NASW Foundation announces educational awards
WASHINGTON, D.C.— The National Association of Social Workers Foundation (NASWF) has announced the recipient of its 2014 Jane B. Aron Doctoral Fellowship. Jagadisa-devasri Dacus, who is enrolled in the Ph.D. program at the Hunter College School of Social Welfare, City University of New York, was chosen for his commitment to research in health care policy and practice.
“Mr. Dacus exemplifies the sort of passion and drive we like to see in Foundation scholarship candidates,” said NASWF Director Robert Arnold. “Specific to this doctoral fellowship, his focus on health care policy and practice in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention sets him apart.”
The Jane B. Aron Doctoral Fellowship provides partial support to social work doctoral candidates who are engaged in dissertation research in health care policy and practice. The fellowship program was established in 1987 as a tribute to Jane Aron, who was a leader in health care policy and education.
Mr. Dacus has worked extensively with HIV/AIDS service organizations and corresponding community-based organizations and state and local health departments. He has been actively engaged in HIV prevention interventions among high-risk populations. His research focuses on sustained HIV negativity in black men who have sex with men (BMSM) in New York City. He plans to identify and analyze tactics these men use to maintain their HIV-negative status.
Social work is one of the fastest-growing professions in the United States, with more than 650,000 licensed nationwide. Social workers are skilled professionals who have gone through extensive training to receive a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or doctorate in social work.
They help improve the quality of life for families, veterans, the elderly, minorities and people living with mental illnesses.
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For more information about the NASW Foundation or the Aron Scholarship, please visit www.naswfoundation.org or e-mail naswfoundation@naswdc.org.
The National Association of Social Workers Foundation (NASWF) is a charitable organization created to enhance the well-being of individuals, families, and communities through the advancement of social work practice.
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington, DC, is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with 130,000 members. It promotes, develops, and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW also seeks to enhance the well-being of individuals, families, and communities through its advocacy.