Jane B. Aron Doctoral Fellowship

The Jane Baerwald Aron Doctoral Fellowship provides partial support to social work doctoral candidates who are engaged in dissertation research in health care policy and practice. The fellowship program was established in 1987 as a tribute to Aron, who was a leader in health care policy and education.

The NASW Foundation extends special thanks to The New York Community Trust for its support of the Jane B. Aron Fellowship as part of Social Work HEALS, 2015-2020.

About The Fellowship And Its Namesake

Jane B. Aron Fellowship Guidelines

Application Requirements For Jane B. Aron Fellowship 

Jane B. Aron Doctoral Fellowship applicants must be engaged in dissertation research in health care policy and practice and fulfill the following requirements:

• Applicant must be a member of NASW in good standing and be a doctoral candidate in a social work education program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Awardee must remain a member in good standing throughout the award period.
• Application Form.
• Three-page proposal summary (double-spaced). The summary must include objectives of the project, statement of relevance and significance, project design and methodology, the expected dissertation completion date, and itemized budget. If an applicant's university requires an administration fee to process and administer the fellowship, the maximum amount that can be paid with fellowship funding for this indirect expense is 10% of the total of the award.
• The summary should describe how the dissertation includes a diversity component and address health disparities or inequities in health care access. Dissertations that include a diversity component are encouraged. Diversity is taking on broader meaning and is to include race and ethnicity as well as the sociocultural experiences of people of different genders, social classes, religious, and spiritual beliefs, sexual orientation, ages, and physical, and mental abilities.
• Written statement from doctoral dissertation chair verifying doctoral candidacy and supporting the relevance of the dissertation to addressing health care service delivery and how it will advance social work practice or policy related to health care.
• Student curriculum vitae.
• Signed release of information.

Criteria For Review Of Proposal

The criteria for review of the proposal will include relevance and timeliness of the project (i.e., need in the field, quality of the research design, potential for completion, and potential impact to assist under-served populations). Applicant must articulate knowledge of contemporary health care delivery and policy and practice challenges. Key areas might include implementation of Affordable Care Act (ACA), innovative healthcare delivery, patient care, trauma informed practice, prevention, health disparities/access, inter-professional education or under-served populations, health care policy or workforce development.  Only completed applications will be considered. Questions should be directed to: naswfoundation@socialworkers.org.

Jane B. Aron Fellowship Recipients

• 2020 — Sicong (Summer) Sun , MSW, Washington University in St. Louis. "Racial/Ethnic Differences in Wealth–Health Associations."
• 2019 — Rebecca McCloskey, MSW, Ohio State University.  "Adverse Childhood Experiences, Postpartum Health, and Breastfeeding: A Mixed Methods Study."
• 2018 —  Margaret Mary Downey, MSW, University of California (UC) – Berkeley.  "Animating the Social Determinants of Health."
• 2017 — Whitney Sewell, Washington University of St. Louis. The research explores why the use of a new prevention option for HIV-negative individuals - oral daily pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), that has been shown to reduce HIV acquisition, is disproportionately lower among African American women. The study will address this gap.
• 2016 — Laura Stiel, Loma Linda University.  The objective of this dissertation is to identify individual-level and ecologic factors, including geographic place and space, associated with the increased rate of screening mammography undertaken by Black women in the U.S. from 2008-2012.
• 2015 — Donald Gerke, George Warren Brown School of Social Work - Washington University of St. Louis. "Violence Exposure and Pathways to HIV Risk Behaviors among Black and White Young Men who have Sex with Men."
• 2014 — Jagadisa-devasri Dacus, Silberman School of Social Welfare at Hunter College. "Identifying the Psychosocial Strengths and Resiliency of Black Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) in New York City who maintain HIV-seronegativity."
• 2013 — Patricia Yu,  Boston College Graduate School of Social Work. "Lives and Experiences of Foreign Home Health Workers."
• 2012 — Jennifer Greenfield, Washington University in St. Louis, George Warren Brown School of Social Work.
• 2011 — Charu Stokes, Boston College, Graduate School of Social Work.  "Complex Lives: Resiliency of Midlife African American Women Living with HIV/AIDS Serving as Informal Kinship Care Providers."
• 2010 — Sherma Charlemagne, Loma Linda University, Dept of Social Work and Social Ecology. "Impact of Family Involvement in Inpatient Psychiatric Care on Mental Health Outcomes for Children and Adolescent - The Role of Clinician Beliefs." The study will examine whether mental health outcomes for children and adolescents in psychiatric hospitals vary by clinician based on family involvement in inpatient planning, visitation, and discharge planning for children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders.
• 2009 — Shawn King, Ohio State University.  Explore the factors affecting health care service delivery and the subsequent impact this has for the LGBT community, specifically gay men.
• 2008 — Kelly A. Williams, School of Social Work, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. "Help-seeking and health and mental health service use among sexual minority youth." 
• 2007 — Amy R. Krentzman, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University.  "Religious Coping and Alcoholism Treatment Outcomes: A Comparison between Black and White Respondents."
• 2006 — Michelle A. Johnson, University of California, Berkeley, School of Social Welfare. "Perinatal Health Disparities among women and infants of Mexican-Origin: Does Neighborhood Matter?"
• 2005 — Julie Darnell, The University of Chicago, The School of Social Service Administration. "What Factors Predict the Prevalence of Free Clinics in Metropolitan Communities?"
• 2004 — Melissa Hayden Bellin, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia. "An ecological model of adjustment for adolescent siblings of youth with spina bifida."
• 2003 — Award not given
• 2002 — Deneece Ferrales, University of Texas, Austin. "The Development of HIV/AIDS Policy: An International Policy Analysis."
• 2001 — Award not given
• 2000 — Victoria Rizzo, University at Albany, State University of New York.  "The Provision of Social Support Services by Social Workers to Post-Stroke Patients in an Inpatient Physical Rehabilitation Program: Predictors, Social Support Interventions and Outcomes."
• 1999 — University at Albany, State University of New York. "Depressive Symptoms Among Grandparent Caregivers: Religion as a Protective Factor."
• 1990 — Grace Poertner, Washington University, St. Louis.
• 1989 — Jacqueline Burnette, University of California, Berkeley.
• 1988 — Scott Geron, University of Chicago.
• 1987 — Betsy Blades, Bryn Mawr.