The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare has selected UW School of Social Work Charles O. Cressey Endowed Professor Susan Kemp as a fellow in recognition of her distinguished accomplishments as a scholar and practitioner dedicated to high-impact research that advances the social good. She joins 14 other inductees to the Academy, which was established in 2009 to encourage and recognize outstanding research, scholarship and practice that contribute to a sustainable, equitable and just future for all.
Dr. Kemp is a noted scholar and teacher who has enriched the social work profession with her work on the environmental and community aspects of human well-being. She is co-author of Person-Environment Practice: The Social Ecology of Interpersonal Helping and co-editor of The Paradox of Urban Space: Inequality and Transformation in Marginalized Communities, and Communities, Neighborhoods, and Health: Expanding the Boundaries of Place. Awards for her work include the 2011 Richard Lodge Prize from Adelphi University for distinguished contributions to research and scholarship in social work.
Dr. Kemp's scholarship is grounded in her extensive community-based practice experience, initially as a child welfare social worker in New Zealand and later as a consultant to community agencies in urban neighborhoods in the United States. At the University of Washington, she co-leads the UW Cities Collaboratory and serves on the executive committee of Urban@UW, a transdisciplinary hub for urban research and practice. “My work to this point would not have been possible without the boundary-spanning vision and support of the School of Social Work and UW’s remarkably rich and collaborative interdisciplinary culture,” said Dr. Kemp. “I’m very honored that it is now being recognized by the Academy.” Dr. Kemp is the eighth member of the UW School of Social Work faculty to join the Academy as distinguished fellows.
“I am thrilled to see such a highly accomplished social work scholar and valued colleague join the esteemed ranks of the Academy,” said UW School of Social Work Dean Edwina Uehara. “This well-deserved recognition highlights the rich contributions that Susan has made to the science of social work and, in particular, her deep understanding of how environmental challenges impact the vulnerable communities we care about.”
Election into the Academy is through a process common to many scholarly academies, involving confidential nomination by current fellows and election by a super-majority of fellows. “The fellows of the Academy are all strong leaders in integrating scientific methods and social work practice and policy and an enormous resource for the field. I am delighted that 15 more fellows will be inducted, as this will significantly strengthen the range and impact of our work to address the grand challenges of our time,” said AASWSW President Richard Barth, dean of the University of Maryland School of Social Work.
In January 2016, the Academy announced a set of Grand Challenges for Social Work—an initiative to accelerate social innovation over the next 10 years—which draws on the talents of leading social work scholars across the country. The School of Social Work has played an instrumental role in the development of the initiative and the scholarship supporting six of the 12 challenges that range from reducing the health gap to reducing extreme economic inequality. Dr. Kemp is national co-lead of the Grand Challenge to Create Social Responses to a Changing Environment.