Kyle T. Ganson ’20PhD is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. As part of his studies at Simmons, he created the course “Social Work Assessment and Treatment of Eating Disorders,” to be taught in Spring 2024. We spoke to Ganson about his doctoral experience at Simmons and the inspiration behind the course.

• Careers and Internships
• Clinical Experience
• Research

This fall, Sage Loyema Innerarity, a citizen of the Ione Band of Miwok Indians of California, began graduate studies at the Simmons School of Library and Information Science. Working in cooperation with Indigenous individuals, she builds and preserves tribal archives. Innerarity spoke with us about the importance of community, Native literature, and remembrance.

• Awards and Honors
• Careers and Internships
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Deborah (Cheetham) Mattheus, MSN, PhD, APRN-Rx, CPNP, FAAN, is the Nancy Atmospera-Walch Endowed Professor in School Health at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Under her leadership, the Hawaii Keiki (child): Healthy and Ready to Learn program has expanded healthcare access to hundreds of K–12 public schools throughout the state.

• Awards and Honors
• Careers and Internships
• First-generation Student

Karen Pierre-Louis is a school social worker at the East Boston Early Education Center, a Boston Public School serving children in Pre-K through first grade. As the school’s first full-time social worker, Karen collaborates closely with the school psychologist, teachers, and administrators to support students’ social-emotional needs.

• Careers and Internships

On October 1, 2023, Simmons School of Social Work doctoral candidate Erin Fraser became the first female Executive Director of Benilde Hall, a recovery center in Kansas City, Missouri. Fraser spoke with us about her reaction to this historic appointment, her enthusiasm for supporting underserved individuals, and her conception of leadership.

• Careers and Internships
• Leadership

The Bonner Community Leaders Program at Simmons University is a unique opportunity for students who want to combine a strong commitment to service with personal growth, teamwork, leadership development, and scholarship. This fall, Simmons announced a new cohort of 11 Bonner Leaders. We spoke with three of them.

• Awards and Honors
• Community Engagement
• Leadership

Karen Boss ’95 ’13MA earned a double Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Sociology and returned to Simmons twenty years later for her Master’s in Children’s Literature. She is a senior editor at Charlesbridge, where she works on fiction and nonfiction picture books, and middle-grade and young adult works.

• Careers and Internships

This year, Simmons welcome Jeffrey DeLaurentis to campus as the Warburg Chair in International Relations. In this role, DeLaurentis will be sharing his experience with the UN and Security Counsel with Simmons students.

• University Leadership and Structure

In a letter to the community, President Lynn Perry Wooten reminds us of our responsibility to unequivocally condemn hate and violence, to ensure our community feels safe and respected, and to use our learning and leadership to build new pathways that further understanding.

• From the President

The Passionate Leaders Project supports Simmons undergraduates by enriching their academic & professional interests beyond the classroom. Students may request up to $4,000 to support their research, internships, and creative endeavors. This semester’s students produced research related to human rights, documentary film, healthcare access, therapeutic care databases, the neurodevelopment of fruit flies, Muslims’ experiences with healthcare in Boston, and software that supports Simmons’ food pantry.

• Awards and Honors
• Leadership