David E. Biegel, a faculty member at Case Western Reserve University’s Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, has spent several decades researching the impact of chronic illnesses on families. His research, coupled with his community involvement, has earned him recognition as an American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare fellow, according to Richard Barth, the academy’s president and chairman.
The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare is an honorific society of distinguished scholars and practitioners in the field of social work and social welfare. The academy recognizes individuals and supports endeavors of those who are dedicated to bettering the social good through research, education and social and public policies. Fellows of the academy are both nominated and elected by existing fellows.
Biegel, the Henry L. Zucker Professor of Social Work Practice and professor of psychiatry and sociology, is the second faculty member at Case Western Reserve to earn the honor since the academy was formed in 2009. Claudia Coulton, Distinguished University Professor and director of the Center for Urban Poverty and Community Development, was the first in 2009.
The induction of the academy’s 17 individuals as fellows will take place Jan. 18, during the annual meeting of the Society for Social Work and Research in San Antonio, Texas.
Biegel, who joined the faculty in 1987, is associate dean for research and training and co-directs the Mandel School’s Center on Substance Abuse and Mental Illness. He has authored more than 130 publications, mainly on family caregiving of the frail elderly and those with mental illnesses. He co-edits the Evidence-Based Practices book series (Oxford University Press) with Elizabeth Tracy, also on the Mandel School faculty.
In addition, he serves as a consultant to the Ohio Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Coordinating Center of Excellence and is a member of the board of directors of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Cuyahoga County (and chair of its Finance and Operations Committee).
Several foundations and prominent social service organizations have supported his research, including the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and the Cuyahoga County Community Mental Health Board.
Biegel said he looks forward to the opportunities to working with members of this prestigious Academy and advancing its mission.
For more information about the academy, visit aaswsw.org.