Summer Woodside Honored for Her Contributions to School Social Work

Summer Woodside, an associate professor in the social work department at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, is the recipient of the 2022 Gary Lee Shaffer Award for Academic Contributions to the Field of School Social Work. The award was presented by the School Social Work Association of America. The award is given to faculty who have made significant contributions in the field of school social work. It is awarded annually to just one faculty member in the nation. The award is named for a University of North Carolina professor who died in 2009.

“Dr. Shaffer was my professor and mentor and greatly supported me as I was working towards my educational and career goals,” Dr. Woodside reflected. “I now strive to support others in their efforts to serve as school social workers. I am extremely honored and humbled to receive this award.”

At the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Dr. Woodside serves as interim associate dean of the College of Health Sciences and school social work licensure coordinator. She joined the faculty at the university in 2013.

Dr. Woodside is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where she majored in social work. She holds a master of social work degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. in specialized education services from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.