Congratulations to JoAnne Malloy, PhD, on her selection as Social Worker of the Year by the New Hampshire chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. She received the award at the Social Work Celebration in Concord, NH, on March 3, 2023. JoAnne is a Research Associate Professor at the Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire and has worked to advance improved behavioral health for children, youth, and families in the state since 1982.
“Persistence is one of JoAnne’s many strengths,” says IOD Director Kelly Nye-Lengerman, PhD. “JoAnne has stood up and shown up for the children of New Hampshire for more than three decades. She demonstrates a steadfast commitment to improving the quality of life for children with behavioral health needs and has built a career on strengths-based practices to support children, families, professionals, and systems.”
JoAnne joined the Institute on Disability in 1991 and has directed several state and federally-funded youth transition, employment, and dropout prevention projects with a focus on youth with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). In 1996, she developed a transition and career development planning model for youth with EBD, known as RENEW (Resilience, Empowerment, and Natural Supports for Education and Work). RENEW has since been replicated in educational, mental health, and juvenile detention settings in New Hampshire and additional states throughout the country, producing positive educational, vocational, and behavioral health outcomes.
JoAnne is also directing the Children’s Behavioral Health Resource Center, which provides training, technical assistance, and online resources to ensure the implementation of research and evidence-based interventions for children, youth, and young adults with mental health and substance misuse concerns. In addition, JoAnne is Principal Investigator for Building Futures Together, a training program for paraprofessionals in healthcare and school settings in specialized enhanced care coordination for children, youth, and caregivers impacted by opioid use disorders (OUD) and other substance use disorders (SUD).
“This is a tremendous honor, and I am proud to be part of the social work professional community,” JoAnne stated during the award ceremony. “And we have a lot more work to do!”
