C.W. Post Professor Elissa Giffords Named Social Worker of the Year

Brookville, N.Y. – Elissa Giffords, DSW, LCSW, associate professor of social work at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, has been named Social Worker of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers - New York State.

“I was surprised and delighted to receive this prestigious honor from my professional community,” said Dr. Giffords. “I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with many talented and committed people who continuously make a difference in people’s lives.”

Dr. Giffords, who resides in Hicksville, will receive her award at the annual NASW-NYS Spirit of Social Work Awards Dinner as part of the group’s annual meeting – The Power of Social Work Conference – in March 2008. She also will give a presentation, “Hospital Care in New York State: Model Legislation to Improve Access for the Uninsured and Underinsured.”

Founded in 1955, NASW is the largest membership association for professional social workers in the world, with 160,000 members in the United States and overseas and more than 22,000 members in New York. The Social Worker of the Year Award recognizes the commitment and achievements of an outstanding member of the social work profession.

Since joining the faculty at C.W. Post in 2000, Dr. Giffords said she enjoys the mixture of teaching, advising students, producing scholarly research and participating in service to the University and in the larger community.  She entered the field in 1983 as a counselor at Runaway Youth Coordinating Council, then worked as an outreach worker at Youth Environmental Services and later as a Nassau County Department of Social Services (DSS) Child Protective Caseworker.  She received her Master of Social Work and Doctor of Social Work degrees from Adelphi University. After graduating, she assisted eligible individuals in obtaining health and human services through community-based coalitions and worked with clients at the Interfaith Nutrition Network, Health and Welfare Council, and Family and Children's Association. In 2004, she received the National Association of Social Workers NYS-Nassau Division Social Worker of the Year award.

Dr. Giffords is currently an executive board member of the Long Island Health Access Monitoring Project, a group that focuses on efforts to gain local and statewide access to healthcare for underserved people.  She also is involved in collaborative advocacy efforts to improve service delivery at the Department of Social Services as executive committee chair of the Advisory Council to Nassau County DSS and serves as a member of the Income Supports sub-committee. She has served as the faculty liaison for the C.W. Post Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work Clubs, Honor Society Chapters and NASW Liaison. Through these roles, she has assisted C.W. Post students in achieving a prominent role in campus life and engaging in important community service.

Posted: January 7, 2008