Simmons Univ. to Host Virtual Responding to COVID-19 Roundtable

Boston, Mass. (March 23, 2020) – Simmons University’s Center for Innovation in Behavioral Health and Education (CIBER) announced today that it will host a virtual roundtable on Social Work Education and Practice: Responding to COVID-19.

The roundtable will feature a panel discussion with social work experts who will discuss strategies to enhance teaching and practice in a digital environment as the nation works to respond to the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The event, which takes place on Wednesday, March 25th from 4:30 to 6 p.m., will provide a forum for practitioners and others to share ideas and build a community of innovation and online best practices.

The virtual roundtable features:

• Dr. Stephanie Berzin, dean of Simmons University’s College of Social Sciences, Policy and Practice who also co-leads the Grand Challenge for Social Work, Harnessing Technology for Social Good;
• Dr. Nancy Smyth, dean of the University of Buffalo who has been a leading advocate for expanding social work’s online presence;
• Dr. Melinda Gushwa, associate director of CIBER and the director of Simmons’ School of Social Work, who has been teaching online for a decade;
• Leah Hart Tennen, associate program director for Simmons’ School of Social Work MSW program, who also designs and teaches online courses; and
• Mike Langlois, a visiting scholar with CIBER and a teaching associate in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School who is a clinical social worker and an early adopter of technology to enhance his clinical practice and teaching.

“Social workers have a critical role to play during this crisis, and the social distancing measures in place make it even more imperative that practitioners are able to serve patients in a virtual environment,” said Berzin. “We know that this crisis is leading to increased anxiety and behavioral health challenges, and this virtual roundtable is designed to give practitioners and educators useful tips and tools they can use to navigate the digital space and help patients.”

CIBER aims to be an epicenter of innovation, education, training and research in behavioral health and substance use – serving as a crucial resource for students, faculty, practitioners, community partners, social services agencies, researchers and others.

Individuals who would like to register for the roundtable can join via Zoom:

https://simmons.zoom.us/j/224481900

Meeting ID: 224 481 900

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Find your local number: https://simmons.zoom.us/u/ac7odtR3Mm

Meeting ID: 224 481 900

Home to the oldest school of clinical social work in the country, Simmons has more than a century of experience educating social workers who are equipped to serve urban, suburban, and rural communities and assist individuals and families in working to overcome the barriers to health and well-being. Simmons also offers the only MSW program in Massachusetts with a required course in substance use disorders for all first-year students. In addition, the Simmons MSW is the only program in New England to use hired actors as part of its innovative Simmons Clinical Simulation curriculum.

About Simmons University

Located in the heart of Boston, Simmons is a respected private university offering more than 50 majors and programs for undergraduate women and graduate programs open to all on campus, in blended formats, or entirely online in nursing and health sciences, liberal arts, business, communications, social work, public health, and library and information science. Founded in 1899, Simmons has established a model of higher education that other colleges and universities are only recently beginning to adapt: the combination of education for leadership in high-demand professional fields with the intellectual foundation of the liberal arts. The result is a Simmons graduate prepared not only to work, but to lead in professional, civic, and personal life — a vision of empowerment that Simmons calls preparation for life’s work. Follow Simmons on Twitter at @SimmonsUniv, and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/school/simmons-university/.

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