Dr. Dana S. Smith
Dr. Dana S. Smith
Associate Professor and Director of Field EducationSocial WorkBiography
Dana Smith serves as Director of Field Education and Instructor at the University of Houston-Downtown. She enjoys teaching policy, ethics, field seminar, and community practice courses. Her dissertation was entitled Globalization and Social Work: Influencing practice through education and awareness and she co-authored (with Dr. Monit Cheung) Globalization and social work: Influencing practice through continuing education which will appear in a future volume of the Journal of Social Work Education. She is the former Executive Director of Texas AHEC East – Greater Houston Region, a nonprofit agency focused on health care workforce development and health literacy activities. Under her eight year leadership, the organization's grant funding tripled and
Academic interests include: global issues and social work practice; social policy; health literacy among underserved populations; health care workforce development, and non-profit management.
Degrees Earned
University of Houston PhD - Social Work 2008
University of Houston MSW 2000
Texas Southern University MPA 1992
Spelman College BA - Psychology 1989
Courses Taught
Social Justice & Professional EthicsIntroduction to Social Welfare Policy
Introduction to Social Work & Social Welfare
Field Experience I
Field Experience II
Issues in Social Services
Field Practicum I
Field Practicum II
Experience Qualifications
Publications
Wernet, S.P. & Smith, D.S. (2015). Using Students' Admissions Data for Social Work Program Assessment Process. 32nd Annual BPD Conference. Kansas City, MO.
McCarty, D. & Smith, D.S. (2014). Student as Community Expert: Facilitating a Paradigm Shift in the Classroom. 6th Annual HSI/Title V Best Practices Conference. University of LaVerne, LaVerne, CA.
Smith, D. S., & Cheung, M. (2014, Accepted). Globalization and social work: Influencing practice through continuing education. Journal of Social Work Education. 1/09/2014
Smith, D. S. (2013). Social Workers in Mental Health, Health Care and More – Scientific Symposium of Baylor College of Medicine and DeBakey High School for Health Professions, Houston, TX.
Dissertation: Globalization and Social Work: Influencing practice through education and awareness. Defended: 2008 - Dr. Monit Cheung, chairperson.
Smith, D., Randolph, R., Curry, K., Collins E., Pettway, S., and Reyna, A. (2005). HOPE program simultaneously promotes oral health care and dental careers. The National AHEC Bulletin. (22, 1). pp. 16-17.
More Information
I have received two faculty grant awards for a high-impact/community engagement initiative which provides an opportunity for students to implement community activities that focus on older adults and autonomy.