Sandy Magaña, PhD, Professor in Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, has been selected for the Class of 2019 Fellows of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW).

The Academy selects Fellows for their accomplishments as scholars and practitioners for achievement and advancement of social good in the field of social work. The Class of 2019 Fellows will be inducted into the Academy during a ceremony on Jan. 18, 2019, at the Society for Social Work and Research’s annual conference in San Francisco.

“I am delighted to be adding this group to the Academy. It will broaden our expertise for future activities,” said AASWSW President Sarah Gehlert, Dean of the University of South Carolina’s College of Social Work.

Election of Fellows into the Academy is by confidential nomination and confirmation by a super majority of Academy members. Established in 2010, the AASWSW’s mission is to encourage, recognize and celebrate outstanding research, scholarship, and practice that contribute to a sustainable and equitable future. It also aims to influence social policy by serving as a source of information for the social work profession as well as Congress and other governmental and non-government entities.

Dean Luis H. Zayas of The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work will provide induction remarks for the ceremony titled, Ending Immigration Detention and Family Separation: The Role of Research and the AASWSW in Advocacy.

Professor Magaña joins other nine faculty members at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work who are also Fellows: Namkee Choi, King Davis (retired), Diana DiNitto, Rowena Fong, Cynthia Franklin, Yolanda Padilla, Mary Marden Velasquez, Barbara White (retired), and Luis H. Zayas.

The Class of 2019 Fellows are:

  • Rami Benbenishty, PhD, MSW, Weisfeld School of Social Work, Bar-Ilan University;
  • John Clapp, PhD, Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California;
  • Frances Brett Drake, PhD, Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis;
  • Eric Garland, PhD, MSW, College of Social Work, University of Utah;
  • Michal Grinstein-Weiss, PhD, MSW, Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis;
  • Neil Guterman, PhD, MSW, Silver School of Social Work, New York University;
  • Kevin P. Haggerty, PhD, School of Social Work, University of Washington;
  • Sydney L. Hans, PhD, School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago;
  • David R. Hodge, PhD, School of Social Work, Arizona State University;
  • Sue Levkoff, ScD, MSW, College of Social Work, University of South Carolina;
  • Rebecca J. Macy, PhD, MSW, School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill;
  • Sandra M. Magana, PhD, MSW, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin;
  • Katherine Magnuson, PhD, School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin – Madison
  • Andrew Peterson, PhD, School of Social Work, Rutgers University;
  • Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, PhD, School of Social Work, Boston College;
  • Audrey M. Shillington, PhD, School of Social Work, Colorado State University;
  • Fred Ssewamala, PhD, Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis;
  • Elizabeth M. Tracy, PhD, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University;
  • Lynn Videka, PhD, School of Social Work, University of Michigan;
  • John Wallace, PhD, School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh;
  • Marleen Wong, PhD, MSW, Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California.

Currently in its eighth year, the AASWSW comprises 129 Fellows from over 38 universities and is headquartered at the University of South Carolina’s College of Social Work.