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School of Social Welfare Student Tara Nickle Receives Hartford Doctoral Fellowship

Tara Nickle

Contact: Catherine Herman (518) 437-4980

ALBANY, N.Y. (May 4, 2005) - Tara Nickle, a doctoral student in the University at Albany’s School of Social Welfare, was selected as a Hartford Doctoral Fellow for 2005. This prestigious national award, funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation, is presented to a select number of doctoral students each year for gerontological social work research. The award will fund Nickle’s dissertation, a systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions relevant to quality of life for persons with intellectual disabilities and dementia.

Nickle is a doctoral research assistant in the Center for Excellence in Aging Services at the School of Social Welfare, where she is evaluating a demonstration project funded by the U.S. Administration on Aging. Additionally, Nickle is an adjunct professor teaching a master’s level introductory research methods course. Her career goal is to obtain a faculty position in an accredited social work program similar to that of UAlbany. Nickle seeks to build teaching/methodological expertise and to pursue a research agenda focused on improving collaborative gerontological practice between the aging and disability service sectors.

Nickle earned a degree in psychology from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio, and worked for the Columbus Metropolitan Area Community Action Organization (CMACAO) Head Start Program for several years, first as a Family Services Advocate, and then as Mental Health Manager. Nickle came to UAlbany in 2000, and completed her master's in social work in 2002. She is the doctoral student representative on the School of Social Welfare’s Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee and Scholarship Selection Committee, and recently joined the International Workgroup on Services Research for People with Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia (IWSRPIDD).

UAlbany’s School of Social Welfare is ranked second in per capita scholarly productivity among the social work programs in the nation. The school’s mission is to further social and economic justice and to serve people who are vulnerable, marginalized or oppressed. This mission is implemented through education, knowledge development and service that promotes leadership for evidence-based social work with a global perspective. As a recognized national and international leader in developing innovative and creative programs, along with facilitating public-private partnerships, the school has been able to attract premier students, providing them with an unsurpassed educational experience at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level.