Fulbright-Nehru Awardees

DECEMBER 13, 2012

Dr. Thomas O'Hare, Associate Professor at Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, and Dr. Margaret V. Sherrer, Associate Professor at Lyndon State College (and recent graduate of the Boston College GSSW Doctoral Program) have both received Fulbright-Nehru Awards to teach and conduct research in Kerala, India. They will be affiliated with Rajagiri College in Kerala from January to April 2012.  More about Fulbright-Nehru Awardees »

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Scholarship Awarded to GSSW Doctoral Student

DECEMBER 6, 2012

Boston College Graduate School of Social Work doctoral student Alison Rhodes has received the Sarah Haley Memorial Fund Social Work Scholarship in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The award, given to a clinician in direct service to traumatized individuals, recognizes demonstrated potential to further the understanding of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) through clinical work, research, preparation for teaching, writing for publication, or the design of an innovative community program.  More about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Scholarship »

GSSW in the News
GSSW Lab Aims to Aid Immigrants' Integration

NOVEMBER 30, 2012

Boston College, founded 150 years ago to educate the children of Boston immigrants, has embarked on a new initiative to help foreign-born persons make a successful transition into American democratic society.

The Immigrant Integration Lab (IIL), housed at the University's Graduate School of Social Work and under the direction of Westy Egmont, is a unique applied research lab that addresses the critical issue of immigrant inclusion. The IIL draws on academic and clinical expertise to provide resources, studies and leadership to national working groups, local agencies and professional leadership that focus on immigrant integration.  More about GSSW Center »

GSSW in the News
A Voice for Social Justice

NOVEMBER 29, 2012

After coming of age in a crucible of war and destruction, Demetrius Iatridis has spent his adult life seeking to foster a world built on cooperation and compassion for those in need.

Iatridis will retire next month after 46 years as a faculty member in the Graduate School of Social Work, with a reputation as an esteemed researcher and teacher in social policy and social welfare. He’s also been hailed as a pioneer in bringing an international context to social work, particularly for his study of former communist nations’ efforts to build social services systems in a market economy.

GSSW faculty, staff and alumni, as well as special guests, honored Iatridis on November 12 in the Heights Room of Corcoran Commons. The event featured a keynote speech from former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis and a panel discussion.  More about A Voice for Social Justice »

American Cancer Society Honors GSSW Research Professor with Distinguished Achievement Award

NOVEMBER 27, 2012

Boston College Graduate School of Social Work research faculty member Barbara J. Berkman was honored recently with the Distinguished Achievement in Cancer Award at the American Cancer Society Volunteer and Staff Leadership Summit in Atlanta. The award recognizes Berkman's tireless research, practice, and advocacy of social work and its importance in caring for cancer patients and their families. She is responsible for advancements in the assessment instruments that oncology social workers use to identify patients and families who are at risk for poor psychosocial adjustment to changes in health status.  More about American Cancer Society Honor »

Health Policy Commission Board Appointment

NOVEMBER 15, 2012

Marylou Sudders, MSW, Associate Professor of Macro Practice and Chair of the Health and Mental Health Concentration at Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, has been appointed to the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission Board. The board appointments include a diverse mix of distinguished health policy experts, practitioners, and industry leaders.  More about Health Policy Commission Board Appointment »

Comparison of European and U.S. Social Policy and Practice

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

Visiting Professor Westy Egmont, Director of the new Immigrant Integration Lab (IIL) at Boston College Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW), led a group of ten graduate students on a summer elective course to Europe where they took a closer look at the policies and practices of immigrant integration in the European Union (EU). The group of four macro and six clinical practice students met with social service agencies, government officials, and advocacy groups in Oxford, London, Brussels, and Paris to learn more about the immigration challenges facing the EU.  More about Comparison of Social Policy »

Immigrant Integration Lab Fellowship Award

OCTOBER 31, 2012

The Boston College Graduate School of Social Work Immigrant Integration Lab (IIL) is pleased to announce its first Immigrant Integration Fellow. A $10,000 Fellowship has been awarded to Lyndsey McMahan, MSW '14, who will research the provision of basic needs to asylees in the United States being released from detention centers. McMahan, selected from a competitive pool of applicants, is a former community health worker in Zambia with the Peace Corps and a local social worker who has returned to school after a decade in the field.  More about the Immigrant Integration Lab Fellowship »

GSSW in the News
Conference on Foster Care Affirms GSSW Partnership

OCTOBER 19, 2012

A collaboration between the Graduate School of Social Work and the Home for Little Wanderers — a renowned Boston-based non-profit child and family service agency — achieved a milestone last month with its first co-sponsored event, a conference titled "Finding Common Ground: Foster Care, Adoption, and Permanency for Children."

"It was a great day," said GSSW Donahue and DiFelice Professor Ruth McRoy, who has led GSSW’s collaboration with the Home for Little Wanderers, in an interview last week. "Planning the conference together was an important experience — bringing together a group of scholars and practitioners to share viewpoints, observations and expertise. We were very pleased with the number of attendees, and the diversity of affiliations."  More about the Conference on Foster Care »

Professor Selected as Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare

SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

Professor Kevin Mahoney, director of the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work's National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services (NRCPDS), has been selected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare. The Academy is an honorific society of distinguished scholars and practitioners dedicated to achieving excellence in the field of social work and social welfare through high impact work that advances social good.  More about Professor Selected as Fellow »

GSSW in the News
GSSW Alumna Is Witness to History

AUGUST 17, 2012

Colleen Fitzgerald thought she was simply embarking on an international field placement last year to complete her studies in the Graduate School of Social Work. Instead, she wound up being a witness to history.

Upon completing her internship with the International Medical Corps in Jordan, Fitzgerald was offered an opportunity by the organization to work in an unlikely, and dangerous, setting: Libya, which at the time was in the throes of an uprising against long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.

But Fitzgerald decided to go. Now, with the first anniversary of Gaddafi’s overthrow this month, she is reflecting on what has been an eventful year, both for her and the country she has called home.  More about GSSW Alumna from the Boston College Chronicle »

Read Colleen Fitzgerald's article published in Intervention Journal about mental health and psychosocial support in post-conflict Libya (PDF) »

Leader in Mental Health Services Joins GSSW

AUGUST 16, 2012

Recent President and CEO of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC), Marylou Sudders, will join the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work this fall as a full-time associate professor of Macro Practice in the Health & Mental Health concentration.  More about Leader in Mental Health Services »

New Faculty Appointment in Health & Mental Health Concentration

JUNE 29, 2012

Boston College Graduate School of Social Work is pleased to announce that Summer Sherburne Hawkins will join the Health & Mental Health Concentration as an assistant professor this fall. Hawkins is a social epidemiologist whose research focuses on examining the impact of policies on disparities in maternal and child health.  More about New Faculty Appointment »

GSSW in the News
Professor Selected as Hartford Faculty Scholar

JUNE 27, 2012

Christina Matz-Costa was selected as a 2012 Hartford Faculty Scholar in Geriatric Social Work. She is one of eight scholars nationwide selected to receive $100,000 over the next two years to enhance research, teaching, and leadership skills. Matz-Costa is an Assistant Professor in the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work and a Senior Research Associate at the Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College.  More about Hartford Faculty Scholar from the Sloan Center on Aging & Work »

Doctoral Student Selected for Gerontological Social Work Award

JUNE 7, 2012

Sara Miller, a doctoral student at Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, has been selected for the third cohort of the Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work Pre-Dissertation Initiative. The goal of the Initiative is to support dissertation and career development in gerontological social work research and education.  More about Doctoral Student Award »

GSSW in the News
GSSW Student Selected as Schweitzer Fellow

MAY 7, 2012

Caitlin Partyka, a first-year student at Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, has been selected as a 2012-2013 Albert Schweitzer Fellow in recognition of her dedication and skill in meeting the health needs of underserved communities, and whose example influences and inspires others.

Working through Sociedad Latina in Roxbury, Partyka has established an exercise program that offers weekly opportunities for area youths to participate in physical activity and to learn about diabetes prevention, nutrition, and overall health and wellness. Through the program, she also hopes to foster leadership among young people, bolstering their confidence and problem-solving skills in the process.

"Caitlin represents the professionalism, drive, and creativity that social workers strive for on a continual basis. She is a complete asset to our profession and we are so proud of her fellowship," said GSSW faculty member Sandee Tisdale.  More about Schweitzer Fellow from the Boston College Chronicle »

GSSW 2012 Commencement Ceremonies

MAY 3, 2012

See photo slideshow of Commencement 2012 »

Mildred "Mit" Joyner, current president of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), will give the "Greetings" at this year's Boston College Graduate School of Social Work Diploma Ceremony. Founded in 1952, CSWE is the sole accrediting agency for social work education in the U.S.

Ms. Joyner is a full professor and chair emerita of the undergraduate social work department at West Chester University (WCU).  More about GSSW 2012 Commencement »

Professor Emeritus Receives CSWE Lifetime Achievement Award

APRIL 30, 2012

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) has named Elaine Pinderhughes as the 2012 recipient of the Significant Lifetime Achievement in Social Work Education Award. Pinderhughes is professor emeritus at Boston College Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) and a member of the Advisory Board. She helped the GSSW establish the Pinderhughes Diversity Lecture Series, which bears her name and is now in its sixth year.  More about CSWE Award »

GSSW Adjunct Faculty Member Receives 2012 Day-Garrett Award

APRIL 30, 2012

Suzin Bartley, executive director of Children's Trust Fund (CTF), is the 2012 recipient of the Day-Garrett Award from Smith College School for Social Work. The award is presented annually to outstanding contributors to professional social work. Bartley is a member of the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work Advisory Board and serves as an adjunct faculty member.  More about Adjunct Faculty Award »

GSSW in the News
GSSW Student Chronicles a Call to Religious Life in America Magazine

APRIL 18, 2012

Catherine Kirwan-Avila, a student at the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, chronicles her ongoing discernment of the call to religious life in an essay for America magazine.  Read the essay in America magazine »

GSSW in the News
GSSW Establishes New Center for Social Innovation

APRIL 12, 2012

The Graduate School of Social Work has established a center to formalize and coordinate its initiatives in the emerging field of social innovation, which blends practices in social work and entrepreneurship.

The Center for Social Innovation (CSI) will build on GSSW programs that promote social innovation as a new model for enhancing social justice in an era of decreased public funding and resources, according to the CSI co-directors, GSSW Associate Professors Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes and Stephanie Berzin.  Read more from the Boston College Chronicle »

U.S. News Ranks BC Social Work in Top Ten

MARCH 14, 2012

The 2013 U.S. News and World Report listing of "America’s Best Graduate Schools" has ranked the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work at #10.

The current ranking, which coincides with the academic year marking our school's 75th Anniversary, "reflects the amazing accomplishments of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni, and our strong relationships with local and global partners," said Dean Alberto Godenzi.  more »

Promotion & Tenure Announcement

MARCH 5, 2012

Boston College Graduate School of Social Work is pleased to announce that Stephanie Cosner Berzin, PhD, has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. Berzin chairs the Children, Youth and Families concentration and is co-director of the new Center for Social Innovation. Her areas of research include vulnerable youth, child welfare, school social work, emerging adulthood, and child and adolescent mental health. In 2009, Berzin was awarded the Frank R. Breul Memorial Prize for her article in the Social Service Review.

Social Innovation Symposium

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

A conversation among three social entrepreneurs working to bring social innovation to the nonprofit, for-profit, and public sectors was organized by the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work in partnership with the undergraduate Capstone Program.  more »

National Media Highlights Research Study by GSSW's Sloan Center on Aging & Work

JANUARY 27, 2012

A new study by Jacquelyn James, Elyssa Besen, Christina Matz-Costa, and Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes of GSSW's Sloan Center on Aging & Work has been highlighted nationally in Time.com, SmartMoney.com, and USA Today. The study looks at the well-being of older adults as tied to their active engagement in paid work, caregiving, education, and volunteering.

GSSW in the News
"GSSW to Collaborate on Program in Afghanistan"

JANUARY 24, 2012

A collaboration between Boston College and Hunter College aims to help establish social work as a recognized profession in Afghanistan, by developing national qualification standards and university level curricula at undergraduate and graduate levels.

Eileen Ihrig, director of international programs at the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, is the co-principal investigator for the project, which will create occupational standards and training systems that focus on child protection.  Read more from the Boston College Chronicle »
Read the article from the Boston College Heights »

GSSW in the News
Doctoral Student Researches Plight of African-American Women with HIV/AIDS Who Provide Care for Family Members

JANUARY 23, 2012

Graduate School of Social Work doctoral student Charu Stokes undertook a study of 24 Boston-area African-American women — mostly single and ranging in age from 30s to 60s — coping with HIV/AIDS even as they provide care for their children or other family members. Stokes' findings suggest that women in such situations use available health care services, but eschew programs that provide assistance for child and family care. The project earned Stokes two dissertation awards.  Read more from the Boston College Chronicle »

2012 Distinguished Alumni Award Presentation

JANUARY 20, 2012

Brian Toomey, MSW '80, was selected as the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient by the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work in recognition of his 30+ years of leadership, achieving positive results on behalf of low-income, chronically ill, and disabled populations. Throughout much of his career, Brian has been at the helm, developing and managing community health care systems to meet unmet community needs.  Read more and watch video »