Five BUSSW Faculty Recognized for National Awards
On April 20, 2022, Boston University will recognize five School of Social Work faculty for their recent national awards in a celebration led by President Robert A. Brown and members of BU’s academic leadership. The event will honor BU faculty who received prestigious awards for teaching, research and scholarship at a national level in the years 2019, 2020 and 2021.
BUSSW Honoree Faculty, 2019–2021
Mary Collins
Fellow, 2021
Society for Social Work and Research
Judith Gonyea
Fellow, 2020
American Association of Social Work and Social Welfare
Bronwyn Keefe
Geriatric Academic Early Career Award, 2019
U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration
Betty J. Ruth
Significant Lifetime Achievement in Social Work Education Award, 2020
Council on Social Work Education
Renée Spencer
Fellow, 2020
Society for Social Work and Research
Professor Mary Collins is an internationally recognized expert on child welfare. 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.
Collins will be honored for being inducted as a fellow of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR), one of the nation’s top professional membership organizations for social work researchers.
Professor Judith Gonyea is the associate dean for faculty affairs at the School of Social Work. She is an expert in aging and social research, and is the author of more than 100 publications.
Gonyea will be honored for her 2020 fellowship from the American Association of Social Work and Social Welfare, an honor society of American scholars and practitioners in social work and social welfare.
Research Assistant Professor Bronwyn Keefe is the director of the Center for Aging & Disability Education & Research (CADER) and the Network for Professional Education at BUSSW. She is an expert in behavioral health and aging and workforce development.
Keefe is recognized for her 2019 Geriatric Academic Early Career Award from the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration.
Clinical Professor Emerita Betty J. Ruth is the former director of BU’s dual degree program in social work and public health which, under her guidance, became the largest program of its kind in the U.S. She also helped to conceive and launch the Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health (CISWH) at BUSSW.
Ruth will be honored for her 2020 Significant Lifetime Achievement in Social Work Education Award from the Council on Social Work Education, the national association for social work education.
Professor Renée Spencer is the chair of human behavior, research and policy at the School of Social Work. She is an expert in youth mentorship and adolescent development and has authored more than 70 publications.
Spencer is recognized for being inducted as a fellow of the Society for Social Work and Research in 2020.
To view the full list of 2019–2021 honoree faculty, visit the BU Office of the Provost website.