May, 16 2025
Professor Emeritus Paula Nurius is retiring from the University of Washington School of Social Work at the conclusion of the 2024-25 academic year. Dr. Nurius concludes an illustrious 40-year career that started in 1984 and continues to influence translational science and support of PhD students in research and scholarship.
Nurius spent her entire academic career at the UW, serving as the director of the NIMH Prevention Science Training Program from 1998-2014. During that time, she collaborated with UW, SSW and national peers on the growth of graduate education all while bringing in significant T32 funds to support doctoral education and training. Nurius was affiliated with UW Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center, UW Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences, UW Institute of Translational Health Sciences, UW Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, the UW Center for Child and Family Well Being and the UW West Coast Poverty Center. Nurius retired from her position as the Associate Dean for Translational Partnerships at the School of Social Work, working across the UW with all Health Sciences schools to better support interprofessional collaboration, scholarship and research.
As a scholar, Nurius received local, national and international recognition. In 2023 she was recognized as one of the top scholars to influence the overall contribution to the field of social work scholarship by the h-index, as well as among the top 2% of scientists in the world in 2021 from Stanford University-Elsevier. Nationally, Nurius was the inaugural recipient of the Group of Advancement for Doctoral Education in Social Work (GADE) National Leadership in Doctoral Education Award in 2016 and elected to the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW) in 2015. She was also elected as a fellow for the Society of Social Work & Research that same year.
Locally, Nurius has been a phenomenal contributor to the School of Social Work and University of Washington. She received the SSW Doctoral Mentor Award in 2019, as well as receiving UW recognition as a Graduate Mentor Award nominee. This showed her steadfast support of doctoral education, having served on over 45 doctoral dissertation committees and 6 master thesis committees. Nurius supported graduate education and scholars from her perch as the Grace Beals Ferguson scholar from 2010-2024. She promoted everything from student speakers to early career faculty to help jump start their research and scholarship careers at the UW.
Nurius’ research focused on the processes and effects of stress and trauma on vulnerable and socially disadvantaged populations, early and preventive intervention, and fostering resilience. A mental health specialist by training, she focuses on comorbid physical, mental and behavioral health outcomes as well as incorporating effects of the environment (e.g., air pollution, neighborhood characteristics, green spaces) in multilevel models to explain stress responses and disparities in health and functioning outcomes. In the 40 years Nurius has been at the UW SSW, she co-authored several books and over 141 peer reviewed articles, which have appeared in highly ranked social work, medical and interdisciplinary journals. Nurius was an invited speaker to over 140 speeches and presentations.
Prior to receiving her doctorate in 1984 from the University of Michigan and starting her academic career, Nurius spent several years providing clinical social work services in public health settings in Honolulu, Hawaii and Texas. She worked as a crisis social worker, counselor, and case manager for victims of sexual violence.
Personally, Nurius was a passionate supporter of her family. She is a wife, mother and devoted pet owner. Nurius continues to be engaged in her community in Seattle – currently she serves as president of the Board of Trustees of our local Unitarian church.
While she may not be in the classroom, she is still involved in the development of graduate student and early career faculty. The School of Social Work will be honoring Nurius with an intimate reception of colleagues this spring.