Specific Pioneering Contributions
Johnnie Hamilton-Mason, PhD, MSW, became the first African American woman to serve as a Full Professor at Simmons University School of Social Work (SSW), the first clinical social work degree-granting program in the U.S., established in 1904. She also made history as the first African American woman to serve as Dean or Director in the School’s 120-year history, holding the role of Interim Director during the 2023–2024 academic year. In addition, she was the first African American woman to direct the Ph.D. Program at Simmons SSW, which houses one of the nation’s first doctoral program in social work, established in 1984.
She founded and continues to direct the UnDoing Racism Academy at Simmons SSW, a program grounded in the principles of the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond, based in New Orleans. As a student tenure track professor over thirty years ago, she co-founded the Simmons chapter of the Association of Black Social Workers, which remains active today and serves as a feeder to the Greater Boston Chapter.
Hamilton-Mason’s pioneering work in African-centered responses to HIV/AIDS includes community-focused efforts in Kenya and among African American populations in the U.S. She founded the first National Task Force on HIV/AIDS for the National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) and served as co-editor of a special issue of Health and Social Work focused on HIV/AIDS among people of color.
Career Highlights
Hamilton-Mason is the inaugural Associate Dean of Faculty Development at Simmons University School of Social Work and held the prestigious Eva Whiting White Endowed Professorship from 2019 to 2022. She again broke new ground as the first African American Interim Director of Simmons SSW during the 2023–2024 academic year. She also served as the inaugural Visiting Scholar at Embrace Boston, a BIPOC-led nonprofit dedicated to advancing racial equity through arts, community engagement, research, and policy.
She has held fellowships at Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Institute and at the Gwen Ifill School of Media at Simmons University. Her longstanding commitment to public health is evident in her leadership with the Boston AIDS Action Committee, one of the six largest AIDS service organizations in the nation, where she served on the board, volunteered, and led training initiatives. Nationally, she has taken on leadership roles within NABSW, contributing to international HIV/AIDS initiatives and providing technical assistance.
Her research has focused on HIV/AIDS in both Africa and the U.S., resilience and community capacity following Hurricane Katrina, and workplace stress and coping among African American women. Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Polly Dickson Foundation, and the African Bridge Network.
Biographic Data
Hamilton-Mason holds a BA. from Boston State College, an MSW from Simmons College School of Social Work, and a PhD from Smith College School for Social Work. Her service includes participation in the Research Education Collaborative at Al Quds University in Palestine, work with Massachusetts Advocates for Children, and contributions to the Boston-area Heritage Guild, which honors historic African American figures in Boston.
In her professional practice, she has served as a Senior Clinical Consultant at the South End Community Mental Health Center since 1997 and worked as a Consultant and Clinical Supervisor for the Multicultural AIDS Coalition from 1999 to 2010.
Significant Recognition and Awards
Her many honors include being named "Social Work Educator of the Year" by the NASW Massachusetts Chapter in 2013 and receiving the Council on Social Work Education’s Feminist Scholarship Award in 2019. In 2020, she was honored as “Distinguished Professor of the Year” by the National Association of Black Social Workers. She also received the Sankofa Community Development Award from the Greater Boston Association of Black Social Workers in 2016 and was awarded the Polly Dickson Faculty Fellowship at Simmons University School of Social Work for the 2010–2011 academic year.
Significant Publications
- Hamilton-Mason, J. (2009). And Some of Us Are Braver: Stress and Coping among African American Women. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment
- Hamilton-Mason, J. (2000). An African-Centered Response to People Living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya: Implications for African Americans.
- Hamilton-Mason, J., & Co-authors. (2018). Systemic Racism in the United States: Scaffolding as Social Construction.
- Official historian of the League of Women for Community Service, one of the oldest continuously operating Black women’s clubs in the U.S. (in partnership with Embrace Boston and the Boston Foundation).
- Mbao, M., Keefe, B., Almeida, J., & Hamilton-Mason, J. (2023). Care Managers in the Aging Network. Journal of Applied Gerontology. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648231156134
- Mbao, M., & Hamilton-Mason, J. (2021). On the Go – Parents Are Working 24/7. International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, 17(3), 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. Read here
- Ganson, K., & Hamilton-Mason, J. (2019). Not "My Territory": Gender Role Socialization and Father Involvement. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 89(1), 18–37.
- Hamilton-Mason, J. (2019). Antiracism and Social Movements Highlighted during National Social Work Month. Social Work Today
- Brown, J., Hamilton-Mason, J., Maramaldi, P., & Barnhill, L.J. (2018). Beyond the Surface of Consumer-Staff Relationships. Global Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 4(4). DOI: 10.19080/GJIDD.2018.04.555641