December 2010

Professor Irwin Garfinkel Wins Frank R. Breul Memorial Prize

CUSSW and New America Foundation Create First Child Savings Program in Bayelsa State Government in Nigeria

VA Social Work: Meeting the Needs of Veterans and their Families
Presented by Deborah Amdur, LCSW, ACSW, Chief Consultant, Care Management and Social Work Service, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (Powerpoint)

November 2010

Dean Jeanette Takamura Recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

September 2010

Columbia University Doctoral Student Selected as Fellow in CSWE Program
School of Social Work doctoral candidate Yamile Marti has been selected as a fellow to Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Minority Fellowship Program. Read more.

Columbia University Professor Honored with AHEAD Award
Assistant Professor Michelle Ballan was honored with the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) Recognition Award. The annual award is given to individuals and groups that “act directly or indirectly to benefit campus programs for students with disabilities.” Read more.

New Open Society Institute Photography Exhibit at the School of Social Work
Entitled “River Bleeds Black: Pollution of the Buriganga in Bangladesh”, Bangladeshi photographer Shehzad Noorani documents the Buriganga River, while at the same time raising awareness to the idea that developing countries need to pollute to escape poverty is just an excuse for moving polluting industries from one place to another. Read more.

Columbia University Professors Lead Social Work HIV/AIDS Scholarship
CUSSW professors Nabila El-Bassel, Steven Schinke, and Elwin Wu were named among the most prominent social work scholars in HIV/AIDS publication productivity in the U.S. according to a new study published in the Social Work in Health Care Journal. Read more.

July 2010

New Evidence on First-Year Maternal Employment and Child Outcomes
New research provides good news to parents on a question that has drawn a lot of attention from researchers and the media – do children fare worse if their moms work in the first year of life? The answer, according to a landmark study using a unique national dataset and cutting edge analytic methods, is a resounding no. Read more.

Vicki Lens Awarded Tenure at Columbia University
CUSSW is pleased to announce that Dr. Vicki Lens, Associate Professor of Social Work, has been awarded tenure by Columbia University. Read more.

Professor Ada Mui to Receive Mentorship Award from the Gerontological Society of America
Dr. Ada Mui is the 2010 recipient of the Task Force on Minority Issues in Gerontology Outstanding Mentorship Award.  The annual award is given by the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging. Read more

HIV Intervention Program Boosts Safe Sex Among High Risk Couples
Heterosexual, African American couples of serodiscordant HIV status (one HIV positive and one negative) reported a significant increase in safer sex behaviors after taking part in an HIV/STD intervention study Project Eban, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Read more.

June 2010

Nazarbayev University and CUSSW Sign Memorandum of Understand for Academic Collaboration
Memorandum establishes a framework for the development of bilateral relations through GHRCCA and opens up opportunities for developing a new generation of NU researchers and faculty meeting international standards, and facilitates transfer of advanced technologies of education and academic activities. Read more.

May 2010

2010 Commencement Ceremony
On May 18th, over 400 members of the Columbia University School of Social Work graduating class of 2010 received degrees. Keynote speaker Assistant Secretary for Veterans Employment and Training in the U.S. Department of Labor, Ray Jefferson addressed graduates on Columbia's Morningside Campus. See slideshow and hear Keynote Speaker.

Interview with Dean Jeanette Takamura (The Columbia Record, May 3, 2010)




Associate Professor Susan S. Witte Awarded Tenure by Columbia University
Columbia University has awarded a promotion to tenure to Susan S. Witte, Associate Professor in the School of Social Work. Dr. Witte also serves as the Associate Director of the Social Intervention Group at the School.  Read more.

Dr. Rogério Pinto Promoted to Associate Professor at CUSSW
Dr. Rogério Pinto has been promoted to Associate Professor at the Columbia University School of Social Work. Dr. Pinto was recognized earlier this year by the Society for Social Work Research when he received their Early Career Achievement Award for innovative, rigorous research and scholarship and for the notable emerging impact he has had already on the field and the profession.  Read more.

Dr. Ellen Lukens Promoted to Professor of Professional Practice at CUSSW
Dr. Ellen Lukens has been approved by the Trustees of Columbia University for promotion to professor of professional practice.  Read more.

Assistant Professor Michelle Ballan to Receive the 2010 Columbia University Presidential Teaching Award
The Columbia University School of Social Work is pleased to announce that Assistant Professor Michelle Ballan will be one of five faculty who will receive the 2010 Columbia University Presidential Teaching Award. Read more.

Associate Professor Julien Teitler to Receive Mentoring Award
Dr. Julien Teitler, Associate Professor and Doctoral Program Chair at the Columbia University School of Social Work (CUSSW), will be honored with the 2009-2010 Mentoring Award at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) Ph.D. Convocation on May 15, 2010.  Read more.

Professor Sheila Akabas Receives the 2010 Mark Moses Distinguished Fellow Award
The National Network for Social Work Managers honored the lifetime contributions of Professor Sheila (Shelley) Akabas of the Columbia University School of Social work by naming her the 2010 Mark Moses Distinguished Fellow. The Moses Award recognizes outstanding academics and others in the field of social work management. Read more.

Irwin Garfinkel to Give the 25th Annual Richard Titmuss Memorial Lecture at the Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare at Hebrew University
Professor Irwin Garfinkel of the Columbia University School of Social Work has been invited to give the 2010 Richard Titmuss Memorial Lecture at the Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel, on May 24, 2010.  Read more.

April 2010

U.S. Department of Labor Assistant Secretary for Veterans Services to Speak at Columbia University School of Social Work Commencement
Assistant Secretary for the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) at the U.S. Department of Labor, Ray Jefferson, will address graduates of the Columbia University School of Social Work (CUSSW) at their commencement ceremony on Tuesday, May 18, 2010. Read more.

Six Social Work Students Named Presidential Management Fellows
Six Columbia University School of Social Work students have been selected as finalists of the 2010 Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The program selects men and women who have a clear commitment and interest in the leadership and management of public policies and programs. Read more.

March 2010

U.S. Can Learn from Britain's Battle Against Child Poverty
A new book, Britain's War on Poverty written by Dr. Jane Waldfogel, shows that Britain has been largely successful in its efforts to reduce child poverty and that the United States can learn from its example. Read more.

Comparing the American Welfare State
A new book, Wealth and Welfare States: Is America a Laggard or Leader?, co-authored by Dr. Irwin Garfinkel explores the role of the welfare state in the overall wealth and wellbeing of nations and in particular looks at the American welfare state in comparison with other developed nations in Europe and elsewhere. Read more.

Study Charts a New Course for Young Black Men in Bermuda
While black males in Bermuda have higher employment-population ratios than their same age peers, they are less likely to be enrolled in secondary or post secondary school, have higher unemployment rates, and are much more likely to work for low wages, according to the findings from a study led by Dr. Ronald Mincy, Maurice V. Russell Professor of Social Policy and Social Work Practice. Read more.