Craig Schwalbe, Susan Witte, and Elwin Wu Promoted to Full Professor at CSSW

Congratulations to Craig Schwalbe, Susan Witte, and Elwin Wu on being promoted to the rank of Full Professor at the Columbia University School of Social Work!

Highlights from Interim Dean Irwin Garfinkel:

Craig Schwalbe joined CSSW as an Assistant Professor in 2004, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2011, awarded tenure in 2013, and served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 2014 – 2018. Craig is a productive scholar of social work practice who carries out original, cutting-edge research in juvenile criminal justice. His research in the criminal justice system has yielded significant findings that have influenced probation officers’ practices and since gaining tenure in 2013, his list of publications in peer-reviewed journals has increased from 26 to 41. While serving as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Craig was instrumental in establishing mentoring supports for new adjunct faculty. Craig also has an outstanding record of teaching, community service, and leadership at CSSW.

Susan Witte joined CSSW as an Assistant Professor in 2001, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2007, and was awarded tenure in 2010. Susan’s impressive research portfolio focuses on the health and well-being of socially and economically vulnerable women with a particular focus on HIV prevention. She has authored or co-authored 80 articles and 6 book chapters including 35 articles and 2 book chapters since receiving tenure. Her papers have consistently been published in top journals and have clearly moved the field forward as evidenced by her high citation count. Additionally, she has received funding from NIH and CDC to develop leading-edge research. Susan is an impressive educator and continues to contribute to curricular development, particularly in the areas of technology, implementation science, and Power, Race, Oppression and Privilege (PROP).

Elwin Wu joined CSSW as an assistant professor in 2005, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2011, and was awarded tenure in 2013. Elwin’s research focuses on the development and testing of innovative interventions designed to increase engagement and utilization of HIV prevention services among populations at elevated risk including men who have sex with men (MSM), people of color, and people involved in the criminal justice system. He has authored or co-authored 70 papers, including 26 since receiving tenure. His papers are rigorous, clearly conceptualized and executed, and focused on his research agenda. He has also been successful at obtaining external funding from NIH and CDC to further his research. Elwin contributes to contribute to the school through curricular development, particularly in the areas of diversity, sexual minority populations, and the criminal justice system. He is also an active mentor and leader at the Social Intervention Group (SIG), Global Health Research Center of Central Asia (GHRCCA).

Columbia School of Social Work Associate Professor Desmond Patton Awarded Tenure

Congratulations to Columbia School of Social Work Associate Professor Desmond Patton on being awarded tenure!

From the Office of the Dean:

“Desmond is a gifted scholar with a well-defined and focused research agenda on gun violence, gang violence, and their relationship with social media especially among African American urban youth and young adults. In recent years, Desmond has received some of the most prestigious awards for early career scholars in social work – the Deborah K. Padgett Early Career Achievement Award, awarded by the Society for Social Work and Research in 2018, and the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society Fellowship at Harvard University. In the last three years alone, Desmond has published 30 papers, 17 of which are first-authored. His teaching record is exemplary and he has used innovative problem solving approaches to teaching and received outstanding ratings from students. Additionally, his contribution to community service and committees is remarkable with membership on the University-wide Computational Social Science working group, the CSSW Faculty Search Committee, Outcomes Committee, AGPP Committee, and the ADR-OSP Committee.”