Currents (Spring 2015) by Boston University School of Social Work

currents Boston University School of Social Work

Spring/Summer 2015

A Call to Action: The Racial Justice Issue

Also in this issue: Aging in America An Emerging Movement Reminds Us of the Promise of MLK

F EAT U R ES

D E PA RTM E N TS 01 From the Dean

06 Aging in America

BUSSW professors and the 2015 White House Conference on Aging.

02 School News 06 In Research 08 Faculty Highlights 11 Snapshots

22 26 O N TH E COV E R Graduation cap at the 2015 BUSSW Convocation.

22 Bring It On!

The new Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services, Marylou Sudders (’78).

12 Student Experience 30 Alumni Updates 32 Alumni Association Message

26 An Emerging Movement Professor Phillipe Copeland weighs in.

CORRECTIONS In the winter 2015 issue of Currents, Susan Corl’s (‘95) name was spelled incorrectly.

Please recycle this publication.

FROM THE DEAN

Boston University School of Social Work Spring/Summer 2015 Dean Gail Steketee, PhD Editor Rebecca Grossfield Marketing & Communications Specialist Contributing Writers Phillipe Copeland Annie Pullen (COM’15) Design Lilly Pereira Photography Boston University Photography Caitlin Cunningham National Association of Social Workers—MA Chapter Rebecca Grossfield The Daily Free Press Currents is produced bi-annually for the alumni and friends of Boston University School of Social Work. For more information, visit us at

bu.edu/ssw Comments or suggestions? Let us know! Mail correspondence to: Editor, Currents Marketing & Communications Boston University School of Social Work 264 Bay State Road Boston, MA 02215 or email rebdg@bu.edu.

FO L LOW U S O N: Facebook facebook.com/bussw Twitter twitter.com/bussw Instagram instagram.com/bussw Pinterest pinterest.com/bussw Boston University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution.

Greetings from 264 Bay State Road! After a very long winter, we New Englanders are enjoying the warmer weather. I hope you will take a moment to sit back and enjoy our new issue of Currents. This latest issue honors our school’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. With the introduction of a revised mission statement earlier in the year came the opportunity to reflect on our values as a community. I am proud of the collaboration across faculty, staff, alumni, and students that resulted in a 21st century mission highlighting our social work roots in social, racial, and economic justice. During the course of the year, we social workers struggled with the news of Grand Jury decisions not to indict officers Daniel Pantaleo or Darren Wilson in the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. We came together during several open discussion forums that provided an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to process these tragic events. We also hosted guest speakers, including Boston Police Commissioner William Evans and the Black & Pink organization. Many students, faculty, and staff joined the larger Boston community in local demonstrations. In our cover story, I invite you explore the many activities and conversations that took place this year and the ways we plan to move forward as an even stronger community. Our new “In Research” section explores the ongoing research by several of our faculty on key issues regarding aging adults. We have much to celebrate this year. Members of the Class of 2015 walked across the stage at Boston University’s FitRec Center on May 15 and officially launched their careers as social workers. Our very own Marylou Sudders (’78) took on a massive job as Secretary of Massachusetts Health and Human Services. We joined forces with our social work professional colleagues in celebrating her leadership role this spring at the State House. I know you’ll find her story inspiring, and we all look forward to hearing more from her as she creates opportunities and faces challenges in the state of Massachusetts. I am happy to report that we have already met our $20 million campaign goal with two years yet to go. But despite this success, BUSSW still has a tremendous need to support our students by increasing our scholarship dollars. I believe that with your support we can raise another $10 million to bring in top applicants who otherwise cannot afford to come. I will personally contribute to that goal and I hope you will join me. My very best wishes for a rejuvenating summer, Gail Steketee, PhD Dean and Professor

Boston University School of Social Work

SCHOOL NEWS

At a Glance

705 Total number of students currently enrolled

10:1

Student/faculty ratio

48.9% Online students @ BU

60&65 Associate Dean Ken Schulman & Clinical Professor Betty J. Ruth

Help us celebrate Betty and Ken during their milestone year by making a gift to support the MSW/MPH Dual Degree Program. Visit bu.edu/ssw/alumni/giving to donate today. Watch for details on a gala celebration as part of the BUSSW Alumni Association Awards Ceremony on September 26.

200,000+

Hours of service provided to the community through field placements across the country.

22.1%

ALANA students (African American/Black, Latino, Asian American/Pacific Islander, and Native American Students)

$5.7MILLION

Total endowments, towards a goal of $10 million.

$2,036,000

Scholarships awarded during 2014–15.

$48,625

Estimated cost of attendance for the 2014–15 academic year*

Looking to the Future: BUSSW Revises Mission Statement Over the course of this past year, BUSSW took on the challenging task of revising its mission and goals. As part of an intensive and collaborative effort that included faculty, students, and alumni, we are proud of the results and believe our updated mission will continue to inform and guide our work here at Boston University. Below is the final vision and mission statement which was rolled out this spring. To read more, visit bu.edu/ssw/about. Vision

Our vision is to advance a just and compassionate society that promotes health and wellbeing and the empowerment of all oppressed groups, especially those affected by racial, social, and economic inequities. Mission

Our mission is to develop dynamic and diverse social work practitioners, leaders, and scholars through rigorous teaching, innovative research, and transformative community engagement.

*Full-time, Charles River Campus student

Congratulations BRIDGE Graduates BUSSW is home to the unique Building Refugee and Immigrant Degrees for Graduate Education (BRIDGE) Program. Through guided admissions preparation and ongoing mentoring and support, the program aims to increase access to graduate social work education for refugees and immigrants. Six students recently completed this milestone.

Alexis Agrinsoni (‘15) Fatimazahra Bouida (‘15) Telahun Gebrehiwot (‘15) Touria Hafsi (‘15) Kate Lessard (‘15) Catherine Medina-Perez (‘15)

Alexis Agrinsoni (‘15) at a winter BRIDGE celebration.

currents spring/summer 2015

SCHOOL NEWS

Q U OTA B L E

“ Social work opens any door that you want to run through.” MARYLOU SUDDERS (’78) see page 18 to learn more about the new Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Sarah Garlington (’15) Accepts Tenure-Track Position at Ohio University After successfully defending her dissertation, “The Role of Religion in Social Welfare Provision and Policy: Congregations in a U.S. City,” Dr. Sarah Garlington earned a PhD in the Interdisciplinary Sociology and Social Work Program this spring. She will begin a tenure-track position at Ohio University in the Department of Social and Public Health this fall.

Seventy-Five Online Students

Complete their MSW

Congratulations to our online MSW students! Seventy-five students graduated this spring. Several of this year’s graduates hail from North Carolina and California. Shannon Kelleher, from Springfield, Illinois, was the Online Program Graduation Student Speaker.

BU NORTH CAMPUS MOVES TO BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS The BU North Campus, previously located in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, has moved! This Off-Campus Site relocated to Middlesex Community College this spring. The new space features additional resources, ample parking, and a convenient and picturesque campus.

ONLINE ADVANCED STANDING LAUNCHES SEPTEMBER 2015 Beginning September 2015, MSW@BU will offer an Advanced Standing option. Open to graduates of an undergraduate social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, online Advanced Standing students complete the program in six consecutive semesters.

2015 BUSSW SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

Kathy Cooney, MSW, LICSW Joins Fall River Campus as an Advisor Kathy Cooney—who earned her MSW from Syracuse University and is currently a clinical social worker at Hasbro Children’s Hospital—joins the Fall River Campus team this summer as an advisor, bringing her extensive clinical and field placement supervisory experience to the Off-Campus Program.

Cohen Scholarship Loren Belforti (’15) Faith Breisblatt (’15) Alicia Mahony (’15) Paul Mersfelder (’15) Howell Scholarship Brittni Reilly (’15) Ruth Cowin Prize Lianne Hope (‘14, SPH’15) Leidy Springsted (‘13, SPH’15)

Boston University School of Social Work

SCHOOL NEWS

BU Women’s Council Scholarships Five of the fourteen BU Women’s Council Scholarships awarded for 2015 went to School of Social Work students. The scholarships—which date back to 1939—support BU women graduate students and enable “students more time to devote to their studies while they are here, and more time to dedicate to achieving their goals once they leave.” The BUSSW recipients included:

Marion Wheeler Parson Memorial Scholarship Celeste Brown (‘16) New England Women’s Club Scholarship Brittany McLaren (‘16)

Celeste Brown (‘15) receiving her award during the April 21 ceremony at the Fisk House.

In the Community Mental Health Training for Social Workers Wraps Up Final Year The Off-Campus Program concludes its final year of “In the Community Mental Health Training for Social Workers.” The grant provided the opportunity for thirteen students to receive stipends and enroll in field internships in the medically underserved communities of New Bedford and Lowell. Students and their field instructors participated in six seminars on child and adolescent trauma, mental health issues related to HIV, pharmacologic treatment of PTSD and substance use, refugee and immigrant trauma, and aging and parenting. Seminars were offered to the community-at-large and participants received continuing education credits. Preliminary results are very positive.

currents spring/summer 2015

BUWC Scholarships Jelisa Adair (‘16) Christine Brienza (‘16) Kimberly Doherty (‘15)

New Curriculum Innovation Grant Will Bring Real-World Policy Practice to Social Policy Courses Associate Dean and Professor Mary Collins, Assistant Dean and Director of the Dual Degree Program in Social Work & Education, Trudy Zimmerman, and part-time faculty member Danielle Ferrier (Vice President at Justice Resource Institute and Executive Director of Rediscovery) received a course innovation grant to add a policy practice component to the Social Welfare Policy and Programs on Children (aka WP 707) course at BUSSW. The newly revamped course will expand the teaching of policy issue fundamentals, and help students engage in real world policy practice. Under the Executive Office of Health and Human Services’ direction, the Special Commission for Homeless, Unaccompanied Youth has commissioned BUSSW to engage in a policy analysis project that will lead to a white paper with policy recommendations. Students taking WP 707 will analyze federal and level policies relating to housing/services for transitional age youth (17-25) and make recommendations for policy changes. The results will be presented to the Special Commission for Homeless, Unaccompanied Youth and EOHHS.

Professor Janice Furlong Receives BU Metcalf Cup and Prize

Professor Janice Furlong

Clinical Associate Professor and Director of the Certificate in Clinical Social Work and Behavioral Medicine Janice Furlong received Boston University’s highest teaching award this year. The Metcalf Cup and Prize citation has this to say: “Exemplary educator, accomplished clinician, and generous mentor to countless students and faculty over the years, Professor Furlong is that rare teacher whose unrelenting devotion to excellence inspires not only the best from her students but the advancement of her field and the art, itself, of instruction.” Stay tuned for more in the next issue of Currents.

In the Field Deb Riggs (’15), Cape Cod Campus As a result of her field experience, Deb Riggs was instrumental in facilitating a Wampanoag tribe cultural awareness workshop on the Cape Cod Campus. Approximately 3,000 members of the tribe still live in New England. The workshop focused on working with Wampanoag families, and, while geared towards students and field instructors, was open to the wider community. Suzie Walker (’16) Online Program, Located in Ohio Suzie Walker is currently completing her advanced field placement at the Women’s Therapeutic Court at the Forensic Psychiatry Center for Western Ohio. The Forensic Psychiatry Center for Western Ohio assists the Municipal, County, and Common Pleas Courts in determining the disposition of cases in which substance abuse, mental illness, emotional disturbance, and maturity may have influenced the defendant/ respondent’s behavior and their ability to participate in Court proceedings, sanctions, or rehabilitation. Allyson Delprino (’16), Charles River Campus Allyson Delprino is a first year clinical student completing her field placement at Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership. She is working with clients who are struggling with hoarding issues and who are at risk for a variety of problems, including eviction.

Off-Campus Program Graduates Forty-one Off-Campus Program students earned their MSW in 2015. Most students live and work in the New Bedford, Fall River, Greater Lowell, and Cape Cod areas. Graduates plan to continue their careers within their home communities. Heather Shruhan, of Brockton, Massachusetts, was the OffCampus Program Graduation Student Speaker.

Eleven Students Present Independent Leadership Projects During Final 2014–15 Lowy-GEM Seminar, Francis G. Frank Prize Winners Announced On April 17, during the final Lowy-GEM (Geriatric Education Model) Seminar for 2014–15, eleven Lowy-GEM Program students presented their Independent Leadership Projects before a panel of three faculty judges who selected winners of the Francis G. Frank Prize. Judges evaluated the quality of the projects and presentations and the contribution to the students’ field agencies or to the field of aging in general. The projects included: Emily Abrams (’15), End of Life Experiences: Identifying and Addressing Needs of Emergency Medicine Physicians Anastasia Beil (’15), A Brochure on Aging and Memory Loss for a Hospital Emergency Department and Evaluation of Patient and Family Experience on an Inpatient Geriatric Psychiatry Unit Jessica Boerma (’15), Advance Care Planning Among Diverse Patients in a Chronic Dialysis Unit

Anthony Cephas (’15), Identifying Real Community Needs: Revisiting Conventional Evaluation Outcomes by Applying the Participatory Model of Assessment Shabnam Deriani (’15), Making the Most of your Visits: Interacting with Loved Ones Living with Dementia Leilani Diaz (’15), Intellectual Activity, Social Engagement, and Lifelong Learning as a Model for Healthy Aging through an ESL Class Stephanie Guro (’15), Development of a Stabilization Resource Manual for the Hearth Inc. Outreach Team

Katherine Hunt (’15), Understanding the Similarities and Differences in Hospice and Palliative Care Erica Sawyer (’15), Mental Health Resources for Older Adults: A Survey for Councils on Aging across Massachusetts Marylou Seitz (’15), A Caregiver Profile: Benefits, Challenges and Recommendations for Self-Care Elisa Waltz (’15), Recovery in Mental Illness: A Journey of Hope, Growth and Transformation

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL! THIS YEAR’S AWARDEES ARE: EMILY ABRAMS, JESSICA BOERMA, AND LEILANI DIAZ. Boston University School of Social Work

Aging in

IN RESEARCH

America

The White House Conference on Aging takes place throughout 2015 and these BUSSW professors are expanding the conversation on health and economic security in later life. By REBECCA GROSSFIELD

With the American population aging rapidly—in 2013 there were 44.7 million people aged 65 and this figure will increase to 92 million within the next 50 years—crucial conversations about the impacts of this demographic reality are taking place nationwide (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, 2014). 2015 is turning out to be a special year. It marks the 80th anniversary of Social Security; 50th anniversary to the Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act. The 2015 White House Conference on Aging consists of a series of regional and digital events, culminating in a national event to be held in Washington on July 13. Various organizations are also releasing research and policy briefs. Professor Rob Hudson, Director of the Lowy Certificate in Gerontological Studies at the School of Social Work, was a keynote speaker at the 1981 Conference and said that the goal of the 2015 Conference is to bring national attention to the issues and concerns facing aging populations in the face of economic and political developments which are pressuring Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid in unprecedented fashion. “What I really hope to see emphasized this year,” Hudson said, “are initiatives to acknowledge the contributions the aging population continues to make to American life through employment, civic engagement, and care work. As well, elder justice is a critical emerging topic, addressing widespread levels of abuse and neglect impacting vulnerable elders. But it is critical that advocates highlight the contributions of the major agingrelated programs and the threat that these programs are currently under in the name of “the entitlement crisis” and “generational warfare.” Getting these items of the national agenda should be key objectives of Conference participants.

currents spring/summer 2015

PUBLIC POLICY & AGING REPORT SPRING ISSUE FOCUSES ON WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON AGING Professor Rob Hudson has edited the Public Policy & Aging Report, published by the Gerontological Society of America, for 18 years. Working with Associate Editor and Professor Judith Gonyea, the spring 2015 issue focused exclusively on the White House Conference on Aging. “In anticipation of the Conference, we decided the spring issue would feature major national figures in gerontology and center around the Conference’s key areas of focus,” Hudson said. With support from AARP, the issue includes articles by Laura Carstensen, Stanford University Longevity Center; Karl Pillemer, Cornell University Center for Translational Research; Pamela Herd, Public Policy Institute, University of Wisconsin; Kali Thomas, Brown University, Eric Kingson, Syracuse

University; and and Debra Whitman, AARP’s Chief Public Policy Officer. WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON AGING REGIONAL FORUM IN BOSTON The 5th and final White House Conference on Aging regional forum took place at Boston’s Edward M. Kennedy Institute on May 28. Speakers included Lisa Ryerson, chief executive officer of the AARP Foundation and Senator Elizabeth Warren. The regional forums were cosponsored with AARP and planned with the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations, a coalition of over 70 of the nation’s leading organizations serving older Americans. Participation in the forum was invitation-only. BUSSW participants included Professor Judith Gonyea and Director of Workforce Development for the Center for Aging and Disability Education and Research Kathy Kuhn.

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THE WHITE H OUSE CONFER ENCE ON AGI NG WORKING G ROUP AT BOSTON UNIVER SIT Y Professor Ernest Gonzales and a team of Boston University faculty launched the White House Conference on Aging Working Group at Boston University this February. The group brings together experts in aging from the School of Social Work and the School of Public Health. Members include: School of Social Work professors Sara Bachman, Thomas Byrne, Melvin Delgado, Scott Geron, Ernest Gonzales, and Bronwyn Keefe, doctoral student Kasey Wilson (’17), Celeste Brown (’16) and Kate Goettge (’16), and Professor Lisa Fredman from School of Public Health. Writing on different areas of expertise, each faculty member produced research briefs on topics ranging from homelessness, caregiving, age discrimination in the workplace, to the “invisibility” of racial and ethnic minority baby boomers. Gonzales, a gerontologist with an interest in productive aging, says we ought to focus on the opportunities of extended longevity instead of the perceived limitations and wants to see more policies in place that do just that. A prime example is volunteering. “It’s a win-win-win situation,” Gonzales said. “Older volunteers experience improved mental and physical health. Older adults can be effectively deployed as tutors in elementary schools to help improve reading achievement in lowincome, ethnic minority children who are at risk of reading failure. And volunteer work by older adults has been valued at $40 billion and $62 billion for baby boomers in 2012, which translates into significant savings to communities and society.” The White House Conference on Aging Working Group released a series of policy and research briefs to the public this spring. The briefs were designed to operate in conversation with those released by the White House Conference on Aging. Below is a sample of some of the work that came out of this project. Byrne, T. (2015). Older adults facing worst case housing needs and homelessness: Recent trends and policy implications. Boston, MA: White House Conference on Aging Working Group at Boston University.

Delgado, M., Goettge, K., & Gonzales, E. (2015). The graying and browning of America: Seeing “invisible” baby boomers. Boston, MA: White House Conference on Aging Working Group at Boston University.

Elmer, P., Branagan, M., Saylor, T., and Gonzales, E. (2015). Meeting the needs and preferences of low-income older adults to obtain employment: Implications for federal policy of the Older Americans Act. Boston, MA: White House Conference on Aging Working Group at Boston University. Gonzales, E., Lee, Y., Brown, C., & Goettge, K. (2015). Challenges to working longer: Caregiving in later life. Boston, MA: White House Conference on Aging Working Group at Boston University. Gonzales, E., Marchiondo, L., Brown, C., & Goettge, K. (2015). Age discrimination in the workplace and its association with health and work: Implications for social policy. Boston, MA: White House Conference on Aging Working Group at Boston University. Gonzales, E., Matz-Costa, C. & Morrow-Howell, N. (2015). Increasing opportunities for the productive engagement of older adults: A response to population aging. The Gerontologist, Special Issue for the 2015 White House Conference on Aging. 55(2), 252-261. doi:10.1093/ geront/gnu176

Gonzales, E., Nowell, W., Brown, C., & Goettge, K. (2015). Formal volunteering: A solution to bolster health and retirement security in later life. Boston, MA: White House Conference on Aging Working Group at Boston University. Keefe, B., Paini, A., & Kuhn, K. (2015). Understanding mental health issues with older adults: Developing competencies for Council on Aging staff. Boston, MA: White House Conference on Aging Working Group at Boston University. Ruth, D.L., Fredman, L., & Haley, W.E. (2015). Informal caregiving and its impact on health: A reappraisal from populationbased studies. The Gerontologist, Special Issue for the 2015 White House Conference on Aging, 55(2), 309-319. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnu177 Wilson, K. & Bachman, S. (2015). Home-based care for older adults with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Boston, MA: White House Conference on Aging Working Group at Boston University.

To learn more about the White House Conference on Aging Working Group at Boston University and read all of the policy briefs, visit bu.edu/ssw/research/current/whcoa.

Boston University School of Social Work

FAC U LT Y H I G H L I G H T S

Faculty Scholarship and Research Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been busy this semester! Boston University School of Social Work faculty members are dedicated scholars at the forefront of their profession engaged in innovative research. Below are some examples of recent scholarship. For even more faculty news, visit bu.edu/news. (Note: Select faculty scholarship as of May 1.) NEW GRANTS RECEIVED IN 2015 Byrne, T. (2015). IPA. US Department of Veterans Affairs. $31,023.

BOOKS, CHAPTERS, AND SPECIAL ISSUES Delgado, M. (2015). Urban youth and photovoice: Visual ethnography in action. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Gonzales, E. (2015). Workplace policies and practices: Opportunities for and barriers to accumulating assets in midlife and later. In N. Morrow-Howell & M. Sherraden (Eds.), Financial Capability Across the Life-Course. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Gonzales, E., Matz-Costa, C. & MorrowHowell, N. (2015). Increasing opportunities for the productive engagement of older adults: A response to population aging. The Gerontologist, Special Issue for the 2015 White House Conference on Aging. 55(2), 252-261. doi:10.1093/geront/gnu176 Lundgren, L. (Ed.). (2015). Evaluation and Program Planning: An International Journal, Special Issue. 49(4).

JOURNAL ARTICLES Allen, J.D., Leyva, B., Hilaire, D.M., Reich, A.J. & Sprague Martinez, L. (2015). Priorities, concerns and unmet needs among Haitians in Boston after the 2010 earthquake. Health and Social Care in the Community. doi: 10.1111/ hsc.12217

currents spring/summer 2015

Augsberger, A., Hahm, H.C., Yeung, A., & Dougher, M. (2015). Barriers to substance use and mental health utilization among Asian-American women: exploring the conflict between emotional distress and cultural stigma. Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 10(Suppl 1):A2. doi:10.1186/1940-0640-10-S1-A2. Blom, B., Dukes, K.A., Lundgren, L., & Sullivan, L. (2015). Register data in the evaluation and program planning of addiction treatment programs: Using Sweden as an example. Evaluation and Program Planning: An International Journal, 49(4). Blom-Nilsson, M., Chassler, D., & Lundgren, L. (2015). Factors associated with work and taking prescribed methadone or buprenorphine among opiate addicts in a Swedish sample. Evaluation and Program Planning: An International Journal, 49(4). Byrne, T., Fargo, J. D., Montgomery, A. E., Munley, E., & Culhane, D. P. (2014). The relationship between community investment in permanent supportive housing and chronic homelessness. Social Service Review, 88(2), 234-263. Collins, M.E., Garlington, S., and Cooney, K. (2015). Relieving human suffering: Compassion in social policy. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, (42)1, 95-120. Gonyea, J.G. & Hudson, R.B. (2015). Emerging models of age-friendly communities: A framework for understanding inclusion. Public Policy and Aging Report. doi: 10.1093/ppar/pru056

Gonyea, J, G. & Hudson, R, B. (2015). Emerging models of age-friendly communities: Critical issues for public policy. Public Policy & Aging Report, 25(1), 9-14. Grahn, R., Lundgren, L., Chassler, D., & Padyab, M. (2015). Repeated entries to the Swedish addiction compulsory care system: A national register database study. Evaluation and Program Planning: An International Journal, 49(4). Hahm, H.C., Augsberger, A., Feranil, M., Jang, J., & Tagerman, M. (In press). The associations between forced sex and severe mental health, substance use, and HIV risk behaviors among Asian-American women. Violence Against Women. Hahm, H.C., Cook, B., Ault, A., & Alegria, M. (2015). The intersection of race/ethnicity and gender in depression care: receipt of screening, access to care, and minimally adequate treatment. Psychiatric Services, 66(3), 258-264. Hall, T., Chassler, D., Blom, B., Grahn, R., Blom-Nilson, M., Sullivan, L., & Lundgren, L. (2015). Mortality among a national population sentenced to compulsory care for substance use disorders in Sweden: Descriptive study. Evaluation and Program Planning: An International Journal, 49(4). Hudson, R, B. (2015). Making a home in the city: The age-friendly community movement. Public Policy & Aging Report, 25(1), 1-3.

FAC U LT Y H I G H L I G H T S

Lundgren, L., Blom, B., Chassler, D., & Sullivan, L. (2015). Using register data to examine patterns of compulsory addiction treatment care in Sweden: Program planning and methodological implications. Evaluation and Program Planning: An International Journal, 49(4). Miller, D.P. & Chang, J.* (Accepted for publication). Parental nonstandard work schedules and child obesity: Does family structure matter? Journal of Marriage and Family. Montgomery, A.E., Dichter, M.E., Thomasson, A.M., Roberts, C.B., & Byrne, T. (2015). Disparities in housing status among Veterans with medical, cognitive, mental and behavioral health conditions. Psychiatric Services, 66(3), 317-320. Padyab, M., Grahn, R., & Lundgren, L. (2015). Drop-out from the Swedish addiction compulsory care system. Evaluation and Program Planning: An International Journal, 49(4). Pomeranz, J., & Miller, D.P. Policies to promote healthy portion sizes for children. Appetite, 88, 50-58. doi: 10.1016/j. appet.2014.12.003 Ruth, B.J. Marshall, J.W., Velásquez, E. E., & Bachman, S.S. (2015). Teaching note—Educating public health social work professionals: Results from an MSW/MPH program outcomes study. Journal of Social Work Education, 51(1), 186-194. Ruth, B.J. Velasquez, E.M. Marshall, J.W. & Ziperstein, D. (2015). Shaping the future of prevention in social work: An analysis of the professional literature from 2000-2010. Social Work, 60(2), 1-9. Tolin, D.F., Frost, R.O., Steketee, G., & Muroff, J. (2015). Cognitive behavioral therapy for hoarding disorder: A metaanalysis. Depression and Anxiety, 32(3), 158-166. Wilhelm, S., Berman, N.C., Keshaviah, A., Schwartz, R., & Steketee, G. (2015). Mechanisms of change in cognitive therapy for OCD: Role of maladaptive beliefs and schemas. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 65, 5-10.

*denotes student participation

PRESENTATIONS Augsberger, A., Hahm, H.C., Dougher, M., & Yang, A. (2015, January). Suffering alone: Understanding barriers to healthcare utilization amongst Asian-American women. Presentation at the 19th Annual Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA. Byrne, T. (2015, February). What we know about families receiving services from the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program. Presentation at the National Alliance to End Homelessness National Conference on Ending Family and Youth Homelessness, San Diego, CA. Byrne, T., Treglia, D., Culhane, D.P., Kuhn, J., & Kane, V. (2015, January). Housing outcomes of veterans receiving homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing services. Presentation at the 19th Annual Society for Social Work Research Conference, New Orleans, LA. Calista, J., Hirsch, G., Toledo, J., Wilkinson, G. (2014, November). Sustaining the CHW workforce: Utilizing policy and reform opportunities. Presentation at the 142nd Annual Meeting and Exposition, American Public Health Association, New Orleans, LA. Culhane, D.P. & Byrne, T. (2015, March). Adult homelessness: Background and opportunities. Invited presentation at the City of Boston Mayor’s Task Force on Individual Homelessness, Boston, MA. Gianino, M. (2015, March). Suicide assessment and intervention. Invited speaker at the Social Work Grand Rounds, Tufts Medical Center, Department of Social Work, Boston, MA. Gonyea, J. (2015, May). Invited speaker at the White House Conference on Aging Boston Regional Forum, Boston, MA. Gonzales, E. (2015, January). Civic engagement in later life and its impact on un-retirement. Presentation at the 19th Annual Society for Social Work and Research Conference, New Orleans, LA.

Gonzales, E. & Nowell, W. (2015, June). Resource inequity and its impact on returningto-work after formal retirement. Presentation at the U.S.-Shanghai 2015 Conference on Public Policy Challenges and Governance Innovation in an Aging Society, University of Shanghai, China. Fay, F. & Keefe, B. (2015, March). Connecticut money follows the person program: Using online training to enhance workforce development. Presentation at the Aging in America Conference, Chicago, IL. Hahm, H.C. (2015, January). Mental health issues among young second-generation Asian-Americans. Invited presentation at Social Epidemiology class, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Hahm, H.C. (2015, February). Mental health and self-harm behaviors among AsianAmerican women. Invited presentation at Duke University, Durham, NC. Hahm, H.C. (2015, February). Mental health and suicidality among young second-generation Asian-Americans. Invited presentation at Duke University, Durham, NC. Hahm, H.C. (2015, March). Epidemiology of Asian American women’s mental health and creation of AWARE. Lecture at Ewha Women’s University, Seoul, South Korea. Hahm. H.C. (2015, March). Epidemiology of Asian-American women’s mental health and intervention development. Round table discussion for Boston University clinicians and administrators, Boston, MA. Hahm, H.C. (2015, April). Suicidality and self-harm behaviors among Asian-American women. Presentation at Department of Public Health Conference, Framingham, MA. Hahm, H.C., Chang, S., Lee, A., Poon K. (2015, March). Translational research: From observational study to intervention development. The creation of AWARE (Asian Women Action Asian Women’s Action for Resilience and Empowerment). Presentation at the 6th World Congress on Women’s Mental Health, Tokyo, Japan.

Boston University School of Social Work

FAC U LT Y H I G H L I G H T S

Hahm, H.C., Liang, V., Lee, C, & Cha, J. (2015, March). Translational research: From observation study to intervention development. The creation of AWARE (Asian Women’s Action for Resilience and Empowerment). Lecture at Seoul National University, Social Welfare Department. Seoul, South Korea. Hahm, H.C., Tagerman, M., Dougher, D., Iansiti, J. (2015, March). Epidemiology of Asian-American women’s mental health and the creation of AWARE (Asian Women’s Action for Resilience and Empowerment). Lecture at Ewha Women’s University, Seoul, South Korea. Hall, T., Byrd, K., Kuilan, N., Pedraza, R., Purington, T., & Lundgren, L. (2015). Hepatitis-C and HIV/AIDS risk associations with incarceration for homeless latino injection drug users. Poster presented at the 8th Academic and Health Policy Conference on Correctional Health, Boston, MA. Hall, T. Krull, I., Wooten, N., Mee, S., Kegley, L., dasilva-Clark, M, & Lundgren, L. (2015, January). In the Community, For the Community: BUSSW Training in Medically Underserved Communities. Paper presented at the 19th Annual Society for Social Work Research Conference, New Orleans, LA. Keefe, B. (2015, March). Strategies for ensuring and assessing outcomes of long-term care of clients with disabilities.Presentation at the Aging in America Conference, Chicago, IL. Lund, T., Liang, B., DeSilva Mousseau, A., & Spencer, R. (2015, March). Parental pressures to excel and social-emotional wellbeing among privileged adolescent girls: A longitudinal study. Poster presented at the Society for Research on Child Development Biennial Meeting, Philadelphia, PA. Martinez, D.B. (2015, January). Latino college students and substance misuse: A sociopolitical perspective. Mental Health Roundtable participant at Boston University Student Health Services, Boston, MA. Martinez, D.B. (2015, January). Social justice and mental health practice: A liberation health framework. Speaker at the Social Work Colloquium Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK.

currents currents spring/summer 2015

Miller, D.P. (2015, January). If you build it, will they come? Access to the Summer Food Service Program and food insecurity among low income households with children. Paper presented at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA. Miller, D.P. (2015, January). Understanding the impact of food and nutrition assistance programs. Panel organizer at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA. Miller, D.P. (2015, April). Understanding the USDA’s Summer Meals Programs. Presentation to the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Program Staff, Alexandria, VA. Miller, D.P. & Curtis, M. (2015, January). Housing assistance and household food security. Paper presented at the Soiety for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA. Moore, L. (2015, April). Race, racism, and collective oppression. Seminar at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute in Newton, MA. Paris, R. (2015, March). Building an intervention for substance-exposed newborns and their families: Lessons from research and practice. Presentation at Jewish Family and Children’s Service Department of Evaluation and Learning, Waltham, MA. Paris, R. (2015, March). The importance of supporting optimal parenting for young children in the face of current challenges. Invited presentation at the Grand Rounds, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA. Shen, H. W., Perry, T. E., Gonzales, E. & Victor, B. (2015). Productive aging and household transition: Does race moderate the relationships between volunteering and relocation? Research on African American families sponsored by the Program for Research on Black Americans, Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging research, and Watkins Research Lab at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.

Spencer, R. (2015, January). What the research says. Panel presenter at the 5th Annual National Mentoring Summit, Washington, DC. Sprague Martinez, L., Negron, R., & Siqueira, C. (2015, April). Transnationalism, networks and culture: Implications for health and behavior. Webinar presentation for the NIH Office of Behavioral Health and Social Sciences, Bethesda, MD. Rohani, M. (2015, February). Effects of trauma on early development: The impact of parents’ traumatic experiences on child development. Presenter at the Thom Anne Sullivan Center, Lowell, MA. Wilkinson, G. (2014, August). Massachusetts: A model of sustained state-based collaboration with community health workers. Presentation included in “Community Health Workers: Part of the Solution for Advancing Health Equity; Perspectives and Initiatives from the New England Regional Health Equity Council,” a national webinar organized by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. Wilkinson, G. (2014, October). Getting to health equity: Risk adjustment, care team innovation, and more. Panel presentation at Social Determinants of Health: Emerging Strategies for an Evolving Healthcare System conference organized by the Medical Legal Partnership, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Boston MA. Wilkinson, G. (2014, November). Community health workers in Massachusetts: One state’s path to CHW credentialing. Keynote address delivered to Symposium on Community Health Workers at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. Wilkinson, G. (2015, February). Community health workers: Agents for change in a changing health system. Presentation to primary care physicians and nurse practitioners for the Kraft Center for Community Health Training Program, Partners Healthcare System, Boston, MA.

S N A P S H OT S

COMMENCEMENT

2015 Boston University School of Social Work

S N A P S H OT S

Convocation took place on May 15 in the Boston University Fitness and Recreation Center. One doctor of philosophy, 20 dual degree master’s, and 212 master’s in social work students were recognized for completing the requirements for graduation. Dean Gail Steketee welcomed students, faculty, family, and friends to the reception. She said, “This has been a challenging year for those of us in the profession. I am especially proud of our students’ passion to make a difference in the world.” Shannon Rose Keleher of the Online Program, Heather Shruhan of the OffCampus Program, and Leah Hong of the Charles River Campus Program were the day’s student speakers. Professor Lisa Moore received the Excellence in Teaching Award. Dean Emeritus Hubie Jones (’57), BUSSW’s 2015 Convocation Speaker, delivered a powerful message about the importance of working towards social justice. “Fifty-eight years ago I graduated from the School of Social Work,” he said. “In 1956, I first heard Dr. King speak in Boston. It was a riveting speech. He said, ‘The arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice.’ But I wanted racism to end now. I wanted prison reform now. I wanted national healthcare now. I had no interest or time to deal with an arc.” Jones emphasized that over the years he has lived to witness significant milestones reached and the impact of those who fought to get us there. For example, he described recent visits to South Africa where a politically-empowered black majority now thrives, of a 1979 journey to Cuba, and of the significant first steps made in America towards a national healthcare system. “I refuse to accept that man is mere flotsam and jetsam,” he told the audience. “It took fierce and compassionate advocacy to get us here.” Congratulations, Class of 2015!

currents spring/summer 2015

S T U D E N T E X P E R I ESN NCAEP S H OT S

Boston University School of Social Work

STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Q&A:

Erika Gaitan (’15), City Year Scholar Texas-native Erika Gaitan (‘15) graduated this spring. She was selected from an international pool of candidates to receive a Boston University School of Social Work “Give a Year” Scholarship for outstanding academic merit and commitment to service. Erika Gaitan (‘15)

This summer Erika began work full-time at Health Resources in Action as a Research Associate. Currents caught up with Erika recently to learn more about how her City Year experience propelled her into the field of social work. Why did you choose Boston University School of Social Work? Originally, I got into the program in 2012. I was really drawn to the school’s mission and I knew I was going to be a macro person. BU’s faculty in macro practice were really people I wanted to work with—professors like Lee Staples and Melvin Delgado. But I couldn’t afford to attend at that time, so I deferred. So, you took some time off to complete a year of service with City Year? I met Ken Schulman (Associate Dean) at a BUSSW event in Austin, Texas. He recommended applying to the City Year program and told me about the scholarship opportunity for alumni of the program. I got in [to City Year] and decided to take the opportunity—I was really passionate about educational equity and City Year seemed like the perfect route. I wanted to get more experience in education reform and community practice. I participated in City Year in San Antonio, Texas from 2012-2013.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK PARTNERSHIP WITH CITY YEAR Each year, Boston University School of Social Work offers three scholarships to a City Year member or alumnus who provided at least one year of service to City Year. City Year is an education-focused nonprofit organization, based in Boston that partners with high need public schools to provide full-time targeted student interventions.

currents spring/summer 2015

What was your initial transition to BU like? Moving to the East Coast and Boston specifically really forced me to confront myself. I mean, the weather, the language, moving from a minority-majority state… all of these things propelled me forward. I really became more interested in race, identity, and intersectionality after moving here. What interests you about macro practice? I really enjoy looking at things from the balcony—bigger picture stuff. I’m definitely a strategic thinker. And I’m also interested in the management side of things—which is why I decided to pursue a Human Services Management Certificate here at BUSSW. I think combining the values of social work with a fact for business—to be equipped with those

skills is a great asset. I always tell prospective students to look into the Human Services Management Certificate. Why’s that? You take all of your electives over at the School of Management. It’s just very interesting to be sitting in courses with folks from such a different background—to be able to get that experience, it’s very useful. Plus, you still pay SSW tuition! Did you have a favorite SSW course? I really loved Melvin Delgado’s Community Planning Seminar—it was an intimate class and he really has a way of explaining things. I really respect the work that he does. Another class I really loved was Racial Justice with Michelle Walsh (‘93). Outside of the classroom, what kinds of work were you involved in? I was a research assistant at the BUSSW Center for Addictions Research & Services. One project I was working on was examining how technology can reduce relapse among Latinos with substance abuse and mental illness with Jordana Muroff. I was a Program Coordinator at Zumix—an East Boston nonprofit dedicated to empowering youth through music. I was actually a music major at Texas State—I played the saxophone. I enjoy working with kids and getting them to be civically engaged and thinking critically about the world around them. We know balancing graduate school with all of these activities can be challenging. What kinds of self-care strategies keep you going? I think it’s important to do things that remind you of the parts of you that aren’t related to social work. I like all things music, bad TV, and being outdoors. I’m also shamelessly obsessed with Tumblr.

Boston University School of Social Work Fall 2015 Professional Education Programs

Stay CURRENT in a Changing World! Offering relevant, stimulating educational opportunities for professional social workers and other human service providers throughout New England through a variety of workshops, seminars, and certificate programs. PLUS, BUSSW ALUMNI RECEIVE 10% OFF! Check out a sampling of our fall 2015 offerings below. For a complete list and to register, visit bu.edu/ssw/pep.

CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

NEW!

ONLINE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN COGNITIVE AND BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS 30 CECs // $2,000 // Beginning September 1 Daniel Beck, LICSW, LLC; Program Director, CBT and Social Work Training Initiative, BUSSW

Daniel Beck

“There is very little in terms of CBT training that is geared towards social workers and social work values. Bringing the 12-week CBT certificate course I previously taught with PEP in Boston to the online classroom allows social work practitioners all over the country to get trained in CBT. Some highlights for this upcoming online course are seven weeks of CBT fundamentals followed by five weeks on special topics such as CBT for children, for substance abuse, and for severe mental illness. While the courses will be online, we will benefit from the live classroom aspect, enabling us to create a real learning community.” — Daniel Beck

SEMINARS

CERTIFICATES

Mass Incarceration and the Human Services Friday, November 20, 2015, 9 AM-4 PM Phillipe Copeland, PhD, LICSW, Clinical Assistant Professor; Director, Dual Degree Program in Social Work and Theology, BUSSW 6 CECs // $110

Certificate in Behavioral Health Integrated Care Practice Beginning September 10, 2015 Thursdays, 4:30-7:30 PM Chip Wilder, LICSW, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates 36 CECs // $1,500

Questions? Contact PEP via email at pepssw@bu.edu.

Certificate Program in Assessment and Treatment of Couples Beginning September 17, 2015 Thursdays, 6-8:30 PM Mark Gianino, PhD, LICSW, Clinical Associate Professor, BUSSW; Private Practice 30 CECs // $1,350

A CALL TO

BU School of Social Work community responds to the real-world consequences of racial injustice.

currents spring/summer 2015

By REBECCA GROSSFIELD and ANNIE PULLEN (COM’15)

hile the summer of 2014 was marked by milestones of racial justice such as the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the 60th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Brown vs. Board of Ed decision, the fall of 2014 cast a shadow of doubt on the nation’s progress. Indeed, after the tragic deaths of Michael Brown of Ferguson, Missouri and Eric Garner of Staten Island, New York a series of similar events followed. As Currents went to press, the nation struggled to understand the most recent tragedy in Baltimore, Maryland. For the field of social work, this year served as a powerful reminder of the profession’s long history fighting injustices throughout society and its continued call to action. Indeed BUSSW—whose roots dates back to 1918—has a long anti-racism and social justice commitment. Among the School’s earliest offerings was a macro focus with an emphasis on community building and “a focus on the social programs of individuals and families” (Kilgore, 18183). Responding to the challenges of racial inequity continues to be pivotal to the School’s mission. Confronting Injustice: Post-Ferguson Aftermath “Exploration and reflection on these events help us advance our academic and professional goals to combat racism, classism, and other social injustices in our society,” Dean Gail Steketee and several members of the faculty said in a letter to the community this fall shortly after the decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown was released. “Open and honest dialogue is a critical key to this process.” To this end, Associate Dean Mary Collins worked with Dean Steketee on a number of fronts, including hosting several post-Ferguson dialogues for students and faculty, providing opportunities to share faculty resources, and initiating a new outside speaker series—this year focusing on race and criminal justice and bringing in experts from the larger Boston community. “We felt it was important to take on a leadership role for our students in anticipation of the Ferguson decision,” Collins told Currents.

The first of such dialogues took place on November 25 in Conant Lounge. (Opportunities were also made available online for students in the Online Program.) During that time, BUSSW community members shared their feelings and thoughts. They also discussed future opportunities for community action. Recent graduate Erika Gaitan (’15) described Ferguson as a kind of “tipping point” for this generation. “I felt the discussion series [at BUSSW] was empowering,” she said. “My generation is at the point of just bursting and it’s important to be equipped for what’s next as social workers.” For Professor Phillipe Copeland—whose research focuses on overall issues related to mass incarceration— the events of this year brought to light many concerns regarding policing and the criminal justice system more broadly and how social workers can be of service.

“When things really started to ‘break loose’ I immediately started to think about how we [BUSSW] can get involved,” Copeland said. “How can we make sure our students have an opportunity to engage these issues outside the classroom?” Outside of the classroom professors Copeland, Dawn Belkin Martinez, Deborah Chassler, Geoff Wilkinson, among other BUSSW faculty, students, and community members, continue to engage in peaceful demonstrations and dialogues across the city. Copeland believes demonstrating social activism is key to both inspiring and connecting with budding social workers. On April 7, Professor Copeland joined a panel of community leaders at the BU School of Theology for an exploration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and its link to mass incarceration. On May 19, NASW-MA hosted a special public forum at Wheelock College. The all-BUSSW forum included professors Copeland and Belkin Martinez as well as two alumni, Bet MacArthur (’78) and Michael Melendez (’83).

Boston University School of Social Work

C OV E R S TO RY

Professor Copeland speaking at the BU School of Theology.

“I want to hear what young people have to say about race and violence,” Melendez told the audience which included many BUSSW students. Other topics discussed during the forum included the history of racism, the language around racism, and opportunities to build solidarity. Aida Manduley (’16), who attended the event and also “live-tweeted” it for NASW-MA reminded Currents of the importance of understanding the different ways people can be active around issues of racism. “Not everyone has the cultural, economic, and social capital to get arrested at an action and not be super harmed in the process and in the aftermath,” she tweeted. “Not everyone can physically and/or emotionally participate in protests. We need to be mindful of what we ask our communities and allies to do, how we treat them and ourselves while we are all doing these things, and how we can support everyone throughout.” Anti-Racism & Curricular Challenges in Social Work Education As an educational institution, BUSSW is uniquely poised to engage with structural oppressions in the academic classroom. Professor Michelle Walsh (’93, STH’14) who teaches the Racial Justice course at BUSSW said the course materials are “very challenging.” Walsh, who completed her ThD in practical theology at the BU School of Theology, grounds her teaching in Crossroads AntiRacism Organizing & Training (formerly Crossroads Ministry). Crossroads incorporates the perspective of colonialism into understanding race.

currents spring/summer 2015

“This year really emphasized the importance of talking about race and addressing cultural oppression throughout the curriculum at BUSSW,” Walsh said. Gaitan (’15), who was in Professor Walsh’s Racial Justice course this fall described the experience as “very meaningful.”

“To be able to talk about how race as effected our lives was really powerful,” Gaitan said. She said the course “really sparked it” for her about the importance of “being willing to bring things to the table and to being able to meet ourselves where we are.” Walsh, who said having multiple ideas and perspectives is a best practice in this area, brought in Professor Belkin Martinez to co-teach several sessions of the course with her. “We all had an intense experience of sharing together and it crossed over more easily into doing activism together,” Walsh said. Walsh is excited about BUSSW’s increased focus on racial justice and cultural comprehension throughout the BUSSW curriculum. “I’m seeing the School hear the call,” she told Currents. Empowering Students, Incorporating Multiple Voices & Exploring a Revised Mission Leah Hong (’15), a member of the ALANA Student Committee and the Anti-Racism Subcommittee said, “I

Clockwise from top: Protesters march against police shootings and racism during a rally in Washington, DC. Speakers at the NASW-MA special forum at Wheelock College. A graduate during Commencement 2015.

Boston University School of Social Work

C OV E R S TO RY

Professor Dawn Belkin Martinez (left) and others at the Solidarity with Baltimore March in Roxbury.

think it’s really important to get student voices involved.” Before graduating, she advocated for changes to the BUSSW curriculum that would emphasize cultural competencies. “We’ve seen some concrete deliverables,” Hong said. “For example, in the course evaluations, it now directly asks: ‘Did the professor explicitly deal with the cultural competencies?’” Students and alumni have been active in facilitating BUSSW’s commitment to racial justice in other ways, too. For example, Juliaty Hermanto (’15), who serves as a student representative on the newly renamed Equity and Inclusion Committee (formerly Diversity Committee) along with Manduley (’16) were able to offer their recommendation for the newly revised mission statement and strategic planning at BUSSW. The recommendations included an explicit commitment to addressing racial inequity. Visit page 2 to read BUSSW’s updated mission statement in full.

Looking Ahead Associate Dean Collins said plans are underway to continue the Seminar Series in the upcoming academic year with a continued focus on issues related to race and criminal justice. “As with this year, our goal is to bring in a variety of perspectives and build an educational environment that allows us to engage in these dialogues,” Collins said. Additionally, the Equity and Inclusion Committee (EIC) led by Professor Luz López will continue organizing capacity building dialogues and trainings on the intersection of race and class and how to promote antiracist and anti-oppressive language in the classroom and field placements. The Committee has also been active participating in the BUSSW search committee efforts to recruit and retain under-represented faculty, staff and students. It also will continue to bring diverse students from local schools to inspire them to aim high, attend college and be leaders in their communities. BUSSW is currently finalizing an updated strategic plan. The plan will outline the priorities and goals for the future of BUSSW. The revised plan also outlines core competencies for students, several of which relate to social justice, including: (1) including diversity and difference in practice, (2) human rights and social and economic justice, and (3) policy practice to advance social and economic wellbeing and to deliver effective social work services. “BUSSW has long been committed to these areas,” Collins said, “but the process of developing and implementing the strategic plan helps to keep them in our focus.” Stay tuned for more updates from BUSSW!

RACE & CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERIES AT BUSSW Wednesday, March 25, 12:15 PM–1:45 PM, Conant Lounge Get HIP a “group of black and brown men from the hood, united in the fight for health equity” discussed their mission to develop their own tools to educate other young men of color about the systems that impact their health. Wednesday, April 22, 12:15 PM–1:45 PM, Conant Lounge Boston Police Commissioner William Evans discussed Boston’s community policing, efforts to address bias, and solutions to racial disproportionality, bringing a different perspective to the social work community. Wednesday, May 6, 12:15 PM–1:45 PM, Conant Lounge A representative from the organization Black & Pink discussed the experience of LGBTQ prisoners and this organization’s efforts towards the abolition of the prison industrial complex.

currents spring/summer 2015

Social Work in Color On April 16, the ALANA (African Americans/ Blacks, Latinos, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans) Student Committee and the BUSSW Alumni Association Board hosted a special wine and cheese reception in the Conant Lounge. The informal Q&A and mixer created a unique opportunity for current students and alumni of color to connect with one another and share experiences. About 15 people were in attendance and the evening was deemed a success. Abby Ross (’08, SPH’10), 2016 doctoral candidate and Vice President of the Alumni Association Board collaborated with rising Student Organization (SO) Co-Presidents Jennifer Kong (’16) and Katherine Crevi (’16), and Aida Manduley (’16), co-chair of the student Anti-Racism and student representative to the Equity and Inclusion Committee. “As BUSSW alumni, we should all be taking leadership roles in the community,” Ross said. “We need to be vocal. We cannot be silent.” Ross noted that the SW in Color event is an indication of the BUSSW Alumni Board’s renewed commitment to working with SO to develop a strong intergenerational support network between current students and alumni of color. “This is just the first step in a larger, and especially important, initiative,” Ross said. “Social workers of color, regardless of whether currently in training or an alumnus with a degree, are actively practicing in the field. Social workers of color have an increased toll taken due to encountering racial injustice on a daily basis themselves, while simultaneously working to support clients of color who are also experiencing it. We need to develop a stronger support network for students and alumni of color.” Interested in learning more? Have an idea for an alumni event? Contact your BUSSW Alumni Association Board at kschul@bu.edu.

Students and alumni spoke candidly about race during this year’s Social Work in Color event in Conant Lounge.

Boston University School of Social Work

Bring It On!

The New Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders (’78) suspects that within ten years, social workers will be serving as Cabinet secretaries all across the country. Sudders is charged with overseeing the largest executive agency in state government and a $19.4 billion budget.

By REBECCA GROSSFIELD/Photographs by CAITLIN CUNNINGHAM

“We are delighted to have her intelligence, knowledge, practicality, and strong leadership in this area of extreme importance in the Commonwealth,” Dean Gail Steketee told an audience of approximately 200 on Tuesday, March 24, as she kicked off an afternoon celebration in honor of Marylou Sudders (’78), Governor Baker’s new Secretary of Health and Human Services. The event was co-hosted by Boston University School of Social Work, Boston College School of Social Work, and the National Association of Social Workers, Massachusetts Chapter and brought together social workers from all across New England to celebrate a leader in the field. The reception took place at the Massachusetts State House Flag Hall. Massachusetts Governor Charles Baker, Massachusetts Senator Karen E. Spilka, BC School of Social Work Dean Alberto Godenzi, Executive Director of NASW,

currents spring/summer 2015

Massachusetts Chapter Carol J. Trust, and Chief Executive Officer of NASW Angelo McClain also spoke to Sudders’ lifetime dedication to public service. Dean Steketee said Sudders’ appointment is a timely one. “Our own school is about to launch its Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health. We are particularly interested in drawing together experts in health throughout the [Boston] area as well as the nation. I am hopeful that Marylou will contribute some of her expertise as its needed in the future.” Governor Baker told the audience he “couldn’t imagine picking anyone else” for the position. Sudders is charged with overseeing the largest executive agency in state government and a $19.4 billion budget. “She’s born for this job. And if she wasn’t born for it, she made herself the right person for this job over the course of her career.”

Marylou Sudders (â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;78)

“ If somebody had said to me in 1976 when I entered the School of Social Work [at Boston University] that I might be a public official, a Commissioner of Mental Health, and a Cabinet Secretary for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, I would have said ‘I don’t think so.’” MARYLOU SUDDERS (’78)

“One of the things I admire most about social workers is their ability to solve really complicated problems that present themselves almost on a daily basis,” Governor Baker said. “That’s one of the things I love most about Marylou… she’s a spectacular problem solver.” Sudders earned her MSW at BUSSW in 1978. In 2012, Sudders was appointed to the state’s Health Policy Commission for her behavioral health expertise. She has also served as Chair of Health and Mental Health at Boston College School of Social Work, where she continues to teach as a visiting professor. “If somebody had said to me in 1976 when I entered the School of Social Work [at Boston University] that I might be a public official, a Commissioner of Mental Health, and a cabinet Secretary for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, I would have said ‘I don’t think so,’” Sudders said. “But what I’ve always said to students is that social work opens any door that you want to run through, it is our inhibitions that prevent us from running through those doors. There is no greater education than a social work education to open up a wealth of opportunities for us. I would expect in ten years that there shouldn’t be one Marylou Sudders, but we should be populating as cabinet secretaries all across the country.”

BU School of Social Work, BC School of Social work and MASW-MA co-hosted a celebration of the New Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Governor Charles Baker said, “Sudders is born for this job.”

CENTER FOR INNOVATION IN SOCIAL WORK AND HEALTH

Inspired by our unique position in one of the nation’s leading cities for healthcare, the Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health draws on the social work profession’s fundamental cross-disciplinary emphasis and our rich experience in the area of public health. Endowed at $12.5 million, the Center will open on the Boston University Medical Campus in 2015.

currents spring/summer 2015

March 24 reception in the Massachusetts State House Flag Hall.

Boston University School of Social Work

An Emerging Movement Reminds Us of the Promise of

MLK

By PHILLIPE COPELAND

Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking in 1964.

Phillipe Copeland, Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Dual Degree Program in Social Work and Theology.

“ How do you measure commitment?

Is it the willingness to take a day out of life and sacrifice it to history, to plunge for one morning or afternoon into the unknown, to engage in one solitary act of defiance against all the arrayed power of established society? Then tens of thousands, mostly black, some white have committed themselves…by the simple act of joining a demonstration.

”

—Howard Zinn, commenting on the Civil Rights Movement’s Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

Howard Zinn, a historian who taught in the College of Arts & Sciences for nearly 25 years before his death in 2010, was moved to lionize the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) of the 1960s as “the New Abolitionists.” His eloquent description of this cadre of young heroes reads as if he wrote it today. The whippingpost and auction block, the lynching tree and “colored only” signs have given way to racially biased police violence, mass incarceration, and trigger-happy citizens “standing their ground.” Like Zinn, we are privileged to witness a generational awakening in the aftermath of the failure to secure a conviction for the killing of Trayvon Martin and the non-indictments for the killings of Mike Brown and Eric Garner. Groups such as Black Lives Matter, Ferguson Action, Dream Defenders, and Black Youth Project 100 are the New Abolitionists of today. Like their forebears, these groups and others are taking systemic, white supremacy head-on through puncturing indifference, interrupting the regularly scheduled programming, and disrupting business as usual. They are fulfilling their duty as citizens to hold the exercise of state power over life and death through law enforcement to the highest standards of accountability. They are bearing witness to the reality that there is no public safety without social justice, that none of us is safe until all of us are. These dissenters remind us of the promise and warning voiced by our esteemed alumnus

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (GRS’55, Hon.’59) in the essay “A Testament of Hope”:

Today’s dissenters tell the complacent majority that the time has come when further evasion of social responsibility in a turbulent world will court disaster and death. America has not yet changed because so many think it need not change, but this is the illusion of the damned. America must change because…black citizens will no longer live supinely in a wretched past. They have left the valley of despair; they have found strength in struggle; and whether they live or die, they will never crawl or retreat again. Joined by white allies, they will shake the prison walls until they fall. Having participated in several of the local demonstrations, I have experienced this emerging movement as having a power and purpose that transcends conventional politics. These demonstrations are not simply acts of political theater. They are not mere agitation. They are mass mourning in motion with purpose. They are a funeral on foot. They are honoring the dead and fighting for the living. “Black Lives Matter” is not just a slogan but a prayer. I have never felt as alive as when “dying-in” among thousands in the streets of Boston,

Boston University School of Social Work

Members of SNCC during Mississippi Freedom Summer in 1964.

resurrecting and dying-in again. That I have been honored to do so, side by side with students and faculty from BU School of Social Work, has been the most powerful learning experience of my career. Not everyone has experienced these protests positively, however. Criticism has ranged from tone-deaf dismissals of the demonstrators as “disruptive” to deeply troubling accusations that they are complicit in the murders of New York City police officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu in 2014. King was once asked during an interview whether demonstrations were possibly making things worse. His response should be required reading for contemporary critics:

I contend that we are not doing more harm than good in demonstrations, because I think demonstrations serve the purpose of bringing the issues out in the open. I have never felt that demonstrations could actually solve the problem. They dramatize the existence of certain social ills that could very easily be ignored if you did not have demonstrations. I think the initial reaction to demonstrations is always negative . . . Ultimately society must condemn the robber and not the robbed. It must protect the robbed, and this is where we are in these demonstrations, and I am still convinced that there is nothing more powerful to dramatize a social evil than the tramp, tramp of marching feet. After years of reliance on politics as usual, people continue to be robbed of their liberty and their lives in the name of “law and order” while the system protects the robber. This generation, like those before them, has learned through bitter

currents spring/summer 2015

experience that nothing really gets done in the halls of power without the “tramp, tramp of marching feet” holding that power accountable. Ava DuVernay’s perfectly timed Selma reminds us of this lesson. Just like the courageous men, women, and children portrayed in her film, I predict that descendants of critics today will be building monuments to Black Lives Matter activists tomorrow. Of course no human endeavor is perfect. Mistakes will be made and lines will be crossed. But when this happens, constructive criticism must not distract from the social evils that make these demonstrations necessary. We must “keep our eyes on the prize,” which is a world where the public is truly safe, the criminal justice system is worthy of the name and, yes, black lives matter. Our New Abolitionists are showing the measure of their commitment to achieving such a world. How do you measure up?

“ We must ‘keep our eyes on the prize,’ which is a world where the public is truly safe, the criminal justice system is worthy of the name and, yes, black lives matter.” PHILLIPE COPELAND

Several hundred activists gathered at Union Square Park prior to starting the Four Mile March on Martin Luther Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birthday.

A protest in Toronto, Canada.

Boston University School of Social Work

A L U M N I U P DAT E S

Stay Connected We’d love to hear from you! Send us your updates at bu.edu/ssw/alumni/update.

1950s

Arlene M. Hewitt (’54) was honored with the Flora Casey Public Health Award on January 27. The award recognizes Hewitt’s dedication to public health and the well-being of the community of Alexandria, Va. She is now a member of the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy. ¶ Marcia Strean (’54) of Teaneck, N.J., received her MSW 60 years ago. She volunteers in the Infusion Department at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center and enjoys talking with patients, listening to their stories, and using her professional experience to support patients. ¶ Hubie Jones (’57, Dean Emeritus) was honored at the 2015 Community Advocacy Awards in Celebration of Black History Month on February 19 at the Museum of African American History in Boston, Mass.

1960s

Harvey I. Newman (’66) retired from full time employment at the Wellspring Foundation in Bethlehem, Conn. He was appointed as a half-time faculty member at the Hunter College’s Silberman School of Social Work.

1980s

Jeanne James (‘80) of Prescott, Ariz., spent two weeks working with her husband on an International Health Services medical team in Honduras. They spent 10 days in the mountains with a team of 12 doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, dentists, and pharmacists providing free care to over 1,200 people from Carbajales and eight surrounding villages. ¶ Lauren Berman (‘80) of Boston, Mass., visited Leslie Feder in D.C. and was amazed that it has been 35 years since graduation. She says, “We talked about the trip to Cuba with Ken Schulman, Hubie and Kathy Jones, Kathy Hess, and John Chellino; work study in the research department with Marsha Seltzer; commuting to Worcester for our field placements;

currents spring/summer 2015

and how great it is that we have kept in touch.” ¶ Rev. Virginia Pomeroy (‘81) of Hingham, Mass., still runs retreats and sees clients in private practice. She says, “Life is good.” ¶ Ellen Kirchheimer (‘82) is working with animals and people as Program Director for PetPals, a program of FriendshipWorks that provides screening, training and matching a volunteer with their pet to visit a long-term care facility in Boston or Brookline. ¶ Andrea Werner Insoft (‘87) of Newton, Mass., was a featured contributor to Resolve’s newsletter with an article called “A Person’s A Person, No Matter How Small” which addressed the challenge of healing from childbirth loss. She also chaired a conference focusing on the issues that families face after discharge from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) entitled “Beyond the NICU: Addressing the Emotional and Developmental Health of NICU Graduates and Their Families.” ¶ Marea Murray (‘87) works in San Francisco at HUD/VASH, a national program assisting homeless veterans. She was recently featured on the San Francisco VA Medical Center website for all of her hard work and dedication to her field. ¶ Karen LaFrazia (‘89) received an honorary doctorate at the commencement of her alma mater, Regis College, on May 9. For over 30 years, LaFrazia has worked as a counselor, caseworker, advocate, community organizer, and program developer. She served as St. Francis House Deputy Director for six years prior to becoming the Executive Director in 2003. ¶ Leslie Shapiro (‘89) of West Newton, MA, wrote Understanding OCD: Skills to Control the Conscience and Outsmart Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The book spans her career as a behavior therapist since graduating SSW and as an initial staff member of the OCD Institute at McLean Hospital.

1990s

Marjie Cahn (‘91) of Concord, Mass., is the founder of The Worcester Institute on Loss & Trauma. The institute celebrated its 15th anniversary in September of 2014. ¶ Carolyn Frimpter (‘91) of Seattle, WA, transitioned to a Guardian ad Litem position in April 2015 after 15 years supervising volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates. She is a Practicum Instructor for two BUSSW students through the online MSW program and is completing the online Aging and Mental Health Certificate Program through CADER. ¶ Shirley Godbee (‘91) received the School Social Worker of the Year Award from the 10th District of Georgia. She is currently employed with Richmond County Board of Education as a school social worker and as an Adjunct Professor at Paine College in Augusta, Ga. ¶ Helen (Kohane) Kobek (’91) of Cambridge, Mass., published Everyday Cruelty: How to Deal with Its Effects without Denial, Bitterness, or Despair. The book guides readers through the understanding of what everyday cruelty is (and is not) and how it affects us all in body, mind, emotion, spirit, and behavior. ¶ Tina Karagulian (‘92) of San Antonio, Tex., is a public speaker, artist, poet, and author. In her memoir It Is Time, she shares stories of meeting discrimination in her life and genocide from her family history finding reconciliation and release through spiritual journey. ¶ Julie Baron (‘94) of Potomac, Md., published What Works with Teens: A Professional’s Guide to Engaging Authentically with Adolescents to Achieve Lasting Change, a new resource for professionals working with adolescents on the evidence and skills to support building an effective working relationship. ¶ Julie Sweeney Springwater (‘94) of Andover, Mass., was elected to serve a third term on the board of the Child Welfare League of America and as Chair of the Governance Committee.

2000s

Kristen Lee Costa (‘00) of Westport, Mass., published RESET: Make the Most of Your Stress, a practical guide for well-being targeted towards clinical

We’d love to hear from you! Send us your updates at bu.edu/ssw/alumni/update.

social workers, psychologists, mental health workers, educators, health care providers, leaders and anyone caring for others or experiencing stress at work or within their daily lives. She is currently the lead faculty member for behavioral sciences and Doctor of Education faculty at Northeastern University. ¶ Sarah Olander (‘06) will marry Mike Mendes in Athens, Ga. on September 12. ¶ Michelle Wexelblat (’06) of North Chelmsford, Mass., celebrated her 3rd anniversary in private practice supporting individuals who have trauma as well as those who identify as gender, sexual, or relationship minorities. She is also a volunteer with the Boston Trauma Resource Network and her local Medical Reserve Core for treating individuals immediately after critical accidents. ¶ Ashley O’Brien (‘07) married long-time love Bryan Ciccarelli on October 12 in Boston, Mass. ¶ Chris Adkins (‘08) was named President of the Board of Directors of the Maryland Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore & Central Maryland. ¶ Mary Francis Drake (‘08) of Framingham, Mass., has worked as a hospice social worker for five years. She also earned an Advance Hospice and Palliative Care Social Work Certificate from NASW. She moved to Plymouth, N.H. in the fall of 2013 and took a position as a Hospice Chaplain, Bereavement Counselor and Volunteer Coordinator for a small Hospice program while continuing her ministry as a non-denominational minister. ¶ Barbara Hayes (‘09) is excited to announce the opening of her new psychotherapy practice in Yarmouthport, Mass. It is tailored to support the positive mental health of police officers, firefighters, and other EMS personnel and includes focus areas on stress management, trauma counseling, post-traumatic stress reactions, effective communications at work and at home, suicide awareness/prevention, and grief counseling. ¶ Kevin M. Kozin (‘09) is in private practice in Lexington, Mass. and works with adolescents, adults, couples, and families. He is an active member of the National Association of Social Workers and is currently serving at the Chair of the NASW Greater Boston Private Practice Shared Interest Group. He enjoys teaching mindfulness classes and taking frequent trips to Florence, Italy.

2010s

Mary (Lechner) Cowan (‘10) of Seattle, Wash., welcomed Henry James Cowan on January 25. She says, “Welcome to the world, little future BUSSW graduate!” ¶ Charles Chear (‘11) of Worcester, Mass., is a counselor and academic coordinator at the Single Stop program, a national anti-poverty initiative, at Bunker Hill Community College. He also has an ongoing interest in refugee resettlement in English-speaking countries. ¶ Amneris Torres (‘12) of Middletown, Conn., is now a clinician for Catholic Charities at Thirman L. Milner School in Hartford. ¶ Christina Rios (‘13) has taken a position at UC San Francisco working in their Center for Vulnerable Populations doing program support/program management for various chronic disease-focused projects and grants. ¶ Rebecca Glavin (‘13), of Charlotte, N.C., opened her own practice, Glavin Counseling, in the fall of 2013. She specializes in treating persons dealing with body image, self-esteem and eating disorders, as well as infertility, miscarriage, pregnancy, infidelity, anxiety and depression. ¶ Ashley DeMello (‘14) of Fall River, Mass., is a medical social worker for the Steward Hospital Group. ¶ Dan Murdoch (‘14) of Billerica, Mass., is working at Lowell Vet Center in the Department of Veteran Affairs as a Readjustment Counselor. ¶ Dipti Patel (’14) of Boston, Mass., has been awarded a one-year Postgraduate Social Work Fellowship with The Menninger Clinic, affiliated with Baylor School of Medicine, in Houston, Tex. beginning in September 2015. ¶ Erin McLeod (‘14) re-located to the Los Angeles area in the fall of 2014 and is now serving as an Administrative Specialist with the UCLA Longevity Center. ¶ Erika Gaitan (’15) recently accepted a position as Research Associate with Health Resources in Action in Boston, Mass.

IN MEMORIAM

Harriet (Wald) Schley (’77) of Needham, Mass. died peacefully surrounded by her family on May 26. She was 90 years old. Schley was the beloved wife of Leonard; loving mother of Sara, Daniel, Billy, and Martha; mother-in-law of Joe, Andy, Annie, and Nat; grandmother of Alec, Brooke, Emily, Max, Molly, Ben, Madeline, Ellie, Sam, and Mayal; sister of the late Robert Lewis Wald and Lois Wald Merz; and daughter of the late Lewis and Freda Wald. A memorial was held on May 28 at the Falmouth Memorial Jewish Center. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the charity of your choice. Barbara McDaniel (’87) of Quincy, Mass., died suddenly on February 7. She was the loving sister of Vincent and his wife, Mary Jean; cherished Aunt of Vincent and his wife Heather; Victoria McDaniel; Shana and her husband, Jeff, and their son, Finn. She recently retired from the Town Brook House as the administrative site manager.

Boston University School of Social Work

M E S S AG E F R O M T H E A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N

Highlights Greetings fellow alumni, current students, faculty and staff of the BUSSW! First and foremost, congratulations to the BUSSW class of 2015 and welcome to the BUSSW Alumni Association! Please think of your fellow alumni as your extended professional support network—available for informational interviews, job search questions, and overall career advice.

Contact Associate Dean Ken Schulman at kschul@bu.edu to determine if there is an alumnus/alumna in your area.

The School of Social Work and the Alumni Association Board have had a lot to celebrate this past winter and spring. I am pleased to share some exciting news and highlights. Social Work in Color The Alumni Association Board continues to collaborate with the BUSSW Student Organization to organize topical events of importance to our social work community. This April, the Board’s Steering Committee partnered with the Student ALANA Committee for the event, “Social Work in Color.” It was an opportunity for alumni and students of color to connect and network. I’d like to personally thank all of the alumni who attended, and current student Jenn Kong (’15) who took the lead organizing the very successful evening. Read more on page 21. Marylou Sudders (’78) Appointment as EOHHS Secretary On March 24, I, along with a number of BUSSW alumni, faculty, and staff, attended a State House Reception hosted by BUSSW, BCSSW, and NASW-MA to honor our fellow alumna Marylou Sudders (’78), newly appointed Secretary of the MA Executive Office of Health and Human Services. It was an inspiring moment to see a social worker take the helm of the state’s highest office focused on the health of all MA residents. Read more on page 18. BUSSW on Wheels Once again, in recent months the School’s Alumni Relations Office and Admissions and Financial Aid Office co-sponsored a series of BUSSW on Wheels events in several of our Alumni Association Chapters: Miami/Ft. Lauderdale; New York City; Los Angeles; Portland, ME; Denver; and Washington, DC. These events bring together local alumni, current Online MSW Program students and faculty advisors, and prospective students with Associate Dean Ken Schulman for recruitment and networking opportunities.

currents spring/summer 2015

Alumni Giving Many thanks to all of my fellow graduates who have made a donation to the School of Social Work this year. This fiscal year ends June 30! Watch for news of a wonderful new opportunity for giving over the next few months: a celebration of milestone birthdays for Professor Betty J. Ruth and Associate Dean Schulman in support of the School’s premier MSW/MPH Program. Betty and Ken have a combined 65 years of service to the School. Join us on September 26 for a celebration! Alumni Association Awards The 2015 BUSSW Alumni Association Awards event will take place on Saturday, September 26, as part of BU’s Alumni Weekend. Watch for details, including the names of this year’s recipients, this summer. Alumni Board Presidents Dinner A gathering of several local past Alumni Board Presidents took place in March. Participating were Dorothy Bergold (’81); Nanci Ginty Butler (’01); Nadia Chamblin (’97); Kathleen Mackenzie (’92); Catherine Mitchell (’03); and Michael Novack (’97). It was a productive and pleasant get-together. Transitions Speaking of the Alumni Association presidency, my second term as President of the Alumni Association comes to an end this September. It has truly been a pleasure to serve BUSSW in this role for the last four years. I am proud of the work we have done in the areas of macro concentration development, student-alumni connections, and MSW/MPH program support, to name a few. I look forward to continuing on the board in an ex-officio capacity and lending support to the new President and Vice President, who will be announced this fall. I wish all of you a fun and relaxing summer! Warmly, Amanda (Horowitz) Frank (’08, SPH’10) BUSSW Alumni Association President

ALU M N I ASSOC I AT I O N B OA R D ME M B ER S Katy Abrams (’97) Austin, TX

Lisa Cremer (’08) Shaker Heights, OH

Jennifer Ahlijanian (’91) Exeter, RI

Katherine Crevi (’16) Student Representative, Boston, MA

Requina Barnes (’04) Steering Committee Member, Cambridge, MA

Kelly Crowley (’03) Concord, MA

Patricia Beauchemin (’86) Warwick, RI

Sharon Cruz (’00) Rochester, MA

Loren Belforti (’15) Student Representative Brighton, MA

Nickie Diggs (’01) Laurel, MD

Betty Bernier (’97) Hyde Park, MA Katie Britton (’03) West Roxbury, MA Sukhi Bubbra (’97) Toronto, Ontario, Canada Pamela Charney (’91) Ft. Lauderdale, FL Yi-Chin Chen (’03) Steering Committee Member West Roxbury, MA Brett Collins (’07) San Francisco, CA

Noelle Dimitri (’00) Quincy, MA Lesley Dixon (’97) West Orange, NJ Marieka Farrenkopf (’00) Portland, OR Amanda (Horowitz) Frank (’08) President, Steering Committee Member, Weymouth, MA Nanci Ginty-Butler (’01) Waban, MA Mark Goodwin (’87) The Bronx, NY

Will Halpin (’03, SPH’08) Steering Committee Member, Jamaica Plain, MA Cate Johnson (’12) Steering Committee Member, Cambridge, MA Kami Kato (’98) Mililani, HI Hope Kenefick (’92) Barrington, NH

Ann McWalters (’95) Berkeley, CA

Deidra Somerville (’95)

Rebecca Mulhern (’02)

Stephanie Stidham (’01)

South Holland, IL

Brooklyn, NY

Orange, CA

Kristina Normann (’11)

Elizabeth Stookey Sunde (’94)

Denver, CO

Wilder, VT

Michael Novack (’97)

Sharon Ash Tancredi (’99)

Steering Committee Member, Waltham, MA

Scarborough, ME Michelle Thesing (’92)

Nikki Pollard (’04)

Tucker, GA

Barbara Kondilis (’98) Glyfada, Greece

Steering Committee Member, Cambridge, MA

Amneris Torres (’12)

Kristen Lindley (’16) Student Representative, Brighton, MA

Doreen Reis (’01)

Susan Lovett (’98) Jamaica Plain, MA

Vice President, Steering Committee Member, Boston, MA

Jamie (Wyatt) Marshall (’06) Great Falls, MT

Southington, CT Abby Ross (’08)

Erica Scoppetti (’05)

Steering Committee Member, Brookline, MA

Kathy Mackenzie (’92) Steering Committee Member New Bedford, MA

Allison Srinivasan (’00)

Pandora MacLean-Hoover (’95) Newburyport, MA

Taffy (Smith) Ruggeri (’05)

Jamaica Plain, MA Erika Vargas (’10)

Aiea, HI Christina Weeter (’04)

Louisville, KY Sarah (Farver) Winn (’12)

Auburn, WA Lindsey Young (’09)

Redondo Beach, CA

Mumbai, India Greenfield, MA

Chilean artist Sergio Castillo commemorated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (GRS’55, Hon.’59) in this work, Free at Last. The sculpture is housed in Boston University’s Marsha Plaza and features a flock of 50 steel doves meant to symbolize peace throughout the United States.

Nonprofit U.S. Postage PAID Boston, MA Permit No. 1839

ALANA students discuss community organizing, planning and policy during a 1989 meeting.