Bronwyn Keefe Promoted to Research Associate Professor
Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW) is pleased to announce that Bronwyn Keefe has been promoted to the rank of research associate professor, a testament to her longstanding contributions to the school and to the fields of social work and aging. Prof. Keefe is also assistant dean of workforce & professional development at the school and serves as director of the school’s Center for Aging & Disability Education & Research (CADER) and The Network for Professional Education.
Prof. Keefe has been dedicated to expanding access to high-quality educational programming for people who work in aging and disability networks. This focus is critically important as the population ages and the workforce serving older adults dwindles. Many professionals in these roles have limited training in key practice areas related to older adults or people with disabilities, and the standards of education requirements and expertise for these roles are inconsistent.
As director of CADER, Prof. Keefe is committed to strengthening the workforce that provides home and community-based support and services to older adults and people with disabilities by developing innovative, competency-based, practice-informed online training. The center has trained more than 25,000 practitioners and more than 500 community-based agencies and state organizations nationwide.
In 2019, Prof. Keefe was awarded a 4-year Geriatric Academic Career Award from the Health Resources Service Administration (HRSA K award) to continue training an interprofessional gerontology workforce. She was also invited to lead focus groups for the American Geriatrics Society’s (AGS) Intersection of Structural Racism and Ageism in Healthcare Initiative Goals and Strategies Committee and presented these findings at their plenary session. In 2022, she was named an Emerging Leader in Aging Scholar through the Tideswell Program at UCSF/AGS/ADGAP. She has received funding for projects related to behavioral health, specifically building the capacity of providers and communities in mental health and substance use and developing age-friendly initiatives to improve the lives of older adults.
Prof. Keefe is the past president of the board for Massachusetts Gerontology Association, a member of the Eldercare Workforce Alliance Board, the Older Adult Behavioral Health Steering Committee, the National Association for Geriatric Education and its Education and Training Committee. Her research has been published in the Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, Journal of Aging and Social Policy and Journal of Gerontological Social Work.