in Social Work at Howard University. Her area of specialization is displaced populations. These populations include two major groups – internationally: refugees, immigrants and undocumented migrants, and within the U.S. her focus is on the homeless and disaster victims.Within displaced populations Dr. Ross-Sheriff’s work emphasizes women, children and the elderly.With Dr. R.A. English, she has developed the Masters of Social Work degree level specialization in Social Work with Displaced Populations.She has taught in this specialization area for sixteen years.

Dr. Ross-Sheriff has worked extensively with Muslim refugees in Pakistan to examine the challenges facing refugees and service providers, and in Afghanistan to facilitate the repatriation and resettlement of refugees.In addition, she has conducted research on the role of women in the repatriation process.She has conducted training for service providers and made several presentations at professional conferences on refugee issues in countries of first asylum and different aspects of adaptation of refugees and immigrants to the United States.She serves as a member on the editorial boards of Social Thought, Affilia, Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Services, and Social Development Issues.

Among her many publication are co-edited two books:Mental Health and People of Color: Curriculum Development and Change, Howard University Press, 1983, Social Work Practice with Asian Americans, Sage Publications, Inc. 1992, and co-authored monographs entitled Muslim Refugees in the United States: A Guide for Service Providers and Al-Ummah: a handbook for the development of Muslim identity for North American Muslim youth, and sole authored research papers on adaptation of Muslim women to American society.