June 17, 2025
The University of Washington School of Social Work is thrilled to share that J’May Bertrand Rivara, associate teaching professor emerita, has received the 2025 UW Distinguished Teaching Legacy Award.
Created in 2017, this award celebrates legacies of transformational teaching and honors a UW teacher who influenced and inspired students long after they left the classroom. This selection recognizes Rivara’s nearly 50 years of experience teaching graduate students and inspiring the next generation of social workers.
“Colleagues tell stories of the profound influence J’May has had on their identities as social workers,” says former student Warren Leyh.
Rivara was first appointed a School of Social Work lecturer in 1985 while working as associate director of social work at the UW Medical Center. In 1995, she joined the Office of Field Education as a full-time lecturer, was promoted to senior lecturer in 2017 and associate teaching professor in 2019.
Since 2010, she has co-directed the Carol LaMare Scholars Program, serving as the field faculty lead and liaison for students completing advanced practicums in oncology, palliative care and in life-limiting illness. Her teaching and research have been focused on family functioning, chronic illness, pediatric traumatic brain injury and the impact of field education on student learning.
Read more about Rivara’s incredible impact in this UW Magazine feature.