Michael Sherraden, PhD, received the Society for Social Work and Research’s 2018 Social Policy Researcher Award, which is “in recognition of Dr. Sherraden’s record of accomplishment that demonstrates distinguished achievement across an extended career of research in social policy.”
Sherraden is the George Warren Brown Distinguished University Professor and director of the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis’ George Warren Brown School of Social Work. The award was presented Jan. 13 at the society’s 2018 annual conference, in Washington, D.C.
“This career achievement award holds special meaning because the members of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) are my own people,” Sherraden said.
SSWR has more than 1,300 members and is dedicated to the advancement of social work research.
Social work has a long and productive history in social policy research and innovation, leading to many policy achievements over the past century, Sherraden said. “These include protections for children; basic income supports during periods of hardship; decarceration of millions of people from poor houses, orphanages and mental institutions; suffrage for women; labor guidelines and protections; civil rights and human rights; Social Security retirement, disability, and survivor benefits; and services for older adults.”
More recently, social work research has led advances in behavioral health, productive aging, prison decarceration and asset building. “For example, research and policy innovation in Child Development Accounts – asset building starting at birth – has led to this award,” Sherraden observed.
“I am enormously proud to work in this long tradition of social work research and policy innovation,” he said.