Dr. Jones Receives National Leadership Award from the
Social Work in Hospice and Palliative Care Network
April 3, 2009
From left are Dr. Grace Christ,
Dr. Barbara Jones and School of Social Work Dean Barbara White
AUSTIN, Texas - Dr. Barbara L. Jones, an assistant professor of social work at The University of Texas at Austin, is the 2009 recipient of the Project on Death in America Social Work Leadership Award given by the Social Work in Hospice and Palliative Care Network (SWPHN).
The award was presented to Jones at the Annual Assembly of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) & Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association held at the Austin Convention Center, March 25-28. Jones presented findings from her research entitled "Compassion, Control, & Companionship: The Needs of Children and Families at the End of Life" during the awards luncheon. During the AAHPM Assembly, Jones also gave two other presentations and was the local site chair for the Social Work Pre-conference Day funded by the College of Palliative Care. She was also selected as a College of Palliative Care Social Work Mentor.
The goal of the annual Project on Death in America Social Work Leadership Award is to recognize individuals who have made distinguished contributions in the field of palliative and end-of-life care, to increase the visibility of social workers' contributions to the field, and encourage future generations of social workers to continue providing quality care to the seriously ill, dying and bereaved.
In her award introduction, presenter Dr. Grace Christ, SWPHN Board Chair and Columbia University School of Social Work professor, acknowledged Jones for her nationally and internationally recognized leadership in pediatric cancer and pediatric palliative care not only among social work, but in interdisciplinary networks and forums as well. "Barbara often walks where angels fear to tread, challenging traditional thought and ideology," said Christ.
"Barbara's funded research focuses on the knowledge and skill base of professionals in pediatric palliative care, their confidence in their capacities, educational needs, and their views of the needs of patients and families, as well as their own coping," said Christ. "She is also studying the processes of care and the vulnerabilities, risks and resilience of seriously ill children and their families."
Jones received both her master's degree and doctorate in social work from the School of Social Welfare at the University at Albany, SUNY. Prior to joining The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work faculty in 2004, she was the senior clinical social worker in the division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Albany Medical Center in New York. While in this position in 2002, Jones received a Social Work Leadership Development Award from the Soros Foundation's Project on Death in America, a $65,000 grant to study the psychosocial needs of children with cancer and their families at the end of life and to understand the role of pediatric oncology social workers in delivering that care. This study has resulted in peer-reviewed articles in medical and social work journals.
SWPHN was founded in 2007 to bridge the gaps in social work's access to information, knowledge, education, training and research in hospice and palliative care. Toward this end, SWHPN has formed professional alliances with leading palliative care and social work organizations, schools of social work, the Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life and Palliative Care, and between practice, education and research.