McKay becomes the second Silver School faculty member to be honored as a fellow of the AASWSW.

Mary McKay, the McSilver Professor of Poverty Studies and director of the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at the Silver School of Social Work at New York University, has been selected as a fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW). The 2012 fellows will be inducted in a ceremony on November 10 in Washington, DC.

The Academy was formed in 2009 to recognize outstanding social work scholars and practitioners. The organization's goals include encouraging outstanding research, scholarship, and practice; informing social policy by serving as a frontline source for information for the social work profession; and promoting the examination of social policy and application of research to test alternative policies, programs, and practices for their impact on society.

McKay, an internationally renowned specialist on families in poverty and positive youth development, joined the Silver School of Social Work in 2011. Prior to joining NYU Silver, she served as the head of the Division of Mental Health Services Research at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She has received substantial federal funding for research focused on meeting the mental health and health prevention needs of inner-city youth and families. Over the course of her career, she has developed a substantial body of research findings around engagement practices to improve involvement in family-based HIV prevention programs and mental health services by children, youth, and families in poverty-impacted urban areas.

McKay serves as the inaugural director of the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research. The Institute conducts, promotes, and disseminates interdisciplinary applied research to address root causes of, effects of, and responses to poverty. It partners with New York-based agencies and communities to develop research projects and policy and advocacy recommendations that have short- and long-term social impact. Additionally, the Institute collaborates with multiple departments and schools across New York University.

"I am humbled by this tremendous honor and grateful to the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare for this recognition. I have been privileged to fulfill the roles of social work practitioner, supervisor, program director, and scholar over the last 25 years," said McKay. "At NYU's Silver School –o f Social Work, I am pleased to be part of the mission of preparing the next generation of social workers who will have evidence-based tools to provide a range of services to those in need, as well as to advocate for enhanced supports and policies that ensure that all are met with fairness and respect and have access to opportunities."

McKay is the second Silver School faculty member to be honored as a fellow of the AASWSW. Professor Deborah Padgett was inducted to the organization in 2011 and serves on its board of directors.

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