Social Workers on the Front Lines of a Pandemic: Three-Part Workshop Series

Social workers play important roles in indentifying and addressing the psycho-social needs of patients during a health crisis. Please join The New York Academy of Medicine's Section on Social Work and the Helen Rehr Center for Social Work Practice for a three-part series* examining the critical work of social workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The objectives of this workshop series will be to learn about the roles played by social workers and their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the need for self-care, the ethical challenges faced, and participation on health teams. The forum will seek to deepen an understanding of the problems faced by COVID-19 patients and their families from a social work perspective. Lastly, the lessons learned will be identified and recommendations made for social work interventions in the present situation and future crises.

All three workshops will be moderated by Elaine Congress, DSW, LCSW, Associate Dean and Professor, Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service and Patrica Kolb, PhD, LMSW, Professor, Department of Social Work, Lehman College, CUNY.

Interested parties can register for one or more workshop sessions. 3 Continuing Education Hours will be provided for those who attend all three sessions. CE Hours are provided by the Helen Rehr Center for Social Work Practice to NY State licensed social workers.*

*The Helen Rehr Center for Social Work Practice is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0510

Part I: The Roles of Social Workers in a Pandemic and Ethical Challenges
Presenters: 

• Claire Green-Forde, DSW, LCSW, Executive Director, NASW NYC Chapter
• Emily Sherlock, LCSW,Social Work Manager, Mount Sinai West
• Katherine Martinez, LMSW, President and CEO, Neighborhood SHOPP (Self-Help by Older Persons Project, Inc.)

Part II: COVID-19 Patients and Their Families From a Social Work Perspective
Presenters:

• Christopher Oates, LCSW, MPA, Social Work Manger, Palliative Care, NYU Langone Medical Center
• Emma (Mi) Zhou, LCSW, Supervisor, The Blavatnik Family - Chelsea Medical Center at Mount Sinai
• Bessy Santiago, LMSW, Montefiore Hospice and Palliative Medicine Care

Part III: Critical Professional Issues and Looking Ahead
Presenters:

• Alison Snow, PhD, LCSW-R, Director, Cancer Supportive Services, Mount Sinai Downtown Cancer Centers
• Karisma Ajodah, LCSW, Clinical Case Manager, Columbia University Student Health Service
• Abdul-Ra Abubakar, LMSW, Administrator, Bronx Gardens Rehabilitation and Nursing Center

Presenter and Moderator Bios

Claire J. Green-Forde, DSW, LCSW is Executive Director for the National Association of Social Workers, New York City Chapter.  Her work and interests focus on the intersectionality of behavioral health, criminal justice, social disparities, trauma, and human development. Claire firmly believes in the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model of wellness and is a strong advocate for holistic and culturally humble practices that consider both a trauma informed and neurobiological lens. She has training and experience in areas including adolescent and adult mental health, policy development, positive youth development, bullying, criminal and juvenile justice, and trauma. She is a firm believer in the power of advocacy and maintains that all people, regardless of specialty/area of practice, understand, support, and engage in advocacy on behalf of their profession and the communities we live and serve. 

Emily Sherlock, LCSW is a Manager of Social Work at Mount Sinai West. She also worked at the Mount Sinai Hospital in inpatient oncology, most recently on a dedicated acute leukemia service. She received her Master’s in Social Work from NYU, as part of the Zelda Foster MSW Fellowship in Palliative and End of Life Care. During her MSW program, Emily was awarded the American Cancer Society Master’s Training Grant in Oncology Social Work. Emily is also currently an adjunct professor at Hunter College’s Silberman School of Social Work, teaching Human Behavior and the Social Environment. 

Katherine Martinez, LMSW is President & CEO of Neighborhood Self Help by Older Persons Project, Inc. (SHOPP) in the Bronx and has over 25 years of experience serving and advocating for older New Yorkers consisting primarily of minority older adults living at or below federal poverty levels, with a wide range of strengths and vulnerabilities. Katherine has dedicated her career in helping vulnerable older adults remain in their communities safely by providing vital services that promotes selfcare, encourages mutual assistance and fosters civic engagement. She is a recognized leader in aging services committed to the field of aging.  Katherine Martinez is a member of the NYC Department for The Aging- Senior Advisory Council; serves on the board for the Bronx Regional Interagency Council on Aging (BRICA) and served as a Delegate-at-Large on the National Council on Aging (NCOA)- National Institute of Senior Centers. 

Christopher Oates, LCSW, MPA is currently the Social Work Manager in Palliative Care at New York University Langone Medical Center. Chris has also served as Hospice Liaison for the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. He has extensive experience in the field of health and aging and is the former Program Administrator for HealthOutreach at New York Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell and Senior Social Worker at St. Vincent's Hospital Center for HIV Medicine. Chris is a former president of the New York City Chapter of the Society for Social Work Leadership in Healthcare as well as Vice President and Program Chair for the East Side Council on the Aging. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Helen Rehr Center for Social Work Practice.

Emma (Mi) Zhou, LCSW is a social work supervisor at Mount Sinai The Blavatnik Family – Chelsea Medical Center. She leads a culturally-tailored support program for Chinese-speaking cancer patients at Chelsea Medical Center. Before joining the cancer center, she worked as an inpatient social worker at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center, where she collaborated with the Asian Services Team to take care of Chinese-speaking patients in the hospital. Emma is passionate about helping underserved patients navigate the health care system, and developing culturally appropriate programs for Chinese-speaking cancer patients.

Bessy Santiago, LMSW is a Licensed Master of Social Work who recently completed a one-year fellowship in Palliative Social Work at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, NY.  Bessy earned a Master’s in Social Work from the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service, with a concentration in Community Based Practice and Leadership. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services from Mount Saint Mary College. For the past seven years, she has passionately cared for underserved populations in the Bronx. Her clinical focus has been older adults, mental health and substance use issues. Bessy is driven by her belief that social workers should be leaders in addressing systemic bias in healthcare and improving access to quality care.  

Alison Snow, PhD, LCSW-R is the Director of Mount Sinai Downtown’s Cancer Supportive Services team. She also maintains an academic appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, in the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Alison has  authored several published articles in peer-reviewed journals as well as s co-authored a textbook chapter. She has given numerous educational presentations to social work students, fellow professionals, volunteers, and community audiences, concerning the role of social work in oncology care and has presented nationally and internationally to professional audiences.  Alison has received grants from the American Cancer Society both for her doctoral research and for her training of Master’s students. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Helen Rehr Center for Social Work Practice and a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine. 

Karisma Ajodah, LCSW is a BIPOC identified social work practitioner and currently works for Columbia University in their Medical Services Department. Her areas of interest include medical social work, working with patients with chronic health conditions, and incorporating mindfulness in psychotherapy. Karisma has completed certifications in Spirituality and Social Work from the NYU School of Social Work, completed a 100-hour Meditation Teacher Training Program at Tibet House and currently studies with a private meditation teacher to further her training. Karisma has led Introduction to Meditation sessions at Tibet House as well as teaching her colleagues at Columbia University the basics of mindfulness practice. She is a member of the Board of Directors and Secretary of the Helen Rehr Center for Social Work Practice.

Abdul-Ra Abubakar, LMSW was born and raised in Ghana, West Africa. He migrated to the United States to further his education after high school.  The inception of his education and career journey in the United States began in a Nursing Home on the Upper East side of Manhattan, New York. Initially, he sought to pursue a role in the business industry aligned to accounting and finance. In hindsight, he identified his passion through working with the most vulnerable. Through this realization, he decided to pursue a career that would bring him fulfillment, while simultaneously touching the lives of many.  He graduated with a BS in Health Services Administration from Lehman College. Afterwards, he attained his MPA at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, during which, he also obtained his Nursing Home Administrator’s License. He worked as an administrator for two years, followed by working as the Director of Social Services at a nursing home.  The interpersonal relationship and interactions developed with his residents behooved him to return to Lehman College for his second Master's, Master of Social Work. Mr. Abubakar notes that his studies at Lehman College have contributed greatly to his current role as a Nursing Home Administrator.  

Elaine Congress, MSW, MA, DSW, LCSW is Associate Dean and Professor at Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service in New York City.    She is a Fellow at the New York Academy of Medicine.  At Fordham she heads the MSW/MPH program with Mt Sinai School of Public Health.  Elaine also represents social work in the Governing Council of the American Public Health Association (APHA).  A recent book she wrote is entitled Health and Social Work: Policy, Practice, and Research while others focus on multicultural practice with families, the United Nations, immigrants and refugees, social work education and values and ethics.   This year she published Behavioral Science in the Global Arena: Addressing Timely Issues at the United Nations and Beyond and Multicultural Perspectives in Working with Families. A former   President of NYC National Association of Social Workers (NASW) she currently serves on the  NASW Pioneer national board.

Patricia Kolb, Ph.D, LMSW is a Professor at Lehman College, gerontological social worker and sociologist with extensive experience in gerontological direct practice, supervision, administration, teaching, writing, and research. The courses that she teaches at Lehman include gerontological electives, the MSW Administration and Supervision courses, and graduate research. Among her numerous publications, Patricia is author of Understanding Aging and Diversity: Theories and Concepts (Routledge, 2014) and editor of Ethnically and Racially Diverse Nursing Home Residents and Their Families (Columbia, 2007).  She presents scholarly work at social work and gerontology conferences and has served as Chair of the Gerontological Society of America’s Research, Education, and Practice Committee. Patricia is a Fellow in the Social Work Section of the New York Academy of Medicine and the Gerontological Society of America.