Two Wurzweiler Students are Children of the World Fellows

Two graduating Wurzweiler students, Erwich Cherry and Courtney Adams, are fellows with the Children of the World Community Program funded by the NYS Social Work Education Consortium and the New York Community Trust. The program provides services to densely populated immigrant communities in NYC. Six of the New York schools of social work participate in this program, sponsering 12 fellows in all.

The internships are provided in partnership with New York City's Administration for Children' s Service (ACS) in an attempt to decrease the number of new immigrants referred to NYC's Administration for Children's Services by increasing preventive services. An integral part of the fellowship includes a trip to Ghana. This "capstone" project was organized by the 12 fellows. Deans, directors, faculty, and administrators from ACS and the participating social work schools were all in attendance for the event. The presentation included a documentary about cultural awareness that the fellows created and a panel discussion describing their educational experience.

Wurzweiler 1 of 15 Schools Selected for Hartford Foundation Grant!

Wurzweiler has received notification from the Council on Social Work Education Gero-Ed Center that it has been selected for participation in the Specialized Gerontology Program, funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation. Wurzweiler was one of 15 programs funded from a national pool of 46 proposals. The award, the third grant WSSW has received from the Hartford Foundation, is for $10,000 to be spent over two yearsto enhance gerontological studies at Wurzweiler. Dr Rozetta Wilmore–Schaffer is the lead faculty on this award.

Learn more about the John A. Hartford geriatric social work initiative...

Wurzweiler Conference Tackles Crisis in Elder Health Care

Human service and legal professionals gathered in Weisberg Commons on May 1 to advocate for much needed changes in the delivery of health care on the local, state and national levels. “Navigating the Health Care Maze: At the Cusp of Change,” sponsored by Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Bronx Regional Interagency Council on Aging and Washington Heights/Inwood Interagency Council on Aging, was the seventh in a series of annual conferences on issues in aging organized by Wurzweiler and its planning partners.

The program began with a PowerPoint presentation by Evelyn Laureano ’05, PhD, executive director, Neighborhood Self-Help by Older Persons Project, Inc., highlighting comments and recurring experiences of older persons frustrated by the current health care system. After greetings from Wurzweiler Dean Sheldon R. Gelman, PhD, and alumnae Fern Hertzberg ‘87, MSW, executive director, ARC XVI, Washington Heights/Inwood Council on Aging, and Phyllis Erlbaum-Zur ‘03, PhD, director of admissions and discharge services, Jewish Home and Hospital Life Care System, the gathering was addressed by the panel of featured experts: Cardozo alumnus Martin Petroff, JD, Martin Petroff and Associates; Michealle Carpenter, JD, deputy policy director and counsel, Medicare Rights Center; Amy Bernstein, The LTC Insurance Resource Center, New York City Department for the Aging; Valerie Bogart, JD, director, Evelyn Frank Legal Resource Program at Self-Help Community Services, Inc.; and Michael Olender, associate state director, AARP.

Oleander stated:

We have a real opportunity to move ahead on health care reform with the White House following through on campaign promises regarding the ‘Divided We Fail’ platform and Congressional activity on such issues as Medicare/doctor reimbursement and funding for research.

The panel discussion was followed by workshops focusing on Medicare Part D, Medicaid Eligibility and Trusts, Medicaid and Long Term Care, Long Term Care Insurance, Mental Health Care System, and Managed Care and Communication. Joining panelists as workshop leaders were Betty Duggan, director of volunteer and community programs, Medicare Rights Center; Menahem Dimant, MD, Beth Abraham Family of Health Services; and Martha Sullivan, DSW, executive director, Fordham-Tremont Community Mental Health Center. Post-workshop speaker Mark Hannay of the Metro New York Health Care for All Campaign reported on city-wide efforts on behalf of universal health care reform in anticipation of the Congressional vote this fall. The presentations closed with Rosa Perla Resnick ‘76, PhD, of the United Nation’s NGO Committee on Ageing, who reported that the worldwide elderly population will approach two billion by 2050.

“I thought the conference was great. The workshops were extensive and well put-together,” said attendee Jose Lopez of the Jewish Association for Services for the Aged.

PBS NewsHour Features WSSW Grad, Cruz Rodriguez

On May 1, 2009, PBS NewsHour aired a segment about the new wave of not-for-profit agencies that provide loans and credit training for those with low incomes. Among the credit counselors interviewed: Cruz Rodriguez, MSW, who graduated Wurzweiler School of Social Work in July 2008. Cruz is currently employed by a not-for-profit called Credit Where Credit is Due. He made a mid-life change to professional social work aided by Wurzweiler's flexible class schedule (courses are offered on Sundays, and Tuesday and Thursday evenings) and a scholarship from the Latino Social Work Task Force.

To see Cruz in action, fast-forward to the 5.00 minute mark.

Doctoral Student Receives $40,000 Grant From American Cancer Society

Congratulations to Penny Damaskos, a doctoral candidate at Wurzweiler School of Social Work who recently received a $40,000, two-year grant from the American Cancer Society. The grant is meant to encourage researchers in the field of oncology social work. Ms. Damaskos has over fourteen years of experience in the field of oncology social work and currently runs the Post-Treatment Resource Program for cancer survivors at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

For her dissertation, Ms. Damaskos hopes to examine the concept of resiliency in oncology social workers to better understand why people stay in the oncology field despite the high stress. She hopes the subject could have significant training implications both for the field and in practice arenas.

Ms. Damaskos first heard about the grant a few years ago while attending a conference of the Association of Oncology in Social Work. She was encouraged to apply for the grant by her colleague, and fellow Wurzweiler doctoral student, Louisa Daratsos. Louisa is also a recipient of the ACS Doctoral Studies Grant and provided support to Penny as she navigated through the application process.

Ms. Damaskos encourages students in Masters and Ph.D. studies who are interested in the field of oncology to apply for this grant. Those who are considering it will find that they are welcome and well-supported. Ms. Damaskos explains that the grant applicants can be at the beginning stages of their doctoral studies and still apply for this grant. It is important for the student to show commitment and the intent to serve in the oncology social work field. Since several WSSW students have already received the grant, the school has the infrastructure in place to make the application process a bit easier.

The Doctoral Training Grant is a two year grant with the possibility of extension for four years. It will help students cover the costs associated with research, tuition, attending relevant conferences and travel expenses.

Click here for more info about the grant.

Click here for Masters level funding.

Ms. Damaskos is also the co-author (with Page Tolbert) of 100 Questions and Answers about Life After Cancer: A Survivor's Guide.
(Thanks to guest editor, Aries Liao)

“Leadership today is all about taking on responsibility” President Joel Lunches with JCS Students

On April 1, 2009, President Richard Joel met with over 20 Jewish Communal Certificate students, several Wurzweiler faculty members, Dean Gelman and a Wurzweiler board member for a private luncheon in the presidential boardroom. Sitting around the conference table, President Joel engaged the students in a frank and honest exchange about current challenges facing Jewish nonprofits and Yeshiva University in sustaining their missions and program commitments in the face of the severe economic downturn. As President Joel addressed future leaders of the Jewish communal world in a lively question and answer format, discussion topics ranged from the meaning of leadership, the value of professional practice in communities outside of the tri-state area and the current challenges and new opportunities facing Jewish agencies. His remarks reflected a balance between a serious appraisal of today’s difficult economic realities and optimism for a brighter future for Jewish communal life with new and creative professional opportunities to make a real and lasting contribution.

President Joel described the way in which the nature of Jewish communal leadership has changed in the past few years. As he affirmed, “Leadership today is all about taking on responsibility.” The new generation of professional leaders has the responsibility to provide communities with the proper tools and resources to make choices for themselves. An education in social work practice along with knowledge of the Jewish community and its needs and changing organizational structure is a valuable combination of assets for the new generation of Jewish communal leaders. President Joel strongly emphasized the importance of having dedicated, passionate and skilled individuals with creative visions of vibrant Jewish life, in this field, and nods of agreement rippled across the boardroom.

Students of the Jewish communal track were enlightened and encouraged by the luncheon.

“It was such an honor to hear insight from such a predominant figure in the field of Jewish communal service. As an aspiring professional, I greatly appreciated the opportunity to hear from someone who has so much experience in the field,” commented Danielle Skurnick, a first year Wurzweiler student.

Chana Topek, a second year student, also reflected glowingly on the experience. "President Joel gave an uplifting and realistically positive perspective for our future as individuals involved in Jewish leadership.”
(Thanks to Adena Stern, guest editor.)