Karra Bikson
Assistant Professor of Social Work
Curriculum Vitae
BA Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz; MA Gerontology, San Francisco State University; MSW, PhD
Social Welfare, University of California Los Angeles.
karra.bikson@nyu.edu | (212) 992-9706
bio
Karra Bikson is an Assistant Professor at NYU School of Social Work. Her research interests include organizational change and innovation in health and human services, including implementation of research findings; hospice and palliative care; improving access to services for underserved populations; and the politics of aging and health policy. She has co-published articles in several peer-reviewed journals, including Health & Social Work and Journal of Gerontological Social Work.
Prior to joining the faculty at NYU, Dr. Bikson taught numerous courses at the graduate and under-graduate levels in Social Welfare and Gerontology at UCLA, in addition to guest lecturing in the California State University system. Her teaching experience includes Human Behavior in the Social Environment (Human Development, Communities and Organizations); Social Welfare Policy and History; Aging Policy; Direct Practice with Older Adults and Families; and Death and Dying.
Dr. Bikson’s practice experience includes psycho-educational group leader for a caregiver training program, Roybal Institute for Gerontology, Los Angeles, California; clinical social worker, Trinity Care Hospice, Los Angeles, California; and program evaluation consultant for several social services agencies in Los Angeles including the Department of Children and Family Services.
Dr. Bikson received her MSW and PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her dissertation research was funded by the Hartford Doctoral Fellowship in Geriatric Social Work and the VA Social Work Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, and focused on innovation in end-of-life care in hospital settings. She joined the NYU School of Social Work as an Assistant Professor in August 2007.
publications & presentations
- Bikson, K., McGuire, J., Blue-Howells, J., & Seldin-Sommer, L. (2009). Psychosocial problems in primary care: Patient and provider perceptions. Social Work in Health Care, in press.
- Bikson, K. (2008, November). Understanding innovation in end-of-life care: A comparative case study of hospital-based palliative care programs. Paper presented at the Gerontological Society of America's 61st Annual Scientific Meeting, Washington, DC.
- Bikson, K. & Lorenz, K. (2007). Improving interdisciplinary palliative care delivery: A qualitative case comparison study. Plenary presentation at the VA Health Services Research & Development Service (VA HSR&D) National Meeting, Washington DC, February, 2007.
- McGuire, J., Bikson, K., & Blue-Howells, J. (2005). How many social workers are needed in primary care? A patient-based needs assessment example. Health & Social Work, V. 30, n.4, pp. 305-313.
- Torres-Gil, F. & Bikson Moga, K. (2002). The emerging nexus of aging and diversity: Implications for public policy and entitlement reform. Elder’s Advisor: The Journal of Elder Law and Post-Retirement Planning, V. 4, n. 1, pp. 1-10.
- Torres-Gil, F. & Bikson Moga, K. (2001). Multiculturalism, Social Policy and New Aging. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, V. 36, n. 3-4, pp. 13-32.