Educator Focused on Inclusion and Interdisciplinary Research Named Dean of Social Welfare

Shari Miller joins Stony Brook on August 1

STONY BROOK, NY, June 10, 2021 – Shari Miller, PhD, MSW, Associate Dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Georgia, and a clinical social worker with a focus on interdisciplinary education, has been named the new Dean of the School of Social Welfare at Stony Brook University. Her appointment, announced by Paul M. Goldbart, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, is effective August 1, 2021.

Dr. Miller will work to continue to prioritize the School’s efforts to build a more equitable society by embracing and promoting diversity and inclusion; work with faculty to expand the research portfolio, including collaborations with many Stony Brook University departments and beyond on interdisciplinary projects that will have a meaningful impact on societal needs.

“Shari Miller is a highly accomplished educator and researcher with a strong commitment to service as borne out by her many awards, fellowships, publications, and contributions to the University of Georgia,” said Goldbart. “She is a leader in her field, embracing and demonstrating the impact of innovative and interdisciplinary teaching and scholarship. I am excited to welcome her to Stony Brook.”

Dr. Miller is a dedicated and talented educator and has received multiple awards recognizing her efforts in the classroom at UGA, including four Bachelor’s of Social Work Teacher of the Year Awards, the Richard B. Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and the Teaching Innovation Award from the Council on Social Work Education and SAGE Publishers. She has mentored and advised many graduate students, serving on about a dozen dissertation and thesis committees.

Her research focuses on educational innovation with implications for reflective practice in a sustainable global society. Dr. Miller has written more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, conference presentations, and other scholarly pieces in leading social work journals. She has been the principal investigator or co-PI on various grants totaling $4.8 million funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration.

“We are pleased that Dr. Miller is joining Stony Brook University and the Health Sciences Schools,” said the search committee co-chairs, Stacy Jaffee Gropack, Dean of the School of Health Technology and Management, and Iris Granek, Founding Chair of the Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine in the Renaissance School of Medicine. “Her experience in teaching, scholarship, service and administration supports her as the ideal candidate to build on the foundation that Dr. Mondros established during her tenure as Dean of the School of Social Welfare. Dr. Miller’s collaborative focus on interprofessional education, social justice, and workforce development are well aligned with many of the strategic initiatives currently being proposed as we move Stony Brook University forward.”

Dr. Miller earned her PhD from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, her Master of Social Work from Yeshiva University, and her bachelor’s degree in sociology from SUNY Binghamton.

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