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Portia L. Cole, PhD, MSW
Trinity Washington University
Portia L. Cole, PhD, MSW is Inaugural Baccalaureate Social Work Program Director and Associate Professor at Trinity Washington University, School of Nursing and Health Professions. She received her undergraduate degree in sociology from George Washington University, a Master of Social Work degree from the Catholic University of America, and a doctorate in sociology from American University. She is the recipient of an American Sociological Association Minority Pre-Doctoral Fellowship. Dr. Cole is also the recipient of a W.K. Kellogg Health Disparities Post-Doctoral Fellowship and completed practicums at Morgan State University’s Public Health Program and Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health where she helped to formulate cancer prevention strategies. She was granted a leave of absence during the 2007-2008 academic year from her faculty appointment at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work, to serve as an H. Jack Geiger Congressional Health Policy Fellow and legislative assistant in the late Senator Edward Kennedy’s Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee office. In this role, she took part in national public policy decisions and discourse to improve the health status of racial/ethnic minority populations. She is the principal author of peer-reviewed publications that focus on the experiences of persons with disabilities. Her most recent book chapter analyzed the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act on employees with brain injury, examining the link between perceived discrimination and poor health outcomes. She also served as guest editor for a special journal issue of Health & Social Work with a focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and the social determinants of health published in August 2025. Dr. Cole maintains a passionate and purposeful connection with her sociology roots. As such, her community engagement agenda is driven by a practice orientation described as “public health social work embedded in an applied sociology framework.” During her academic career, she has taken part in interdisciplinary collaborative efforts to support closure of equity gaps in educational outcomes for students with marginalized identities as well as implementation of student success initiatives. She seeks opportunities to craft strategies that lead to successful post-graduate outcomes. As a result, Dr. Cole uses engaging teaching strategies that emphasize inclusivity, critical thinking, and social justice to foster alignment of student skills/abilities (at graduation) with job qualification criteria outlined by prospective employers.