Field Ed Hosts Annual Breakfast

On Monday, May 23, the BU School of Social Work (BUSSW) Field Education Department hosted its annual field instructor appreciation breakfast to honor field advisors who provide incredible support to students. This year’s theme was, “What’s Policy Got to Do with It? Integrating Policy Practice into MSW Field Education.”

Assistant Dean for Field Education Trudy Zimmerman, who introduced the event, said the morning celebrated field instructors who “pushed students out of their comfort zones” and who made a student say, “she is the kind of social worker I want to be.”

The 2016 honorees include:

Paul Bender, Gosnold on Cape Cod
Debbie Jenkins, Connections of Cumberland County in North Carolina
Patricia Ciampi, Grafton Memorial High School
Lynne Markey, Whaling City Alternative High School
Robyn Isman, Italian Home for Children
Cheryl Azza, Boston University School of Law Immigrants’ Rights Clinic
Patty Contente, City of Somerville
Joe Connors, Roxbury Prep Charter School
Jackie Savage-Borne, Brigham & Women’s Hospital
Laila Swydan, VA Medical Center in Boston
Deandra Williams, Cambridge School Volunteers Program

This spring also marked the first year that BUSSW honored a field placement agency. The inaugural winner was Gosnold on Cape Cod.

Deb Berglin, Director of the BUSSW Off-Campus Program at Cape Cod, said, “Gosnold has  been on the Cape since 1972, providing substance abuse and  mental health treatment. They  are one of the few agencies that offer our  students on the Cape a continuum of care  experience. I cannot think of an  agency that more highly deserves this award.”

After the awards were handed out, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Mary Collins discussed the social welfare policy curriculum at BUSSW. Next, Kate Audette, Director of State Government Affairs at Boston Children’s Hospital, spoke about translating policy to practice in the field.

The morning concluded with roundtable discussions.