Mary Collins

Mary Collins is an internationally recognized expert on child welfare. She currently serves as the international editorial advisor for British Journal of Social Work and on the editorial board of Journal of Policy Practice and Research.

Author of Macro Perspectives on Youths Aging Out of Foster Care (NASW Press, 2015) and more than 90 articles and book chapters Collins’ research focuses on developing supportive policies and programs for older youth in state systems. Her work has appeared in journals including Journal of Youth Studies, Child Welfare, Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, and Journal of Social Policy. Over the past decade, she has been a visiting scholar in Switzerland at Zurich University of Applied Sciences, in Ethiopia at University of Gondar and in Northern Ireland at Queen’s University School of Social Work. Collins spent the 2011-2012 academic year as a Fulbright Lecturer at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities at Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City.

At BUSSW, Collins previously served as associate dean for academic affairs, director of the dual degree program in social work and theology, co-coordinator of the specialization in children, youth and families, director of the doctoral program, and chair of the social welfare department. She is a current faculty affiliate with BU’s Center for Innovation in Social Science, Center for Antiracist Research, and the Initiative on Cities.