Faculty
Full-Time Faculty | Adjunct Faculty
Professors Who Practice What They Teach
Quality education begins with quality teachers. The SSW faculty will help you prepare professionally because they are successful professionals themselves — and because they are dedicated to teaching and mentoring students.
SSW professors are actively engaged as clinicians, consultants, educators, researchers, and community leaders. Their research, scholarship, and experience cover a wide range of issues, including child welfare, pediatric chronic illness, gerontology, health care disparities, trauma, HIV/AIDS, refugees, family bereavement, racism and oppression, social work leadership, evidence-based practice, and social policy in the United States and around the world.
Our faculty serve on the boards of numerous agencies and organizations, such as the Judge Baker Children's Center, the National Association of Black Social Workers, the AIDS Action Committee, the Association of Medical Education and Research in substance Abuse, the United Way, and the Women's Educational and Industrial Union.
Highly Accessible
All faculty offices are located in the SSW building to provide students with direct and frequent contact with professors outside of the classroom.
"The Simmons faculty are very supportive and available. Whether it's by email, over the phone, or meeting on campus, they're there to help you."
—Melissa Sorrell-Kimble, '11 M.S.W.
Faculty Highlights
Professor Gary Bailey is the first African-American and the first American in 20 years to be elected president of the International Federation of Social Workers.
Professor Ruth Grossman Dean volunteers as a clinician at Boston's South End Community Health Center and recently completed a qualitative study of suicide prevention work with homeless youth at an urban agency.
Professor Mary Gilfus has been investigating the effects of domestic violence for more than 30 years and works with Jane Doe Inc., the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence. Her current research interests include social work practice and domestic violence services in Cuba.
Assistant Professor Thom Harrigan works with adult males who were sexually abused in childhood and adolescence and conducts national and international trainings on the topic, most recently in Tokyo and Kyoto.
Assistant Professor Dana Grossman Leeman serves on the Massachusetts chapter and international boards of the Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups.
Associate Professor and Hartford Faculty Scholar Peter Maramaldi is an expert in interdisciplinary approaches to health promotion and gerontology. He is also a clinical instructor at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, where he works with interdisciplinary teams to improve the health and well-being of patients and families.
Professor Kathleen Millstein is on the Board of Advocates of Jewish Family and Children's Services and is a steering committee member of the Boston/ Haifa Project, where she collaborates with social service leaders from the two cities on projects related to children and families at risk. She also has conducted research in Israel.
Associate Professor Linda T. "Lynn" Sanford specializes in working with youth convicted of sexual assault or homicide and is the author of three respected books on trauma. She recently received the "Legacy of Caring" award from the Devereux Foundation for her contributions to improving the lives of children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral needs.
