UA Social Work Professor Named Hartford Faculty Scholar

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. Avani Shah, assistant professor of social work at The University of Alabama, is one of eight geriatric social work professionals nationally to be named a 2012 Hartford Faculty Scholar by the Gerontological Society of America.

The Faculty Scholars Program aims to improve the lives of older adults by increasing the number of adequately trained geriatric social workers.

The honor provides Shah with the benefits and guidance aimed to foster her professional development and $100,000 to fund her two-year research project titled “Motivational Interviewing and Self-Administered CBT to Address Depressive Symptoms and Medical Compliance in Older Cardiac Rehabilitation Patients.”

“I am honored to be selected as a Hartford Faculty Scholar, which provides me the opportunity to significantly enhance the lives of older adults,” said Shah.

In addition to her research in gerontology, Shah’s research interests include access to mental health care and clinical interventions for depression, memory and independent living. She is also a past recipient of the Hartford Doctoral Fellowship, funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation, which allows individuals to conduct gerontological social work research.

Shah is a member of the Gerontological Society of America, the Council on Social Work Education, American Psychological Association and the Society for Social Work Research. In addition, she is the recipient of several national awards and fellowships, has been published in several academic journals and books, and she has given numerous conference presentations across the U.S.

In spring 2011, Shah joined the faculty at The University of Alabama School of Social Work as an assistant professor. She holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from The University of Alabama and a Master of Arts in psychology and a Master of Social Work from The University of Alabama.

The Gerontological Society of America is the nation’s oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education and practice in the field of aging. The principal mission of the Society is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers and the general public. GSA’s structure also includes a policy institute, the National Academy on an Aging Society, and an educational branch, the Association of Gerontology in Higher Education.

The John A. Hartford Foundation, founded in 1929, is a committed champion of training, research and service system innovations that promote the health and independence of America’s older adults. Through its grant making, the Foundation seeks to strengthen the nation’s capacity to provide effective, affordable care to this rapidly increasing older population by educating health professionals and developing innovations that improve and better integrate health and supportive services.

Established in 1965 by the Alabama Legislature, The University of Alabama School of Social Work seeks to solve bio-psychosocial problems, improve individual and social conditions and promote justice and human dignity through teaching, research and service.