Profiles in Social Work

Hartford Doctoral Fellow & Hartford Faculty Scholar

Sara Sanders, Ph.D, LMSW
Hartford Doctoral Fellow & Hartford Faculty Scholar
Assistant Professor - University of Iowa, School of Social Work

What attracted you to the field of social work?
For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a social worker.  As a child, I thought the best way to end homelessness was to let anyone without a home live with me.  As I grew, I realized that there are many complicated factors associated with society’s problems.  I wanted to be part of the solution and knew that becoming a social worker was the best way for that to happen. My desire to pursue a career in social work naturally evolved from my concern about the problems in the world.  My initial interests were in homelessness and eventually criminal justice and mental health.  After completing a field placement in probation and parole, I realized that this was not the area of social work I wished to pursue.   My heart kept pointing me back to gerontology, particularly practice with individual who had Alzheimer’s disease.  As a child, my grandfather had a friend with Alzheimer’s disease and I remember him crying as he tried to remember things.  I wanted to find ways to help people like Norrie.  My passion for dementia care was solidified when I completed a field placement with the St. Louis Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.  This experience was life changing and inspired me to dedicate much of my career to dementia care. 

How has the GSWI benefited your career?
I have been affiliated with GSWI since the Doctoral Fellows program.  I was lucky to be part of the first cohort.  This program changed my entire career.  It provided me with the mentoring and research support I needed as a doctoral student to see beyond just completing my dissertation.  I have been lucky to receive funding through the Faculty Scholars program as well.  This program has allowed my research agenda to “take off”.  Also, the mentoring that I received through this program has strengthened my methodological skills, and my writing ability. 

How has it allowed you to do what otherwise would not have been possible?
Without the funding from particularly the Faculty Scholars program, my research on end-stage dementia and hospice care would still be in its infancy.  Because of this program, I have been able to collect valuable pilot data that has been used in additional grant applications. 

What are your career goals?
My most pressing career goal is to obtain tenure.  My additional career goals are to receive funding to implement training for hospice social workers on dementia care.  Additionally, I would like to (at some point in my career), venture into University administration.

- contributed by Jeannine Kremer, MSW, LICSW

Updated on November 18, 2010

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