New professorial appointments for 2024

The Department of Social Work are delighted to share with you about our new professorial appointments – Professor Sarah Wendt and Professor Celia Chan, given Professor Cathy Humphrey is moving into an honorary position at the end of this year.

Professor Sarah Wendt will be joining us (0.2 EFT) from January 2 2024. She is currently at Flinders University, as the Matthew Flinders Fellow and Professor in Social Work, in the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, as well as working four days per week with the South Australian government on the registration of social workers. By way of brief introduction, as per the Flinders website:

Her current research projects explore the impact of domestic violence on women's citizenship, service provision for Aboriginal communities experiencing family violence, and engaging men to address domestic violence. In particular, Sarah has been researching rural women's experiences of domestic violence for over a decade in Australia and more recently how domestic violence work shapes practitioners living and working in rural communities. 

As well as a stint as Head of Social Work, Sarah currently serves as the founding Director of the Social Work Innovation Research Living Space (SWIRLS) Research Centre and so will be bringing her expertise in family violence research with her to the University of Melbourne.

Professor Celia Chan will also be joining us (0.8 EFT) from May 1 2024. Celia is currently at the University of Hong Kong, as Deputy Head of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration. There, she heads up the Research and Practice on Integrative Wellness lab. According to the HKU website:

As a social work researcher-practitioner-educator specialized in family and healthcare, Celia collaborates closely with diverse professionals and integrates cutting-edge research evidence with interdisciplinary and clinical expertise, employing the Integrative Body-Mind-Spirit Intervention Model.

In addition to her health and mental health expertise, Celia also brings outstanding experience and interest as a social work educator, coordinating the MSW at HKU and bringing a strong focus on student wellbeing to that role.

Both Sarah and Celia bring distinguished track records in publication, grants and funding, and importantly, collaborative and values-based ways of working. They will each make invaluable contributions to the life and growth of our Department into the future.