Faculty & Staff
Faculty
| Staff
|
Part-time Faculty
| Emeritus
Social work faculty at the University
of Maine have a wealth of academic specializations which add to the
strength of the generalist perspective of social work to which the
school is committed. In addition to their research and teaching, faculty
are effectively engaged in both professional and public service
activities at the local community level, state-wide, nationally, and
internationally. This active involvement by faculty ensures that
students receive an education which is both current and practical.
Deirdre Boylan, LCSW
Deirdre Finney Boylan has been a
psychotherapist and supervisor in outpatient, community mental health
services for 12 years. She received her B.A. with Honors in Theater from
Wesleyan University in 1982, and her MSW from Smith College School for
Social Work in 1992. She worked at Kennebec Valley Mental Health Center
for nearly eight years, and recently left HealthReach Network/New
Directions to be the Weekend MSW Site Coordinator for the University.
For the last four years Deirdre did the majority of her clinical work in
schools through the School-Based Behavioral Health Collaborative: a
shared venture, staffed by clinicians from HealthReach, Kennebec Valley
Mental Health, and Crisis and Counseling that provides direct, clinical
services to students at their schools. A member of the management team
at New Directions for three years, Deirdre supervised clinical staff,
and has been a field instructor for both UMaine and UNE MSW student interns
over the last ten years. She taught Psychopathology and Field Seminar as
an adjunct instructor prior to being hired for the new position in
Belfast. Deirdre looks forward to strengthening the connection between
the Orono program and the Belfast cohort.
Sandra
Butler Professor
M.S.W. Washington University
Ph.D. University of Washington
Dr. Butler teaches courses in social
welfare policy and macro social work practice. Her research focuses
primarily on the health needs and social
welfare experiences of low-income women across the life span. Her
publications are in the areas of poverty, homelessness, welfare, rural
aging, the impact of higher education for low-income mothers, GLBT
aging, lesbian health, teen parenting and pregnancy, and policy
practice.
She was a Hartford Geriatric Social
Work Faculty Scholar from 2001 to
2003, which allowed her to expand her teaching, scholarship and
community service in the area of aging. In 2010, she became a Hartford
Faculty Research Mentor. Since its inception in 2001, she
has been affiliated with the University of Maine Center on
Aging,
participating on several research and service projects. In 2008
she received an Academic Research Enhancement Award (R-15) from the
National Institute on Aging to look at retention and turnover among home
care workers, with a particular focus on older workers. This is a
three-year project that involves student training in research methods.
She has served on the boards of a
variety of community and state
organizations including the Maine Women's Lobby, Maine Women's Policy
Center, Family Connections (serving kinship families), Spruce Run
(battered women's program), and the Mabel Wadsworth Women's Health
Center. She has been involved in legislative advocacy on welfare,
providing assistance to kinship families, and civil rights for gays and
lesbians. From 2002-2004, Dr. Butler coordinated the statewide
Relatives as Parents Project (RAPP) Network. She served on an advisory
panel for a national needs assessment regarding services of GLBT elders
from 2002-2003. She is on the editorial board of the Journal of Poverty,
Journal of Community Practice, and the Journal of Gerontological
Social Work
and a consulting editor for Health and Social Work.
Sandy.Butler@umit.maine.edu
Elizabeth DePoy Professor
M.S.W. University of Pennsylvania
Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania
Elizabeth DePoy is professor of social work and interdisciplinary
disability studies and also holds an appointment as Senior Research
Fellow. Ono Academic
College, Research Institute for Health and Medical Professions. Kiryat
Ono, Israel. Dr. DePoy is a nationally and internationally recognized
scholar in research and evaluation methods and original theory in the
fields of disability, diversity, and design. Co-authored with Stephen
Gilson, DePoy developed Explanatory Legitimacy Theory which analyzes how
population group membership is assigned, is based on political purpose,
and is met with formal responses that serve both intentionally and
unintentionally to perpetuate segregation, economic status quo, and
inter-group tension.
DePoy has applied legitimacy theory to the
analysis of diversity and human rights. Along with Gilson, DePoy has
implemented her vision of socially just policy and praxis based on
principles of full participation and access through the creation of a
web portal that renders existing illness prevention information
accessible to individuals across diversity category boundaries. Her work
has created an important theoretical advancement in disability and
diversity studies and has been acknowledged as a new paradigm for
disability studies by many scholars in the field. Most recently, DePoy,
with co-author Gilson, applies design theory and practice to the
analysis of diversity categories, their membership and their
maintenance.
DePoy’s most research interests and
publications have focused epistemology and research methodology,
disability as designed, human rights, and advancement of equality of
access to environments and resources. Dr DePoy is currently working on
her 10th book, has contributed many chapters to edited collections, and
has over 100 articles published in peer reviewed journals. She ahs
earned over 7 million dollars in extramural research grants at the
University of Maine. DePoy presents her work locally, regionally,
nationally and internationally and has collaborative relationships with
international scholars. In the service arena, Dr DePoy provides
evaluation, research and grant writing consultation to agencies and
organizations.
Dr. DePoy’s awards for scholarship include:
Senior Scholar Award, Society for Disability Studies, June 2009.
•
Elected to The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, University
of Maine, April 2009.
•
Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award, American Public
Health Association, October 2008.
•
Faculty Fellowship Summer Institute in Israel, Society for
Peace in the Middle East, Summer, 2008. Sponsored by Bar-Ilan
University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ben Gurion University, Tel
Aviv University, Haifa University, Technion – Israel Institute
of Technology, Jewish National Fund, Media Watch International,
Scholars for Peace in the Middle East
University of Maine, Presidential Research and Creative Achievement
Award, May 2007.
Outstanding Achievement Award, Association of University Centers on
Disability, November 2006.
•
Allan Meyers Award for Scholarship in Disability, American
Public Health Association, September 2005
Fulbright Senior Specialist Scholar, Grant awarded to Assuit University,
Assuit, Egypt, March, 2003
Feminist Scholarship Award-Council on Social Work Education, March 2000.
In Rethinking Disability (2004) and in her
most recent book, Disability as Disjuncture (2009) DePoy with co-author
Gilson, takes on the essentialist nature of current diversity categories
with a particular focus on disability, laying bare the value foundation
and political and economic purpose of “disability category” assignment
and social, professional and community response. Her additional works,
co-authored with Gilson, include The Human Experience (2007) and
selected essays and papers. This scholarship applies legitimacy theory
to understanding theories of human description and explanation and their
purposive, political use in diverse “helping professional” worlds.
edepoy@maine.maine.edu
Stephen
F. Gilson Professor
M.S.W. University of Denver
Ph.D. University of Nebraska Medical Center
(medical sciences degree, specialization in psychiatry)
Stephen Gilson
is professor of social work and interdisciplinary disability studies and
also holds an appointment as Senior Research Fellow. Ono Academic
College, Research Institute for Health and Medical Professions. Kiryat
Ono, Israel. He is a theorist and policy analyst who is best known for
his work in disability, diversity, and health policy through the lens of
legitimacy theory. Co-authored with Elizabeth DePoy, Gilson developed
Explanatory Legitimacy Theory which analyzes how population group
membership is assigned, is based on political purpose, and is met with
formal responses that serve both intentionally and unintentionally to
perpetuate segregation, economic status quo, and inter-group tension.
Gilson has
applied legitimacy theory to the analysis and enactment of health policy
related to access to illness prevention information. Along with DePoy,
Gilson has implemented his vision of socially just policy based on
principles of full participation and access through the creation of a
web portal that renders existing illness prevention information
accessible to individuals across diversity category boundaries. His work
has created an important theoretical advancement in disability and
diversity studies and has been acknowledged as a new paradigm for
disability studies by many scholars in the field. Most recently, Gilson,
with co-author DePoy, applies design theory and practice to the analysis
of diversity categories, their membership and their maintenance.
His research
interests and publications have focused disability identity, experiences
of domestic violence and women with disabilities, disability theory,
disability as diversity, social justice, and health and disability
policy and advocacy. Dr Gilson is currently working on his 9th book, has
contributed many chapters to edited collections, and has over 60
articles published in peer reviewed journals. He is currently pursuing a
collaborative research agenda to develop and test software that will
provide full access to web and electronic information. Dr Gilson
presents his work locally, regionally, nationally and internationally
and has collaborative relationships with international scholars. In the
service arena, Dr Gilson is extremely active on university, local,
national and international committees, organizations, and concerns. His
commitment to universal ideology as a means to promote social justice
and equal opportunity guides his service work.
His awards for
scholarship include:
-
Society
for Disability Studies (SDS), Senior Scholar Award, 2009
-
University of Maine, Department of Psychology, Stanley Sue
Distinguished Lecture Series, Diversity Lecture - "Now guess who is
coming to the diversity dinner: Disability and beyond bodies and
backgrounds" 2009
-
Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD),
Multicultural Council Award for Leadership in Diversity,
2008
-
Faculty Fellowship Summer Institute in Israel,
Society for Peace in the Middle East, Summer, 2008.
-
Allan Meyers Award for Scholarship in Disability,
American Public Health Association, September, 2005.
-
CSWE Commission on the Role and
Status of Women “Feminist Scholarship Award for 2000.” E. P. Cramer,
S. F. Gilson, and E. DePoy – “Experiences of Abuse and Service Needs
of Abused Women with Disabilities.”
In Rethinking
Disability (2004) and in his most recent book, Disability as Disjuncture
(2009) Gilson with co-author DePoy, takes on the essentialist nature of
current diversity categories with a particular focus on disability,
laying bare the value foundation and political and economic purpose of
“disability category” assignment and social, professional and community
response. His additional works, co-authored with DePoy, include The
Human Experience (2007) and selected essays and papers. This scholarship
applies legitimacy theory to understanding theories of human description
and explanation and their purposive, political use in diverse “helping
professional” worlds.
Dr. Gilson was elected Chair-
for the Disability Section for the American Public Health Association
(2-year term to begin November 2009).
stephen_gilson@umit.maine.edu
Lenard
W. Kaye Professor, Director of the Center on Aging
M.S.W. New York University
D.S.W. Columbia University
Dr. Lenard W. Kaye is
Professor of Social Work at the University of Maine School of Social
Work and Director of the UMaine Center on Aging. Dr. Kaye teaches both
sections of SWK 665: Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice with
Organizations and Communities.
During the 2000-2001 academic year, he was the Visiting Libra Professor
in UMaine's College of Business, Public Policy & Health. Previously, he
was Professor of Social Work and Social Research and Director of the
Ph.D. Program at the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research
at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania and Associate Director of the
Brookdale Institute on Aging & Adult Human Development at Columbia
University. Dr. Kaye joined the UMaine Social Work faculty in the fall
of 2001.
A prolific writer in the field of social gerontology, he has published
approximately 125 journal articles and book chapters and 12 books on
specialized topics in aging including home health care, productive
aging, rural practice, family caregiving, controversial issues in aging,
support groups for older women, and congregate housing. His pioneering
research and writing on older men's caregiving experiences and
help-seeking behaviors, is widely recognized and frequently cited.
His most recent research has investigated early intervention screening
and clinical approaches to treating potential victims of elder abuse and
caregivers of older adult adults experiencing high levels of burden.
Dr. Kaye recently served on the National Advisory Committee for Rural
Health and Human Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Service as well as the advisory boards of a wide range of national and
local health and human service programs serving older adults. He is a
past board member of the Hartford Geriatric Enrichment in Social Work
Education Program and the Association of Gerontology in Social Work
Education. He is a National Research Mentor for the Hartford Geriatric
Social Work Scholars Program, and is President of the Maine
Gerontological Society. He is the Past Chair of the National Association
of Social Worker's Section on Aging, sits on the editorial boards of the
Journal of Gerontological Social Work and Geriatric Care Management
Journal, and is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America.
Len_Kaye@umit.maine.edu
Nancy
A. Kelly Field Coordinator
M.S.W. Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
Ms. Kelly is Field Coordinator and
Chair of the M.S.W. Admissions Committee. She teaches
field-related courses and seminars and also teaches in the area of human
behavior and the social environment. Her research interests include
child welfare, mental health, diversity issues,
and social work administration.
In addition to arranging field
placements for all BASW and MSW students, Ms. Kelly is co-organizer of
the School's annual Child Welfare Conference, chair of the planning
committee for Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Week, and a member of
the planning committee for Mental Illness Awareness Week. In addition to
state-wide committees on Child Welfare issues, Ms. Kelly has served on
various community social service agency boards.
nakelly@maine.edu
Dr. Jennifer S. Middleton, Assistant Professor
BSW Colorado State University (1997)
MSW University of Denver (1998)
PhD University of Denver (2011)
LCSW State of Colorado (since 2011)
Dr. Jennifer Middleton is an assistant professor of social work at
the University of Maine. Dr. Middleton teaches graduate level research
and integrative seminar courses, and serves as a faculty field liaison
in the community. Her research interests include: forensic social work,
the impact of childhood trauma on autobiographical memory, the impact of
vicarious trauma on retention in child welfare, and the phenomenon of
vicarious traumatization among forensic interviewers and other first
responders. Prior to moving to Maine, Dr. Middleton worked as a Senior
Research Associate at the Butler Institute for Families at the
University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work. Her ongoing
research projects include: Examining the effects of a healthy adolescent
revictimization prevention program on foster care girls; Addressing
minority over-representation within the juvenile justice system; Testing
a comprehensive organizational health assessment instrument as a
strategy for improving the culture and climate of child welfare
organizations; Examining the forensic interviewing professional’s role
in determining the credibility of children as witnesses in court;
Measuring the impact of vicarious trauma on forensic interviewing
professionals.
Dr. Middleton has over 10 years of social work practice experience
providing clinical social work services to children and families. Most
recently, she worked as a forensic interviewing specialist for seven
years, interviewing over 2500 children regarding allegations of sexual
abuse and other forms of maltreatment in the state of Colorado. As a
forensic interviewer and expert witness regarding child sexual abuse,
Jennifer developed training protocols for law enforcement investigators,
social services and other professionals regarding such topics as:
minimal facts interviewing protocol, forensic interviewing skill
development, and child sexual abuse investigations. As the founder and
senior faculty consultant of True Voice Consulting, an evidence-based
research and training institute in Colorado, Dr. Middleton provided case
consultation, trial preparation, and support for county and district
attorneys who question children on the stand. Prior to becoming a
forensic interviewing specialist, Jennifer worked extensively in the
field of child welfare as a child protection caseworker, team leader,
and institutional investigator for the Department of Social Services.
Early on in her social work career, Dr. Middleton also worked as a
special education instructor of elementary school children, a
residential counselor of adults with severe disabilities, a substance
abuse counselor providing court-ordered treatment services to women, and
a medical social worker in the ER. Dr. Middleton currently provides
clinical supervision to lead caseworkers and forensic interviewers
throughout the state of Colorado.
Robin Russel Professor
J.D. Temple University School of Law
Ph.D. Jane Addams School of Social Work, University of Illinois
Dr. Russel is the Director of the School of Social Work. She has taught
in the areas of foundation practice, social welfare policy, research,
child welfare, family violence and spirituality and social work. She
started her career as a legal services attorney specializing in juvenile
and family law. She has taught in social work, criminal justice, and
public administration programs.
Her earlier research focused on multidisciplinary collaboration in child
maltreatment and family violence cases. More recently she has focused on
the integration of spirituality in social work practice and education.
She has led many workshops across the country on this topic. She is also
currently involved in research on the interface of law and social work
education. She oversees the School's Guardian Ad Litem Project and child
welfare projects.
Dr. Russel currently sits on the national board of directors of the
National Association of Social Workers and the National Association of
Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work.
Winston
Turner Adjunct Professor,
Project Evaluation Coordinator
M.A. DePaul University (experimental psychology)
Ph.D. Brandeis University (health policy)
Dr. Turner teaches on the area of
social work research and has been the project evaluator for several
state and national evaluation projects. In his role as evaluator, he has
managed numerous federal
and state grants and contracts. Since his arrival in 1998, he has
provided program evaluation services for grants and contracts to Maine's
Native American communities, the Center on Aging, the Research and
Evaluation Program within the Department of Education and the Margaret
Chase Smith Center for Social Policy.
Dr. Turner has extensive experience
directing research projects
relevant to health policy in a variety of interest areas including
substance abuse, homelessness, persons with long-term mental
illness, and the assessment of treatment outcomes. He also serves
as a grant reviewer for the Department of Health and Human
Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA). Over the past three decades, Dr. Turner
has taught in the Psychology, Physical Therapy and Social Work
departments of numerous universities in Massachusetts and Maine.
He serves on several dissertation committees each year and is a
past member of the University's Institutional Review Board.
Dr. Turner operates a private consulting business (Northeast
Research Services) out of his Blue Hill home providing services such
as program evaluations, research design and statistical
consultation, data analyses, grant writing, data systems
development and professional management workshops.
Win_Turner@umit.maine.edu
Gail
B Werrbach Associate Professor
M.S.W. Simmons College
Ph.D. University of Texas-Austin
LCSW State of Maine
Dr. Werrbach is associate professor of social work and teaches courses
in family therapy, advanced generalist practice with individuals and
families, small group, and integrative seminar courses. She received the
University of Maine Presidential Teaching Award in 2008. Her research
interests and publications are in the areas of child mental health,
community mental health training, and international social work.
Dr. Werrbach has over
10 years experience providing clinical social work services to children
and families. Since her arrival at the University of Maine in 1988, she
has provided evaluation consultation for various state and local
agencies that serve children and families, including the State of Maine
Department of Health and Human Services the Margaret Chase Smith Center
for Public Policy (Wings for Children and Families Project), and the St.
Michael's Center Program (Home Based Family Services). Dr. Werrbach has
also received and administered four Indian Child Welfare training grants
from the US Department of Health and Human Services Children's Bureau.
She was co-principal evaluator of a five-year project for the
Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township, establishing a community-based
system of care for children's mental health. She is currently the
principal investigator for a four-year international social work
initiative funded by the US Department of Education, Fund for the
Improvement of Post-Secondary Education.
Gail_Werrbach@umit.maine.edu
