Year: 2022

Celebrating and Honoring the Profession: Heidi Frank MSW, LCSW

Social Work Month Highlight Meet Heidi Frank (she/her) MSW, LCSW Thank you for this opportunity to highlight social workers for SW month. My name is Heidi Frank, MSW, LCSW and my pronouns are she/her. I have been a social worker since 1999.  My desire to be a social worker started at UW-Oshkosh in 1995. Since …

Celebrating and Honoring the Profession: Amanda Ngola, MSW, LCSW

Social Work Month Highlight Meet Amanda Ngola, MSW, LCSW (she/her) What inspired you to become a social worker? My family was a big influence on me becoming a social worker. Growing up in an interracial family with one parent who was a lawyer and another who was a special education teacher, we were accustomed to …

Instructors Katie Larsen-Klodd and Jenny Braunginn Author Chapter in New Book on School Social Workers

School workers play a vital role in the lives of American school children. A new book, The Art of Becoming Indispensable: What School Social Workers Need to Know in Their First Three Years of Practice, by Oxford University Press is designed to help the new school social worker adapt to and thrive within the school …

Part-Time MSW Student Spotlight: Jennah Ludwig 

The Part-Time MSW Program allows students who are not able to pursue full-time study to work towards a master’s degree on a structured, time-extended basis with classes delivered in a hybrid manner. Some courses are designed as blended courses with a mix of online learning and in-person sessions, while others are taught as online courses. …

In the news: Dr. James (Dimitri) Topitzes, PhD ’06: What One University Learned About Pandemic Trauma and Its Work Force

Last week, The Chronicle for Higher Education published a story about trauma caused by the pandemic on university faculty and staff. The story highlights the work of our alum, Dr. James (Dimitri) Topitzes, PhD ’06, a professor of social work at UW-Milwaukee. “’For many people, the pandemic is not just an irritant,’ Topitzes said. “’It …

Dr. Kathryn (Beth) Angell PhD ’99 Named Dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Michigan

School alumna Dr. Beth Angell, currently the Dean of the School of Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University, will assume the Deanship at the University of Michigan on July 1, 2022. She earned her MSW and her doctorate in social welfare, both from UW–Madison. While in Madison, Dr. Angell worked closely with Emeritus Professor Mary …

Norma Berkowitz, Long-Time Faculty Member Passes Away

Clinical Faculty Professor of Social Work Norma Berkowitz passed away on January 14, 2022, at the age of 92. She joined the faculty in 1968, retiring in 1993. Norma taught in the development disability and health areas, and was an active member of UW–Madison’s Waisman Center. A mentor to many students and colleagues, Norma’s service …

Part-Time MSW Student Spotlight: Stephanie Ricketts

The Part-Time MSW Program allows students who are not able to pursue full-time study to work towards a master’s degree on a structured, time-extended basis with classes delivered in a hybrid manner. Some courses are designed as blended courses with a mix of online learning and in-person sessions, while others are taught as online courses. …

In the News: As Covid surges, health officials must remember that in-person postpartum care is essential

With the omicron variant forcing hospitals to make difficult decisions once again about what care to provide, Covid-19 must not again defer postpartum care. Postpartum follow-up care is essential health care, and we should be expanding rather than constricting access. The experiences of women who gave birth during the early days of the pandemic make …

In the News: Dr. Kristen Slack Shares Her Research on Programs Designed to Prevent Child Maltreatment on WPR

What role do poverty and economic hardship play in child maltreatment and neglect? And how can child welfare systems prevent them? UW Professor of Social Work Kristen Slack will hare her research into programs designed to prevent child maltreatment. She’ll discuss her work with coordinating services and benefits and detail improved strategies for preventing child …