Jordan Wildermuth was a first-year college student when one of his instructors observed that his passion for helping others made him well suited for a career in social work. “That stuck with me and I was very lucky to have professors who cared deeply about me and were able to help me see how I could infuse my interest in politics with social work,” said Wildermuth, who recently became the executive director of the NASW Kentucky Chapter. NASW News is profiling new chapter executive directors in an ongoing series. As an undergraduate at Wartburg College in Iowa, Wildermuth said, he eventually discovered NASW and fell in love w...

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NASW Foundation Director Robert Carter Arnold recently announced the recipients of the 2011-12 Foundation scholarships and fellowships. Following are a description of each award and the recipients. Jane B. Aron Doctoral Fellowship The Jane Baerwald Aron Doctoral Fellowship Program provides partial support to social work doctoral students who are engaged in dissertation research in health care policy and practice. In 2011, the program supported the following dissertation research topic with a $3,000 fellowship: Charu Stokes, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work. “Complex Lives: Resiliency of Midlife African American Women Livi...

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“Fotonovelas,” comic book-style pamphlets that depict a dramatic, soap opera-like plot, have been popular in Spanish-speaking countries for decades. Now social work researchers at Columbia University in New York City have found these pamphlets effective in disseminating mental health care information in Latin American communities, reducing stigmas about mental illness and prompting more people to seek care. “Latin American people like them,” said Leopoldo Cabassa, assistant professor of clinical psychiatric social work at Columbia. “They found them educational, they found them entertaining, and they found them...

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The International Federation of Social Workers Executive Committee unanimously selected Rory G. Truell as the organization’s new secretary-general at its June meeting in Dublin, Ireland. For the last four years, Truell has been the chief executive officer of the New Zealand Social Services Industry Training Organization. Gary Bailey, former NASW president and current IFSW president, said Truell brings extensive experience and a positive vision for the future of IFSW, which represents 90 national social work member organizations across the globe. “We believe that in Rory Truell we have found an incredible leader and someone who...

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Social workers played a vital role in three palliative and hospice care organizations that received 2011 Circle of Life Awards in San Diego on July 18. The Circle of Life Awards honor organizations that provide innovative palliative and end-of-life care and contribute ideas and models that other providers and practitioners learn from. Major sponsors of the award include the American Hospital Association, the Catholic Health Association of the United States, the National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care, and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the National Hospice Foundation. NASW is a co-sponsor of the aw...

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Law & Order:  SVU star Tamara Tunie spoke at the hearing. Media attention surrounding the short life of Caylee Anthony has strengthened attention on the need to address child maltreatment deaths. Though no one has been found guilty in the death of the 2-year-old Florida girl, federal lawmakers cited her case as an example that improvements in child welfare are needed to help protect the nation’s youngest citizens. “Our role is to be the voice for the voiceless, especially those children whose deaths are missing from official data today,” said U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis, R-Ky., chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee...

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From the Director Jane Addams said, “The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life.” Recently, when I had an early morning medical appointment, I was reminded of this quote. Like many people who have worked in health care, I have an aversion to “patienthood.” I toyed with the idea of calling and rescheduling — putting it off until the following week or even the next month. I knew that would simply make my schedule more difficult, so at the appointed time I was sitting in the waiting room. I had easily driven the mile or two ...

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Is it healthy to seek new adventures in middle age? An article in the Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Journal quoted Ellen Smith, a licensed clinical social worker and professional life coach, who confirms the benefits of doing new and exciting things later in life. “When people move out of their comfort zone they’re really re-energizing themselves,” she said in the article. “They’re really pushing themselves to learn skills.” Too often people fall into a midlife rut, Smith explained. This can lead to boredom and depression. “You can still have big goals — it’s important to have dreams, even in you...

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Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown holds an NASW Oregon Chapter-sponsored House Joint Memorial. Behind her are representatives of the chapter. From left: Debra Feammelli, chapter assistant executive director; Jesse O’Brien, student intern; Maura Roche, lobbyist; Delmar Stone, executive director; and Tera Pierce, student intern. Oregon lawmakers think highly of social workers. For instance, Arnie Roblan, a Democrat who is co-speaker of the state House, said he initially discovered the good social workers do for children and families when he was a high school principal. “They keep our country together,” he said. The r...

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Trainers included members from the Gila River Health Center, located in Sacaton, Ariz. From left: Ken Geans, social worker; Sherry Yarbrough, nurse; and Jeremy Kloss, pharmacist. As a clinical oncology social worker, Harold Dean has watched the evolution of chemotherapy delivery from a mostly intravenous form to today’s more accommodating oral method. “This shift, although sometimes more efficient for the patient, has brought many challenges to the issue of compliance. Oral chemo regimens can be complicated and confusing for patients,” he said. In an effort to improve cancer medication adherence, Dean was part of a gro...

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