Johnnie Hamilton-Mason, PhD, MSW, is the Associate Dean of Faculty Development for the School of Social Work at Simmons University, a Fulbright Scholar, and the Inaugural Visiting Scholar at Embrace Boston. Prior to these roles, Hamilton-Mason was the Interim Director and an Eva Whiting White Endowed Professor (2019-2022). Her research focuses on African American women and families, the intersection of cross-cultural theory and practice, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. Hamilton-Mason has conducted extensive quantitative and qualitative research related to HIV/AIDS in Africa and in the United States; studied survivors of Hurricane Katrina to understand community capacity, survival, and resilience in post-Katrina New Orleans; and examined the impact of workplace stress and coping responses on African American women. Her interdisciplinary work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Polly Dickson Foundation, and the African Bridge Network. Additionally, Hamilton-Mason has been awarded fellowships at Harvard University's W.E.B. DuBois Institute and at the Gwen Ifill College of Media, Arts and Humanities at Simmons.
Hamilton-Mason serves on several national boards and committees, including the Research Education Collaborative for the Palestinian Al Quds University, the Massachusetts Advocacy for Children, and the Boston-area Heritage Guild. She was named the Massachusetts National Association of Social Worker's "Social Work Educator of the Year," in 2013, received the Council on Social Work Education's "Feminist Scholarship Award," in 2019, the National Association of Black Social Worker's "Distinguished Professor of the Year Award" in 2020 and the Greater Boston Association of Black Social Workers "Sankofa Community Development Award" in 2016. Hamilton-Mason has co-authored Systemic Racism in the United States: Scaffolding as Social Construction (2018). Through her work as the Visiting Scholar at Embrace Boston, funded by the Boston Foundation, Hamilton-Mason is writing the official history of the League of Women for Community Service, one of the oldest continuously running Black women's clubs in the United States.
License/Certification
- MSW, Simmons College
- PhD, Smith College School for Social Work
Courses
- Realities of Racism and Oppression
- Qualitative Research Methods
- Political Action Strategies for Clinical Social Workers
- Leadership II
- Clinical Practical
- Advanced Clinical Practice
- Clinical Practice with Refugees and Immigrants
Research/Creative Activities
Hamilton-Mason is conducting archival research on the League of Women for Community Service. She is deeply informed by her academic and professional background in social work, public health, and interprofessional education. Drawing on her intellectual connections at institutions such as Simmons University, Boston University, She approaches the League’s legacy with a focus on their pivotal role in fostering community resilience and social justice. By unearthing and analyzing the contributions of the LWCS, she aims to highlight their enduring impact o>n both local and national movements for equity and community empowerment.
Goals of the Study
The goal of her archival research on the League of Women for Community Service centers on its founding during the Progressive Era and the nadir period following Reconstruction, a time marked by systemic racial oppression and significant societal transformation. By examining the League's origins within this historical context, she explores how African American women in Boston mobilized to create a vital space for community building, advocacy, and resistance.
Publications
Selected Publications
Mbao, M., Keefe, B., Almeida, J., & Hamilton-Mason, J. (2023). Care Managers in the Aging Network: Increasing Self-Efficacy in Human Service Providers. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648231156134
Mbao, M. and Hamilton-Mason, J. (2021), "On the go – parents are working 24/7", International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 259-273. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMHSC-06-2020-0067
Hamilton-Mason, J., Wewiorski, N. & Tourse, R. (2021) Three pioneers at clark atlanta university: Their impact on dismantling racial scaffolding.
https://www.cau.edu/school-of-social-work/the-centennial-celebration/marchPhylon2021_57_2Winter_Digital-2-1.pdf
Ganson, K. & Hamilton-Mason, J. (2019). Not "My Territory:" How Gender Role Socialization Impacts Father Involvement in Caring for a Child with an Eating Disorder, Smith College Studies in Social Work, 89:1, 18-37, DOI: 10.1080/00377317.2019.1601917
Hamilton- Mason, J. (2019) Antiracism and Social Movements Highlighted during National Social Work Month
https://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/exc_0419.shtml
Brown J., Hamilton-Mason, J., Maramaldi, P., & Barnhill, LJ. (2018). Beyond the Surface of Consumer-Staff Relationships. Global Journal Intellect Developmental Disability. 4(4): 555641. DOI: 10.19080/GJIDD.2018.04.555641
Selected Presentations
Hamilton-Mason, J. (2019, June). Black and Brown in White Spaces, 100 Social Work Voices on the Vineyard, Martha's Vineyard, MA.
Hamilton-Mason, J. (2019, April) Financial Planning for Social Workers. National Association of Black Social Workers, National Association Black Social Worker's Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.
Hamilton-Mason, J. (2019). Anti-Racism and Systemic Scaffolding, National Association of Social Workers, MA. LEAD DAY, Keynote Speaker, Boston, MA.
Hamilton-Mason, J (2018) African American Mothers and Daughters: Speaking Truth to Power about Self Esteem and Coping, National Association Black Social Worker's Annual Conference San Diego, CA.
Hamilton-Mason, J. (2017, August). Coping strategies for mothers and daughters.
Cape Coast Ghana, Africa.
Hamilton-Mason, J. (2017, April) African American Mothers and Daughters: Speaking Truth to Power about Self Esteem and Coping, National Association Black Social Worker's Annual Conference in DC
Deepak, A., Tower, L., Chiarelli-Helminiak, C., Hamilton-Mason, J., Bernard Kominkiewicz, F., McClerklin-Motley, S., & Anyikwa, V. (2016, November). Women's Rights are Human Rights: The Price Women Pay for Caregiving Council on Social Work Education APM, Atlanta, GA.
Hamilton-Mason, J. (2014, September). Coming of Age: The Experience of Multi Cultured Youth. National Association of Social Workers, Belmont, Ma.
Hamilton-Mason, J. (2014, October). Race and Racism in Clinic and Culture, MIP Academic Outreach Committee, Psychology and the Other's Psychosocial Work Group, Simmons College.
Faul, A., Toner, L., Hamilton-Mason, J., Collins, W., & Gibson, P. (2013, October). Work-life fit: The intersection of developmental lifecycle and academic lifecycle. Annual Meeting of Council on Social Work Education, Dallas, Texas.
Hamilton-Mason, J. (2013, August). Stressing them out: The everyday conflicts and stressors in the lives of black women and how they cope, National Association of Black Social Workers, Havana, Cuba.
Hamilton-Mason, J. (2013, August). Listening to Women: the intersection of HIV & Violence, International Consortium for Social Development, Kampala, Uganda.
Professional Affiliations & Memberships
- South End Community Mental Health Center - Senior Clinical Consultant - 1997-Present
- Multicultural AIDS Coalition - Consultant Popular Education and Clinical Supervisor - 1999-2010
Johnnie Hamilton-Mason in the News
Honoring the National Day of Racial Healing
January 21, 2025 — the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day — is the ninth annual National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH). Created by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, NDORH "is an opportunity to engage in collective action to create a more just and equitable world."
Simmons School of Social Work Holds First Annual Veterans Day Celebration
On November 6, the Simmons School of Social Work hosted a hybrid Veterans Day celebration to honor servicemembers past and present, with a keynote address delivered by General Gary M. Brito, the 18th Commanding General of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command.
Professor Visits University of Johannesburg as Fulbright Specialist
Professor Johnnie Hamilton-Mason received a Fulbright Specialist Award this year. Recipients of the Fulbright Specialist awards are "selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, demonstrated leadership in their field, and their potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the U.S. and abroad."
Professor Hamilton-Mason Honored by Haymarket People’s Fund
The Haymarket People's Fund has described Professor Johnnie Hamilton-Mason as “an interdisciplinary researcher” and honored her for her work in support of the Fund.
Professor of Social Work Johnnie Hamilton-Mason Researches Leadership and Advocacy of Boston’s Black Women
Founded in 1919, the League of Women for Community Service is a Boston-based Black women's organization that still exists today. According to Professor Hamilton-Mason , the League helped cultivate Black womanhood in a nurturing and supportive way. Members of the...
Simmons Celebrates Women’s Equality Day
Since 1971, the United States has recognized Women's Equality Day to commemorate women's right to vote and the anniversary of the 19 th amendment. Simmons University faculty have produced pioneering research on the history of women's struggle for equity. Students...
Professor Johnnie Hamilton-Mason Researches South End’s League of Women as King Boston Visiting Scholar
As King Boston's inaugural Visiting Scholar, School of Social Work Professor Johnnie Hamilton-Mason supports the organization's research infrastructure while delving into her own research on the League of Women for Community Service, an organization created by and for Black women in the South End of Boston in the 1940’s.
Don’t Call Yourself an Ally: Researching Racial Issues in LIS
"Being an ally requires time, emotional effort, and risk," says SLIS Professor Lisa Hussey. "These are not always things that people think about when they say they're an ally. Posting something to Facebook saying you're an ally is a place...
Shout-outs from Students and Alums
Integrating Forest Spirituality into a Social Work Mindset
Grant Pike ’18MSW ’24DSW shares how the vitality of nature can be combined with social work and social justice, with a positive impact on humans and the planet.
Mbita Mbao ‘22PhD Offers Wisdom and Caring for an Aging Population
When Mbita Mbao ’22PhD was looking for a doctoral program in social work, Simmons met all of her requirements: a Boston location and the ability to take all of her in-person classes in one day per week. More important than these criteria, Simmons had professors she clicked with.