A renowned scholar and inspiring teacher, Professor Karen I. Fredriksen-Goldsen received the UW Award of Excellence for Distinguished Teaching on April 17.
Known for her enthusiastic teaching style and creative curriculum design, Fredriksen-Goldsen has had extraordinary success in developing classroom innovations that engender School-wide curricular transformations. For example, she created ways for students to build research skills through collaborative community-based projects that benefit local social service organizations.
“We are thrilled that our colleague received this well-earned honor,” said Eddie Uehara, Professor and Ballmer Endowed Dean in Social Work. “This highly competitive and prestigious teaching award honors Karen’s gifts as a master teacher and her many innovations to the educational mission of the School and the University.”
As director of the School’s Institute for Multigenerational Health, Fredriksen-Goldsen focuses on the intersection of health disparities, aging and caregiving in marginalized communities. She is currently leading the first national longitudinal study on health disparities of LGBT older adults. In January, she launched the School’s Healthy Generations Hartford Center of Excellence, one of only five in the nation, where social workers receive training in gerontological social work.
“It is an honor to be selected for the UW Distinguished Teaching Award,” said Professor Fredriksen-Goldsen. “My goal as an educator is to transform the learning environment and enhance student learning, creativity and leadership so that students have the skills necessary to succeed as well as create a better world around them.”
For the past 15 years, Fredriksen-Golden has served as faculty liaison to the Social Work Q’s group, a student group which supports lesbian, gay, bixsexual, transgender, queer, two spirit and intersex students as well as faculty and staff.
A prolific writer, Fredriksen-Goldsen is the author of three books and more than 50 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals. Her book, Families and Work: New Directions in the Twenty-First Century, is the most comprehensive study to date of caregiving across the lifespan.
The Distinguished Teaching Award is given annually to seven faculty members, five from the Seattle campus and one each from UW Bothell and UW Tacoma. A committee of faculty, students and alumni make the selections each year. A UW celebration to honor Professor Fredriksen-Goldsen and her fellow awardees will be on June 12 in Meany Hall from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Members of the UW campus and the general public are invited to attend.