Grace Elizabeth White (1899 – 1986) – Social Worker, Consultant and Professor  

Editor’s Note:  Dr. White died in her home in Lexington, KY in June 1986.  She had no survivors.

Introduction: Grace White was born on October 5, 1899 in Marion, Indiana. She earned her Ph.B. from the University of Chicago in June of 1931. For over 50 years, Grace White worked as a social worker, educator and consultant. She was a social work instructor, associate professor, and professor for the University of Pittsburgh, University of Chicago, Tulane University, Columbia University, and the State University of New York. She worked as a consultant and social worker for the American Public Health Association, State of New York Department of Social Welfare, Council on Social Work Education, University of Buffalo, New York Association for Crippled Children, and the Veterans Administration.

VITAE

Born: Marion, Indiana, Oct. 5, 1899

Education: National YWCA, New York. Training Program for Group Leadership, 1923, 6 Indiana University, 1925-6 weeks.

University of Chicago, 1928-31. PhB Degree, June, 1931.

University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration, 1931-2; completed for MA Degree, June, 1934.

U.S. Children’s Bureau and Illinois Dept. of Health, Chicago, Special Seminar on Social Work in Public Health, 1949, 3 weeks

Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Special Seminar on Growth and Development of Children for medical social educators, 1954, 2 weeks.

Employment: 1922-34.

Sept. 1922-Aug. 1925. YWCA, Elkhart, Ind. Girl Reserve Secretary. Led clubs and directed camp programs.

Sept. 1926-Aug. 1928. YWCA, Cambridge, Mass. Secretary Division for Girls. Led clubs and directed day-camp program.

Aug.1932-Aug. 1934. Mt. Sinai Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio. Medical Social Worker. Gave casework service to patients in Pediatrics and Orthopedics Depts.

Employment: Sept. 1934-Aug. 1936. University of Pittsburgh, Division of Social Work.  Instructor of Social Work and Director, Dept. of Social Work at Falk Clinic. Taught social work and sociology courses, supervised students in field practice; reorganized and directed the Dept. of Social Work at Falk Clinic.

Sept. 1936-Sept. 1937. University of Chicago Clinics. Medical Social Worker and Field Supervisor. Gave casework service to patients in Chest and Dermatology Clinics; supervised students in field practice.

Sept. 1937-June, 1945. Tulane University, School of Social Work. Associate Professor of Social Work. Taught Courses in medical social work sequence; supervised unit of students in Charity Hospital; theses advisor; gave consultation to Depts. of Social Work in New Orleans Hospitals.

June, 1945-Aug., 1952. Columbia University, New York School of Social Work. Professor of Social Work. Taught social casework and other courses in medical social sequence; liaison to agencies and hospitals for unit of students’ field instruction; chairman of curriculum committee, 1947-1951 that studied student records and redesigned the basic curriculum; consultant to community agencies and hospitals on development of social work services.

Feb. 1946-June 1950. Columbia University, School of Public Health. Lecturer. Taught hospital administration students in course on social problems in medical care.

June 1946-Aug. 1948. American Public Health Association, Merit Division. Consultant and Exam Constructor. Constructed examinations for medical social work positions and directed the testing of those exams.

March-June 1948. American Association of Schools of Social Work. Member, Study Staff. Conducted studies of block plans for field work and post master educational programs current in Schools of Social Work.

Sept. 1952-Sept. 1957. State University of New York, Medical Center at Syracuse. Professor of Social Work, Medical College Dept. of Preventive Medicine and Chairman, Medical Center Dept. of Social Work. As a faculty member in the College of Medicine: planned with physicians and behavioral scientists for curriculum content on social and environmental factors in illness and medical care; team-taught in first and fourth year seminars; taught third year course on the person with a medical history; coordinated field teaching by social workers in affiliated hospitals; served five years on College of Medicine Admissions Committee. As Chairman of the Dept. of Social Work: served as leader in a council of departments of social work in affiliated hospitals; gave consultation to Syracuse hospitals on the development of social work services; planned jointly with College of Nursing for case discussions by medical and nursing students and social workers; participated in training programs for personnel in Speech and Hearing Center and the Rehabilitation Workshops.

Sept. 1952-June 1953. Syracuse and Buffalo Cooperative Program, School of Social Work at Syracuse. Lecturer. Taught social casework and assisted in curriculum planning.

1954-1957. New York Association for Crippled Children, Consultant on Social Services. Conducted studies of local programs as assigned and advised the Association regarding the development of social services in local agencies.

July 1955. State of New York Dept. of Social Welfare and Cornell University. Lecturer. Taught in training courses for beginning and advanced workers.

July 1955-Jan. 1957. University of Buffalo. Specialist Consultant. Conducted an independent study at the request of the Chancellor of complaints made against the School of Social Work; conducted a review with the Dean and faculty of the policies and curriculum of the School; recommended to the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee steps in reorganization of the School.

Sept. 1957-Sept. 1958. National Association of Social Workers, Medical School Section. Educational Consultant. Gave consultation to schools of social work on health, medical and medial social work content; gave consultation to colleges of medicine on the participation of social workers in the teaching of social factors in illness and disability; directed the Regional Institute Program; represented the NASW on health related federal and national committees.

Sept. 1958-Sept. 1961. Council on Social Work Education. Consultant on Educational Services. Gave consultation on curriculum content to schools of social work in US and Canada; explored with university administrators the feasibility of establishing schools of social work; gave consultation to individuals who expressed their desire to teach; directed three national conferences of social work educators on curriculum building, special content on aging and on mental retardation; liaison for CSWE on federal and national agency committees and commissions.

Sept. 1961-July 1965. University of Kentucky Medical Center, Dept. of Social Services. Social Work Associate. (3/5ths time) Assigned to the Dept. of Community Medicine to give consultation to senior medical students on clerkships (primarily in rural Eastern Kentucky) on their family and community studies; assigned primarily to the College of Dentistry to teach a course on the social component in illness and handicap; assisted the Director in staff development projects; participated with medical teams in evaluating cases in outpost clinics; helped the Director develop policies and materials for field instruction for social work students; organized and maintained the resource file.

Sept. 1961-Jan. 1963. Council on Social Work Education, administrator of a grant from U.S. Public Health Service. Educational Director of the Princeton Seminar on Public Health Concepts in Social Work Education. Planned with the aid of an Advisory Committee, the seminar content, lecturers, and selection of a representative from each School; employed personnel; compiled detailed reports and co-edited the Proceedings.

Sept. 1963-July 1965. University of Louisville, Kent School of Social Work. Visiting Professor of Social Work (2/5ths time). Taught courses on casework and consultation; leader of a seminar for field instructors; assisted in curriculum revisions; consultation to Louisville hospitals re: staff development and field instruction

1962-1965. Veterans Administration, Central Office. Consultant on Educational Programs. Chaired the Advisory Committee on Social Work Services 3 years; helped design and establish a training program for VA staff members desiring to advance to an administrative position; conducted the annual workshops for training chiefs; conducted a series of training sessions in 5 VA Hospitals.

June 1963. University of California, Berkeley. Consultant. Explored with University, Dept. of Health, and agency personnel the feasibility of establishing a post-masters institute  program to prepare social workers for positions in health programs.

1963-1964. Directed four workshops for medical social workers in Hawaii, Illinois, Great Lakes Institute, and Southern Regional Institute.

July 1965-July 1967. Joint appointment by University of Kentucky Medical Center and University of Louisville, Kent School of Social Work (3/4ths time). Major assignment was director of the field instruction unit at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. Designed an innovative plan for rotating placement on three medical services with an accumulative caseload; coordinate the teaching by the staff members assisting in the instruction; coordinate the social work teaching to students in the College of Dentistry; taught a course on collaboration and consultation at the Kent School.

1965-1967. Veterans Administration, Central Office. Consultant on Educational Programs. Led staff development workshops at three VA Hospitals; directed a conference of training chiefs to evaluate the administrative training program.

July 1967-Jan. 1970. Employed by contract for part-time or short-term service.

Sept. 1967-Jan. 1968. University of Kentucky Medical Center, Dept. of Social Services. Consultant. Gave consultation to the Director of the Kent School Unit for field instruction in the Medical Center; gave consultation to the staff member assigned to the Community Medicine Dept. of the College of Medicine; conducted several evaluative studies of social services in selected clinics.

October, 1967. Barry School of Social Work, Miami. Examined the curriculum offered and gave consultation on revisions.

Oct. 1967-Jan. 1968. Grady Hospital, Atlanta. Consultant to the Grady Hospital Administrator. Explored with all Chiefs of medical services the nature of social services each would like to have available to his Department; conferred with the Dept. Director and staff of social workers to determine revisions in the social work services deemed necessary; gave consultation to the Administrator on steps in a reorganized plan.

Oct. 1967-Sept. 1969. Veterans Administration Hospitals. Gave periodic consultations to the Chiefs of Social Work Service in four VA Hospitals.

Dec. 1967-March, 1969. Council on Social Work Education, Project for the Development of New Schools of Social Work. Member, Project Staff. Explored with the administrators and faculties of six Universities the feasibility of establishing a School of Social Work on the graduate level and the development of an undergraduate major in social work.

March 1969-May 1969. Cardinal Hill Hospital, Lexington, Ky. Consultant to the Hospital Administrator. Explored with staff giving service to the patients the nature of further services they would like to have available to their patients; gave consultation to the Administrator regarding the broadening of services by an expanded social service staff.

Nov. 1969-July 1971. University of Kentucky, School of Social Professions. Assisted the Dean and faculty during the planning year for a new School which would enroll students in the fall of 1970. Major activity centered on determination of curriculum policies, content, and the organization of units of instruction, and on interviewing applicants and selection of faculty members.

 Major Offices held in National Associations

American Association of Schools of Social Work: Accrediting Committee, Member 1943-48, Chairman, 1952-55. Board of Directors, Member 1949-51.

American Association of Medical Social Workers: President 1944-46, Chairman Education Committee, 1942-44 and 1952-54, Member, Education Committee, 1938-54.

National Association of Social Workers: Chairman of Committee on Participation in Medical Education, 1953-57

Publications

Most of my writing since 1940 has been published or issued without identification of authorship in formulations, proceedings, and reports of Associations, advisory committees, and agencies.

“Social Casework in Relationship to Cerebral Palsy” Chapter XIII in Cerebral Palsy, Its Individual and Community Problems. Cruickshank, William and Ross, George, MD, editors. Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, New York, Revised Edition, 1966, pp. 560-606.

Dake, Bates, White, Kern. “The University of Kentucky Medical Center: One Approach to Health Care” pp. 21-35 in Exploring Progress in Nursing Practice. American Nurses Association, 1965.

“Generic Education for Social Work: The Implications for Fields of Practice,” Child Welfare, November, 1960, pp. 10-16.

“A View From Reservoir Hill,” Social Work, January, 1957, pp. 68-74.

Social Work in Cardiac Rehabilitation, 8P no OM-853, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Washington D.C. February, 1954.

“The Patient as the Focus of Attention”, Journal of the American Diatetic Association. January, 1954, pp. 25-28.

“The Distinguishing Characteristics of Medical Social Work,” Medical Social Work, September, 1951. Also printed in Goldstine, Dora, Readings in Medical Social Work. Chicago University Press, 1955.

“Multiple Associations or a Single Association—Values in Each,” Social Work Journal, July, 1949, pp. 118-122.

“Medical Social Work,” Social Work Yearbook-1947, pp. 310-315.

“The Role of the Medical Social Worker in the Management and Control of Rheumatic Heart Disease”, American Journal of Medicine. June, 1947, pp. 618-629.

“The Social Worker’s Role in Planning for Medical Care,” 1944, Proceedings of the Louisiana Conference of Social Welfare, pp. 76-78.

“Some Social Aspects of the Venereal Disease Control Program,” Hospitals, March, 1939, pp.61-64.

“What Social Work Has to Offer in the Field of Mental Retardation”, American Journal of Mental Deficiency, May 1961.

Source: Grace White Articles. Box 1. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Social Welfare History Archives. Minneapolis, MN.