The Network for Professional Education

Social workers and health and human service workers face a complex and ever-challenging environment. Now more than ever, the workforce is looking for lifelong learning programs to build their competencies, while state and local agencies are seeking partnerships with academic institutions to build career ladders for the people they employ. To respond to these challenges, Boston University’s School of Social Work (BUSSW) has created The Network for Professional Education (The Network) as a resource to provide health and social service workers with the skills they need to advance in their careers. In addition to offering nationally renowned training in aging from BUSSW’s Center for Aging & Disability Education & Research (CADER), The Network provides broader workforce development programs in a variety of topical areas so that health and social service professionals and agencies are prepared for the diverse, ever-changing needs of the individuals and communities they serve.

A key component of The Network is The Trainers Hub that showcases BUSSW alumni, staff, and faculty members who can provide training and consultation in a variety of topic areas across the country. The Trainers Hub will provide an effective, efficient transfer of knowledge to and among health and social service workers, while connecting organizations that need expert instructors with experienced practitioners from BUSSW. Prospective trainers will be certified to join The Trainers Hub after completing a three-course “Train-the-Trainer” certificate, a program designed in consultation with The Network Alumni Advisory Board. The certificate prepares instructors on best practices in training, curriculum design and implementation, and assessment and evaluation – all skills which are in demand for health and social services staff. These newly-certified experts will hold in-person trainings and webinars, review online courses, and serve as online course authors.

With a goal to foster knowledge sharing and collaboration, The Network and The Trainers Hub are committed to developing career development opportunities for our talented pool of alumni, staff, and faculty at BUSSW through lifelong learning as part of our supportive, forward-looking community of practice.

In the News

June 2022: Bronwyn Keefe Named BUSSW Assistant Dean of Workforce and Professional Development

November 2021: The Trainers Hub: A Q&A with Its Creator, Network Director Bronwyn Keefe

June 2021: The Network for Professional Education Debuts New Website with Learning Catalog and Trainers Hub

May 2020: Q&A with Bronwyn Keefe, The Network for Professional Education

“We truly enjoy the close partnership that is unfolding in our work with DL&I’s Digital Education Incubator. The project support and thoughtful management from DL&I is very different from other funded projects–it’s a true collaboration from the early stages of concept development to the implementation. We are thrilled to be working together on this.”

— Bronwyn Keefe, Boston University School of Social Work

Project Team, Alumni Advisory Board & Partners

Bronwyn Keefe, PhD, MPH, MSW

Project Team bronwyn@bu.edu

-- Please select a member -- Bronwyn Keefe, PhD, MPH, MSW, Project Team Anna Stathopoulou, Project Team Alison Montague, Project Team Elise DeWinter Eckelkamp, MSW, MEd, The Network Alumni Advisory Board Rick Cresta, LICSW, MSW/MPH, The Network Alumni Advisory Board Olita Day-Berger, LCSW-R, The Network Alumni Advisory Board Elise (Lisa) Fagan Walts, MSW, LICSW, CDP, CMDCP, The Network Alumni Advisory Board Katharine R. Hobart, PhD, MSW, LCSW, The Network Alumni Advisory Board Grace Myhill, MSW, BUSSW '04, The Network Alumni Advisory Board Stephanie Recchia, MSW, LICSW, The Network Alumni Advisory Board Hairpin, Partner

• Bronwyn Keefe, PhD, MPH, MSW Project Team
• Anna Stathopoulou Project Team
• Alison Montague Project Team
• Elise DeWinter Eckelkamp, MSW, MEd The Network Alumni Advisory Board
• Rick Cresta, LICSW, MSW/MPH The Network Alumni Advisory Board
• Olita Day-Berger, LCSW-R The Network Alumni Advisory Board
• Elise (Lisa) Fagan Walts, MSW, LICSW, CDP, CMDCP The Network Alumni Advisory Board
• Katharine R. Hobart, PhD, MSW, LCSW The Network Alumni Advisory Board
• Grace Myhill, MSW, BUSSW '04 The Network Alumni Advisory Board
• Stephanie Recchia, MSW, LICSW The Network Alumni Advisory Board
• Hairpin Partner

Bronwyn Keefe is BUSSW’s Assistant Dean of Workforce and Professional Development, Research Assistant Professor, and Director of BUSSW’s Center for Aging and Disability Education and Research (CADER) and The Network for Professional Education. She is passionate about educating practitioners and making an impact on their…Read More

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Bronwyn Keefe, PhD, MPH, MSW

Project Team bronwyn@bu.edu

Bronwyn Keefe is BUSSW’s Assistant Dean of Workforce and Professional Development, Research Assistant Professor, and Director of BUSSW’s Center for Aging and Disability Education and Research (CADER) and The Network for Professional Education. She is passionate about educating practitioners and making an impact on their knowledge, skills, and values in key practice areas with older adults. Through CADER, Keefe develops curriculum and evaluates training initiatives for professionals who work with older adults and people with disabilities. In 2019, she was awarded a four-year Geriatric Academic Career Award from the Health Resources Service Administration (HRSA) to build on her commitment to train an interprofessional gerontology workforce. Keefe has also been funded on many projects related to behavioral health, with a focus on building the capacity of providers and communities in understanding the importance of mental health, substance use, and developing age-friendly initiatives to improve the lives of older adults.

Her research interests are in long-term service and support delivery, community-based programs and services, intersection of aging and disability programs and policies, workforce development, curriculum development, and program and training evaluation. Her research has been published in the Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, the Journal of Aging and Social Policy, and the Journal of Gerontological Social Work. She serves on the boards of the Eldercare Workforce Alliance and the Massachusetts Gerontology Association, where she is vice president.