Faulty and Staff External Awards
Celebrating the achievements of our faculty
Order of the University of Calgary recipient, Lana Wells
Lana Wells is an internationally recognized expert on domestic violence prevention, whose ability to work across disciplines, translate knowledge into action and advocate for change has made her an invaluable contributor to our community. She is an associate professor in the Faculty of Social Work, and the Brenda Strafford Chair in the Prevention of Domestic Violence. She is also the founder and leader of the primary prevention research hub, Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence.
Congratulations Lana!
FSW Team Recognized with EDI Award
The winners of this year’s 2022 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Teams award is the Faculty of Social Work Research Team!
Members of this Team are:
Dr. David Este, Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Social Work
Dr. Kathleen Sitter, Associate Professor, CRC, Faculty of Social Work
Kimberly Van Patten, Project Manager, Faculty of Social Work
Dr. Peter Gabor, Professor, Faculty of Social Work
Sheliza Ladhani, PhD candidate, sessional instructor, Faculty of Social Work
Dr. Darren Lund, Professor, Werklund School of Education, who we are recognizing posthumously for his remarkable and self-less contributions as a true champion for equity for underrepresented and marginalized groups.
Top, from left: David Este, Kathleen Sitter, Kimberly Van Patten. Bottom, from left: Peter Gabor, Sheliza Ladhani, Darren E. Lund.
The 2022 EDI Team Award winning team undertook a study to explore the experiences of race and racism among social work educators and students. The aim was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of an anti-racism pedagogical workshop for post-secondary settings and provide recommendations for change. Findings from this project indicated a lack of understanding about racism and anti-racism. The study found, for example, that racism was not being effectively dealt with in the FSW. It also found that the experiences of Black, racialized, and Indigenous students and educators were poorly validated and supported in the academic system. This project has taken up action to develop an effective anti-racism pedagogical workshop to support teaching and learning in higher education. Through the development of an extensive report, the team brought attention to senior leadership on key findings and recommendations for anti-racism workshops and trainings, curriculum and pedagogy that support anti-racist change initiatives within the university.
Congratulations!
2022 Calgary Awards, Grant MacEwan Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. David Este, PhD, professor emeritus, Faculty of Social Work
The award goes to an individual Calgarian who, over the past 25 years or more, has made significant contributions to the community, as a volunteer and/or professional, that improved the quality of life for citizens or brought recognition to Calgary. This award is named in honour of the lifetime achievements of Calgarian Dr. Grant MacEwan.
Dr. David Este's work on racism and anti-Black racism is considered groundbreaking in both academic and advocacy circles. Since joining the Faculty of Social Work in 1992, his research has tackled issues such as immigrant settlement and adaptation, HIV service needs, and underemployment and discrimination faced by women and youth. Este, PhD, has written six books along with numerous chapters and academic journal articles.
He has provided expertise, historical context and innovative solutions on a number of committees, including the Wood's Homes Research Advisory Committee, HIV Community Link and the United Way of Calgary Diversity Initiative. He collaborated on the documentary We Are the Roots: Black Settlers and Their Experiences of Discrimination on the Canadian Prairies (2018), which features excerpts from his interviews with descendants of the first settlers in Alberta.
Este continually shares his passion for social justice by generously mentoring students. He has received numerous awards and nominations for excellence in teaching, as well as for community service and lifetime achievement. He has raised awareness and offered solutions to issues faced by refugees, immigrants and those impacted by racism, inspiring others to challenge inequities and make changes.
City of Calgary
2020 Calgary Awards recipient, Dr. Aamir Jamal!
Dr. Aamir Jamal was recently honoured with The International Achievement Award as part of this year's Calgary Awards, which celebrate and recognize outstanding achievements and contributions made by Calgarians.
Dr. Jamal was cited for his "significant body of research that has informed policy and practice for national governments and international agencies, most notably inspiring a movement for gender justice and girls’ education across Northwest Pakistan," as well as his contribution to "a shift in local attitudes and cultural perspectives by involving communities directly in addressing gender-based violence, and promoting social justice and transformation via formal government and societal approaches."
Congratulations Dr. Jamal!
The Collective Good - Arch Magazine's
Illustrations by Jae Sterling
Christine Walsh was featured as one of the six "stellar citizens" in Arch Magazine's "The Collective Good," a celebration of a half-dozen UCalgary innovators were inspired by recent mental, physical and social-justice challenges to improve the well-being of others, relating to COVID-19 and beyond.
Internationalization Achievement Awards
International Program Award
Community and Sustainable Development in Nepal
The Community and Sustainable Development: Collaborative Field Study is a virtual group study program which used experiential and inquiry based-techniques to engage UCalgary and Southwestern State College (Nepal) students to investigate key social issues related to community development and sustainable development in Nepal, while building skills in intercultural practices to address such social issues – in Nepal, Canada, and elsewhere.
Killam Annual Professors
Professor Lana Wells, MSW, RSW
Associate professor, Faculty of Social Work
Research fellow, School of Public Policy
Brenda Strafford Chair in the Prevention of Domestic Violence
Director, Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence Research Hub
Lana Wells is a top-ranked and globally respected scholar in the field of social work. She is a change-maker in advancing gender and social justice, equity, and social inclusion, engaging and mobilizing men in violence prevention while advancing systems and structural change through collaboration and innovative approaches.
Wells created the first research hub in Canada to focus solely on stopping domestic and sexual violence before it starts: Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence. Shift’s focus is designing and testing new behavioural approaches to prevent gender-based violence (GBV) by advancing equity and inclusion and integrating evidence into policy and practice. She has worked with hundreds of community-based organizations and all orders of government to transform our systems of oppression and reimagine new possibilities through an equity lens.
Wells is considered an international leader in engaging men and boys in ending GBV and advancing gender equity. She has been frequently invited to present her research and consult with UN organizations, policing and military organizations, and has worked closely over the years with provincial governments to advance violence prevention policies and investments.
An exemplary teacher and mentor, Wells is celebrated as a role model who is deeply invested in supporting students’ well-being, including academic, professional and career growth, and ethical practice in advancing social justice goals.
Learn more about Lana Wells’s research:
UCalgary violence prevention researcher awarded $1.89 million for systems change work | Researchers respond to gender-based violence, ‘the pandemic within a pandemic’
David Nicholas has an outstanding record of teaching and research scholarship on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and the quality of life for individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities, and their families. Over the last 10 years, he has focused on EDI and individuals with autism across the lifespan, from adolescence into adulthood. He is an international leader in EDI and vocational issues in autism, advancing pathways to employment and informing navigational support for families.
Killam Award
Congratulations to Dr. Régine King, who was recently named the recipient of the Killam Emerging Research Leader Award. One of UCalgary's most prestigious awards that recognizes excellence and leadership. Dr. King was recognized for her “innovative program of research, knowledge mobilization strategies and promotion of social change that advance the key priorities of the institution embedded in equity, diversity and inclusion".
Students’ Union Teaching Excellence Awards
Teaching Excellence Award
Honourable mention award
U Make a Difference Awards
Innovation and Curiosity
Dr. Kathleen Sitter is an associate professor in the Faculty of Social Work. She received an award in the Innovation and Curiosity category.
Demonstrating excellence in social innovation, entrepreneurial thinking, and research and knowledge engagement, Kathleen uses creative technologies and fosters an environment of curiosity and creativity in the classroom and beyond. She excels in knowledge-mobilization and develops innovative strategies to support meaningful knowledge exchange to facilitate the sharing of research findings. Her passion for fostering creativity and innovation among her students and in social work research is inspiring.
Congratulations, Kathleen!
Collaboration and Communication
Larysa Faulkner is the co-ordinator in Research Funding and Facilitation in the Faculty of Social Work. She received an award in the Collaboration and Communication category.
Larysa is outstanding at actively supporting a culture of co-operative, respectful and open communication within the university and community at large. She is a strong believer that students should get the best learning outcomes from their time spent at the university and goes above and beyond to help them make an informed decision about enrolling into programs. She acknowledges different styles of learning and implements multiple activities and strategies in co-ordinating courses to ensure each participant has an optimal experience.
Congratulations, Larysa!
University of Calgary Teaching Awards
Educational Leadership (Group)
Social Work Field Education Team (Patti-Jo Aiken, Carrie Blaug, Dr. Amy Fulton, PhD, Stephanie Grant, Leeann Hilsen, Daljit Kaur, Angela Judge-Stasiak, Lorraine Letkemann, Julie Mann-Johnson, Krista Osborne, MSW, Wendy Sera, Dr. Serena Visser, PhD)
Experiential Learning Initiatives
Indigenous Ways of Knowing
Award for team teaching
Award for non-academic staff
Award for sessional instructors
Award for sessional instructors
Award for graduate supervision
Award for graduate assistants (teaching)
Graduate Supervision
Sessional Instructors
Graduate Assistants (Teaching)
Watch the 2021 Celebration of Teaching in its entirety or catch your favourite educator receive their award.
UCalgary Teaching and Learning Grants
Developing 2SLGBTQ+ Knowledge and Skills in the Classroom
Principal Investigator: Dr. Jessica Ayala, PhD
Grant Stream: Development and Innovation
Grant: $10,000.00
Community Engaged Learning Practicum
Principal Investigator: Julie Mann-Johnson
Grant Stream: Development and Innovation
Grant: $10,000.00
Integrated Rotational Field Education for Bachelor-level Students in Social Work in Health Care
Principal Investigator: Dr. David Nicholas, PhD
Team Members: Leeann Hilsen, Dr. Patricia Samson, PhD, Janet McFarlane, Kent Mielke, and Debra Samek
Grant Stream: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning - Collaborative
Grant: $40,000.00
Integrating Research Training via the Development of a Social Work Journal Transforming Social Work – Developing a New Social Work Journal: Fostering Student Training and Mentorship in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning through Academic Journal Publishing
Principal Investigator: Dr. Julie Drolet, PhD
Team Members: Hilary Nelson, Dr. Christine Walsh, PhD, Julie Mann-Johnson, Dr. Jaki Shankar, PhD, and Dr. Jeannette Waegemakers Schiff, PhD
Grant Stream: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning - Collaborative
Grant: $40,000.00
Spiritual Pedagogy: Best Practices for Social Work and Informing the Helping Professions
Principal Investigator: Dr. Heather Boynton, PhD
Team Members: Dr. Christine Walsh, PhD, Dr. Julie Drolet, PhD, Julie Mann-Johnson, Mohammed Nurdueen Musah, Fiona Edwards, and Saleema Salim
Grant Stream: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning - Collaborative
Grant: $40,000.00
Supporting Innovative Sustainable Practice Models for Student-Centric Learning: Embracing a New Reality of Work Integrated Learning and Interprofessional Education
Principal Investigator: Dr. Patricia L Samson, PhD
Team Members: Amanda O'Rae, Dr. David Nicholas, Ph.D., Dr. Zahra Shajani, EdD, and Stephanie Grant
Grant Stream: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning - Collaborative
Grant: $38,550.00
Advancing critical race pedagogical approaches in social work education
Principal Investigator: Dr. Patrina Duhaney, PhD
Team members: Dr. Liza Lorenzetti, PhD
Grant Stream: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning - Collaborative
Grant: $37,500.00
Creating Pathways to Experience Positive Aging for Undergraduate Social Work Students: Lessons from Engaging with Older Adults and Reflecting on Students’ Own Later Life
Principal Investigator: Dr. Yeonjung Lee, PhD
Team members: Dr. Lun Li, PhD
Grant Stream: Development and Innovation - Collaborative
Grant: $39,000.00
Exploring the Use of Virtual Simulations to Promote Cross-Disciplinary Teaching and Learning in Inter-Professional Education in Addressing Childhood Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence (CEIPV)
Principal Investigator: Dr. Angelique Jenney, PhD
Team members: Carla Ferreira, Jessica Mulli, Krista Wollny, Georgina Bagstad, Breanne Krut, and Jennifer Koshan
Grant Stream: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning - Collaborative
Grant: $39,945.00
UCalgary Sustainability Awards
Sustainability Teaching Award
Faculty Research Award
Faculty of Social Work sessionals Lola Emiko and Tiffany Gloeckler recognized for innovative online work. Read article here