2015 Metcalf Cup and Prize Recipient: Janice Furlong

Janice Furlong is Clinical Associate Professor of Clinical Practice and Human Behavior in the School of Social Work. Her research and teaching focus on treatment of those living with depression, anxiety, and addiction, as well as the integration of new experiential approaches to advance the art of instruction.

Since joining BU in 1998, Professor Furlong’s embrace of individualized learning and immersion in real-world settings has challenged students to reach beyond their textbooks and explore firsthand the human side of the field they’re entering. Through active in-class discussions and field assignments that draw on her own almost four-decade career in clinical practice, Professor Furlong designs her courses with a solitary purpose: the development of knowledgeable mental health professionals capable of excelling in any setting.

Student evaluations of Professor Furlong routinely include words like “engaging,” “creative,” “timely,” and “challenging,” and hail the exceptionally detailed feedback she provides. One nominator writes, “Her love of teaching, interest in learning, and desire to create a classroom environment in which her students would flourish was contagious.”

Her colleagues are equally complimentary. A member of numerous faculty committees devoted to student learning, curriculum development, and evidence-based practice, Professor Furlong regularly leads teaching seminars and training for mental health clinicians in her School’s Professional Education Program. She has been recognized three times since 2007 with the School of Social Work’s Excellence in Teaching Award, its top prize for instruction, while scores of those she’s taught have themselves moved on to successful careers as clinicians and teachers.

Professor Furlong earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Duke University and her Master of Social Work from the Simmons College School of Social Work. A frequent lecturer and presenter at hospitals and national conferences, she serves as Director of the Certificate in Clinical Social Work and Behavioral Medicine on BU’s Medical Campus, where she’s also taught since 2009.