Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard: Distinguished Scholar & Leader in Social Work in Nova Scotia
Posted on 29. Jul, 2010 by Leshell Hatley in Scholarly Celebrations, Social Work
Dr. Thomas Bernard is Director of the School of Social Work at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Dr. Thomas Bernard has had a long and distinguished career in the field of social work. Dr. Thomas Bernard has worked in mental health at the Nova Scotia Hospital, in rural community practice with the Family Services Association, and since 1990, has been a professor at the Dalhousie School of Social Work, where she has held the position of Director since 2001.
Research
Her research with Black men and the violence of racism, particularly in the criminal justice system, has had significant impact on not only academic work but also agency and community-based practice. She has made major academic and professional contributions to the field of Black masculinity, to the investigation of Black women’s health and well being, and to an Africentric understanding of the strengths of Black families, including Black men’s experience of mothering and othermothering.
Leadership & Service
She has provided leadership in developing culturally relevant services and culturally specific programs in the health professions; she has organized numerous conferences and workshops meeting the requests of various academic, practitioner and community groups for anti-racist, Africentric perspectives on community issues such as violence, gender, and health. She has been instrumental in the development of community-based research teams in her field and has documented the challenges of participatory action research, especially in an academic context. She has participated in the innovative, multi-media dissemination of research findings focusing on media representations of African Canadians and domestic violence in the Black community.
Dr. Bernard has worked over the years to foster links among academics, frontline practitioners, and the community, in particular the African Nova Scotian community. Her multitude of invited presentations, keynote addresses, professional development workshops, and community outreach activities provide concrete evidence of her dedication to educating others about the need for further investigation into African Canadians’ health and well-being, including the provision of health services that will encourage increased access from marginalized populations. As she has become more established in her academic field, Dr. Bernard has been able to translate her productivity and leadership in community and professional activities into innovative and challenging research productivity.
She is a Founding Member of the Association of Black Social Workers and is its current President, a member of the Board of Directors of Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, and a previous member of the Board of Accreditation of the Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work.
Awards
Dr. Thomas Bernard has received numerous awards, certificates and recognition over the years for her trendsetting work. Some of her awards include the Ron Stafford Memorial Award from the Nova Scotia Association of Social Work for effective community leadership and development work. She also received the Canada 125 medal for outstanding contributions to the country, and Dr. Thomas Bernard was awarded the Order of Canada Award by Governor General, Adrienne Clarkson in June 2005.
StoryTeller
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