The School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin announced that Alyssa Aguirre, LCSW-S, will join its faculty as an assistant professor of practice.
Aguirre will continue serving in her role as the assistant director of dementia care transformation for the Dell Medical School Department of Neurology, overseeing projects that integrate interdisciplinary work to serve older adults. She also will continue her practice as a licensed clinical social worker in the UT Health Austin Comprehensive Memory Center.
Her recent work has included leading a multi-year, $1.45M innovative research project entitled “Interprofessional Curriculum Approach to Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias” — a program funded by the Texas Department of State Health Services. It is designed to equip future health care providers with skills to address Alzheimer’s and other dementias through asynchronous online modules, including videos and case studies, with a focus on interprofessional competencies.
“Professor Aguirre brings a commitment to robust scholarship and practice dedicated to improving the lives of aging adults and those who care for them,” said Allan Cole, dean of UT Social Work. “She will add strength to our school as a member of our faculty and, with other colleagues, will help form and educate to the next generation of professional social workers at UT Austin. I am grateful for the search advisory committee members who presented a pool of strong candidates and offered wisdom throughout the process. I am delighted to welcome Professor Aguirre in this new role.”
Other scholarly work by Aguirre includes a first-author publication examining the quality and accuracy of artificial intelligence-generated responses to caregiver questions about individuals living with dementia. She was competitively selected for the Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program in 2023, which funded her work on assessing and identifying the needs and goals of dementia family caregivers. She frequently presents at the national, state and local levels on topics related to dementia, aging and caregiving.
“It is an incredible honor to serve at the School of Social Work, especially among such incredible faculty, staff, and especially students,” Aguirre said. “Older adults and their caregivers remain at the heart of some of the most urgent and meaningful work in our field. Equipping students with the skills to effectively serve this population is among the most important work we can do as our society continues to age. I look forward to expanding my scholarship in this area and am deeply committed to improving lives by helping shape the next generation of competent, compassionate social workers.”