The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB) Department of Social Work is once again ranked among the top 20 percent of programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). According to U.S. News and World Report, UAB has the No. 2 ranked social work program in the state of Alabama. Among all public universities nationwide, UAB’s Department of Social Work ranks No. 44.

Throughout the Spring 2024 semester, departments across the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s College of Arts and Sciences submitted nominations for the Dean’s Awards for Outstanding Undergraduate Students and Outstanding Graduate Students. The awards are given to exceptional undergraduate and graduate students in CAS who have made significant contributions to the UAB community.

The Social Work Partnership will bring together academicians, students, and social workers currently working in the field to inform best educational practices aligned with the field requirements.

Vern Bush, Kevin Davis and Brittany Martin are the first-quarter 2024 honorees of the UAB Values in Action Program. Nominations for second-quarter 2024 honorees are open through April 24.

“There are about 330 accredited Master of Social Work programs around the country, and in some fundamental ways we’re similar to all of them. What sets us apart is that unique clinical/medical focus,” said program director Colleen Fisher, Ph.D., MSW.

“Refugees, Empathy, and Human Rights” is a nationwide traveling exhibition featuring contemporary portraits and poetic stories illustrating the challenges of refugees building new lives in the United States.

The Center for Interprofessional Education and Simulation (CIPES) highlighted the Department of Social Work in two stories in its recent newsletter.

The Department of Social Work welcomes Dr. Donald (Donny) Gerke as an Assistant Professor.

Throughout her college career, Maria Suter-Thallemer has maintained an open mind and a willingness to try new things.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Social Work will present a collaborative event series from March 22-28 for Social Work Month.

From innovative teaching approaches to research accomplishments, opportunities for artistic expression and more, there’s no shortage of stories to tell about what’s happening at UAB. Review some of the year’s best below, and visit uab.edu/reporter and uab.edu/news to read hundreds more. 

Mother-daughter duo will walk together during the fall commencement ceremonies with Master of Arts degrees in social work.

The Department of Social Work welcomes three new clinical faculty members, Quachetta Jones, Jacqueline Jones, and Tommie Watkins. They began teaching this fall.

Congratulations to Laurel Hitchcock whose article, “Social Work Educators’ Opportunities During COVID-19: A Roadmap for Trauma-Informed Teaching During Crisis,” was chosen as the Journal of Social Work Education (JSWE) Best Conceptual Article of Volume 57.

The program was first piloted in April 2022 but will officially roll out in two programs’ curriculums in fall 2022. 

The Padma Award recognizes UAB faculty, staff and students who go the extra mile in support of underrepresented populations.

The Department of Social Work’s graduate program is celebrating a milestone in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. This is the first year the MSW program was eligible to be considered for ranking by its national peers.

The Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes full-time regular faculty members of University of Alabama at Birmingham’s College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in teaching.

After Laurel Hitchcock, Ph.D., associate professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Social Work, graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Social Welfare from the University of Wisconsin in 1991, she joined the Peace Corps as a volunteer.