Social Work Research
David Sabry Guirgis, LMSW received his Master of Social Work degree from Columbia University’s School of Social Work, where he focused on advanced policy practice with a concentration in contemporary social issues. His research interests span local fiscal, transportation, and housing policy, education policy, and the effects of poverty on interpersonal relationships and social fabric.
A sample of his research portfolio can be found below.
ANALYZING THE EFFECTS OF LEGALIZED SPORTS BETTING ON INCIDENTS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN NEW JERSEY (2025)
Drawing on prior research linking problem gambling, financial distress, and domestic violence, the study hypothesizes that sports betting legalization is associated with increased IPV. Using New Jersey State Police domestic violence data from 2017–2021, incidents were classified into "Intimate Partner Violence" and "Other Domestic Violence" categories, and a simple linear regression was run to assess whether IPV rates changed after the state's June 2018 legalization of sports betting. The regression yielded a statistically significant positive policy coefficient (35.64, p < 0.001), indicating an average increase of approximately 35.6 IPV incidents following legalization.
ADDRESSING THE MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS IN SCHOOLS: TOWARDS A NEW PARADIGM FOR ACTIVE SHOOTER DRILLS AND TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE (2024)
(Lead Author) The following policy brief outlines the historical and current context of gun violence prevention and mitigation efforts in America; international comparisons of the gun violence crisis; and a series of federal-level policy recommendations to address these gaps. Those recommendations include a federal commission on trauma-informed care in schools, which would present a series of guidelines for effective and mental health-centered active shooter drills; increased federal funding for trauma-informed care, including social workers, in schools; and, most importantly, a comprehensive gun violence prevention bill that would reduce the incidence of school shootings in America.
ROADMAP FOR A STATEWIDE COORDINATED RESPONSE TO THE CORRELATION OF HOMELESSNESS AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE, WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON THE LGBTQ+ POPULATION (2024)
We cannot comprehensively reduce the over-representation of LGBTQ+ homelessness and AMI prevalence without first addressing the fact that homelessness and AMI prevalence as a whole are linked, and perhaps driven by, poverty. Poverty, widely reported to be a key social determinant in mental health disorders, is also a key driver of childhood disruptive behavior disorders and caregiver depression (Acri et al. 2017). While the majority of LGBTQ+ young adults who have experienced homelessness reported being kicked out of their homes, well over a third of participants also cited poverty as a reason.
FREE THE 119: EXPANDING MASS TRANSIT OPTIONS AND CONNECTING WARDS ACROSS JERSEY CITY, NJ (2025)
This proposal would eliminate fares for one year on the 119 bus line as part of a pilot program to examine the effects of free bus fares on Jersey City residents. Any and all proposed bus pilots would require coordination with NJ Transit and the State of New Jersey; thus, the 119 was selected because it provides critical connections from the Bayonne border and Greenville to key hubs including Journal Square, the Heights, and the Newport/Hoboken border. Making the 119 free would not only alleviate financial pressure on working-class residents but also bridge transit access gaps across the city, resulting in increased access and reduced costs for working-class residents.