From left: Drs. Mary McKay, Linda G. Mills and Michael A. Lindsey
On January 13, NYU Silver School of Social Work Dean Michael A. Lindsey was inducted as the President of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, the nation’s leading honorific society of scholars and practitioners who are dedicated to high-impact work that advances social good. During an induction ceremony in Washington, DC during the annual Society for Social Work Research conference, he received the baton from outgoing President Mary McKay of the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. Eight new Academy Fellows were also inducted, including NYU President Linda G. Mills.
Dean Lindsey, who was inducted to the Academy in 2021, is a noted scholar in the fields of child and adolescent mental health. He expressed his admiration for the contributions Fellows of the Academy have made to addressing society’s pressing problems and his desire to further amplify their visibility and impact. “We must never forget the power of what we do and our ideal position to lead critical conversations about the many challenges that our world faces,” he told the gathered Fellows.
Dean Lindsey outlined a vision for the Academy that involved raising the visibility of Fellows’ work, connecting their research and thought leadership to policymakers, and joining forces with other social work organizations to tackle the nation’s most challenging social concerns.
He also championed the need to further develop the pipeline of social workers who are available to meet the needs of people in the post-pandemic world. “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services projects that the gap between the supply of social workers focused on mental health and substance abuse and the demand for them will be as much as 31% by 2025,” he noted, urging the Academy to advocate for making a social work education more accessible and better pay for social workers.
“There is no one better right now to elevate social work and our values,” said President Mills in introductory remarks before Dr. Lindsey’s address. Citing his research and federal policy advocacy relating to Black youth suicide prevention, as well his efforts to bring media visibility to the profession, she told Dr. Lindsey, “Your work has been groundbreaking and you have changed the conversation.”
We congratulate Dean Lindsey, new Academy Board member Laura Abrams of UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, President Mills and all of the new Academy Fellows! Learn more about them in the induction program.