The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare has selected UW School of Social Work Professor and Grace Beals-Ferguson Scholar Paula Nurius (left) and Carol LaMare Associate Professor Taryn Lindhorst (below, right) as fellows in recognition of their distinguished accomplishments as scholars and practitioners dedicated to advancing social good. Lindhorst and Nurius will be inducted into the Academy during a public ceremony at the Society for Social Work Research conference in Washington, D.C. on January 14, 2016. Induction remarks will be given by School of Social Work Endowed Professor of Prevention J. David Hawkins, one of five previously selected Academy fellows from the School of Social Work.
“I am proud to be part of a profession that has maintained a deep and sustained commitment to issues of social justice, inequalities and well-being,” said Nurius, adding that she looks forward to the challenges and opportunities that membership in the Academy entails for her and for the School of Social Work. Says Lindhorst: “It’s like the Academy Awards of academic social work. For the past 15 years, the University of Washington has supported me in research that uses novel methods to improve the lives of battered women. I am excited to have the collaborative work I have done recognized in this way.”
Election into the Academy is through a process common to many scholarly academies, involving confidential nomination by current fellows and election by a super-majority of fellows. “The fellows of the Academy are all strong leaders in integrating scientific methods and social work practice and policy and an enormous resource for the field. I am delighted that 13 more fellows will be inducted, as this will significantly strengthen the range and impact of our work to benefit our wider society,” said AASWSW President Richard Barth, dean of the University of Maryland School of Social Work.
“I am thrilled to see two highly accomplished social work scholars and valued colleagues join the esteemed ranks of the Academy,” said UW School of Social Work Dean Edwina Uehara. “This well-deserved recognition highlights the rich contributions that Taryn and Paula have made to the science of social work and to generations of social work students.”
The establishment of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare in 2010 represented an effort by the leading national social work organizations to strengthen their capacity for rigorous analysis that can guide effective human services policies, programs and practices. The Academy encourages and recognizes outstanding research, scholarship and practice that contributes to a sustainable, equitable and just society.
In January, the Academy announced a set of Grand Challenges for Social Work—an initiative to accelerate social innovation over the next 10 years—which draws on the talents of leading social work scholars across the country. The School of Social Work has played an instrumental role in the development of the initiative and the scholarship supporting six of the 12 challenges that range from closing the health gap to reducing extreme economic inequality.