Mission
The mission of the Council on Social Work Education Gero-Ed Center (National Center for Gerontological Social Work Education), funded since 2004 by the John A. Hartford Foundation, is to promote gerontological competencies in baccalaureate and master’s level social work programs nationwide to prepare students to enhance the health and well-being of older adults and their families.
Rationale
By 2020, one in six Americans are projected to be age 65 and older, with the most dramatic growth among those over age 85, elders of color, and women. These demographic changes, profoundly shaping every aspect of our society, are the impetus for the Hartford Foundation’s Geriatric Social Work Initiative (GSWI). Closely related is the growing demand for social workers with gerontological competencies, as documented in numerous workforce studies.
Social workers interact with older adults and their families in nearly all practice settings—child welfare, health and mental health, schools, domestic violence, and substance use to name a few—but are typically not formally prepared to do so. Recognizing this, the Gero-Ed Center promotes gerontological competencies at the generalist level for all social work students, as well as specialized gerontological practice behaviors at the advanced level.
Leadership
Principal Investigators
The Center's mission, vision, and leadership are provided by the co-Principal Investigators:
Dr. Nancy Hooyman (Biography)
Hooyman Endowed Professor in Gerontology
School of Social Work
University of Washington
Dr. Darla Spence Coffey (Biography)
President and Chief Executive Officer
Council on Social Work Education
National Advisory Board
In addition to the Center's co-Principal Investigators, an eleven-member National Advisory Board provides support and overall direction. Board members were selected both for their gerontological and curricular change expertise, and for their leadership in major social work professional organizations:
Katharine Briar-Lawson
Dean and Professor
School of Social Welfare
University at Albany
Karen Bullock
Associate Professor and Associate Department Head
Department of Social Work
North Carolina State University
JoAnn Damron-Rodriguez
Professor, Department of Social Welfare
University of California, Los Angeles
Debra Fromm Faria
Visiting Associate Professor
Director of Field Education
Social Work Department
College of Brockport, SUNY
Lorn Gingrich
National Social Work Program Manager
VA Care Management and Social Work Service
Robyn Golden
Instructor and Director of Older Adult Programs
Department of Preventative Medicine
Rush University Medical Center
Linda Harootyan
Deputy Executive Director
Senior Director, Professional Affairs, Advocacy, and Grant Development
The Gerontological Society of America
Marilynn Knall
Associate Director, Academic and Staff Support
School of Social Work
Wayne State University
Sandy Markwood
Chief Executive Officer
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Cheryl Waites
Dean and Professor
School of Social Work
Wayne State University
Joan Levy Zlotnik
Director, Social Work Policy Institute
NASW Foundation