Kathleen Ell Receives Ruth Knee/Milton Wittman Lifetime Achievement Award

NASW Foundation Honors Ell for Research in Healthcare Social Work

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Foundation is pleased to announce that Kathleen Ell, MSW, DSW, has been awarded the Knee/Wittman Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding and tireless efforts in promoting social work solutions in the healthcare setting.

The Knee/Wittman Awards recognize individuals who are models of excellence and have made significant contributions in the field of health and mental health. The Knee/Wittman Award Program was established in 1990 to recognize those who represent the values, ethics and approaches exemplified by two dedicated social work pioneers, Ruth Knee and Milton Wittman.  The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an individual who has had a significant impact on national health or mental health public policy, professional standards or program models.

In addition to serving as the first Ernest P. Larson Professor of Health, Ethnicity, and Poverty at the University of Southern California School Of Social Work, Dr. Ell worked in hospitals and other healthcare settings. She has focused on low-income and ethnically diverse populations, particularly the underserved Hispanic communities in the Los Angeles area. She has championed the integration of social work research in the real world settings of healthcare provision, and her efforts have shaped practices in the provision of social work care.

A signature feature of Dr. Ell’s research has been the inclusion of physicians, health economists and other specialists in her work. This increases the applicability of her research results in the field.

“Kathleen Ell has dedicated her life to serving underserved communities in healthcare,” says Robert Arnold, director of the NASW Foundation. “Social work education and the profession at large have been fortunate to have such a dedicated colleague.”

It is with great honor that the NASW Foundation presents Kathleen Ell with the Knee/Wittman Lifetime Achievement Award.

The National Association of Social Workers Foundation (NASWF) is a charitable organization created to enhance the well-being of individuals, families, and communities through the advancement of social work practice.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington, DC, is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with nearly 145,000 members. It promotes, develops, and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW also seeks to enhance the well-being of individuals, families, and communities through its advocacy.