Kanako Okuda

Dr. Kanako Okuda is a social work educator, scholar-practitioner, clinical social worker, and nationally recognized leader in practicum and field education. Her work bridges classroom learning, professional formation, direct practice, and community impact, with a deep commitment to preparing social work students to enter the profession with confidence, compassion, critical reflection, and purpose.

Dr. Okuda serves as Assistant Dean of Practicum Education and Clinical Associate Professor at the Boston University School of Social Work, where she advances innovative, strengths-based, and student-centered approaches to practicum education. Her leadership centers on creating learning environments that foster belonging, support diverse learning styles, and help students develop the professional identity, skills, and resilience needed for meaningful social work practice.

At the heart of Dr. Okuda’s work is the belief that practicum and field education are among the most transformative spaces in social work education. She views practicum as a vital bridge connecting students, social work programs, agencies, supervisors, and the communities they serve. Her scholarship and leadership focus on improving student outcomes in practicum settings, strengthening field education infrastructure, and supporting the educators and supervisors who guide emerging social workers.

In response to the anxiety many students experience in field education, Dr. Okuda created FieldAnxiety.com, a widely used resource that helps students understand vulnerability, uncertainty, and growth as essential parts of becoming a social worker. Her contributions to the field have been recognized through her recent appointment to the Council on Field Education of the Council on Social Work Education. In 2020, she was selected as a Field Research Scholar by the Transforming Field Education Landscape Project at the University of Calgary, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. She is also a founding member of the Practicum Education Directors group within the Voting Is Social Work campaign, advancing civic engagement and voter participation through practicum and field education.

In addition to her academic leadership, Dr. Okuda remains grounded in direct practice as a clinical social worker providing telemental health services to hard-to-reach populations. Her practice experience spans child welfare, pediatric oncology, and community-based mental health. She began her career in child welfare and later served as a pediatric oncology social worker at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.

Dr. Okuda has also expanded her work internationally through collaborations with social work colleagues in Japan. Through lectures, supervision, and educational initiatives, she contributes to the exchange of knowledge and expertise in social work education and social service training across cultural and professional contexts.