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Portrait of Colleen Galambos (white woman), social work professor and Helen Bader Endowed Chair of Applied Gerontology

Colleen Galambos, PhD

  • Professor, Social Work
  • Helen Bader Endowed Chair, Applied Gerontology

Dr. Colleen Galambos, PHD, LCSW, LCSW-C, ACSW, FGSA, is professor and Helen Bader Endowed Chair in Applied Gerontology at UW-Milwaukee.

Dr. Galambos is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, a fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, and a National Association of Social Workers Pioneer. Her practice experience includes clinical, administrative, policy, and research positions in a variety of health and long-term care organizations. Past appointments include the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on the Health and Medical Dimensions of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults and the 2020 National Academy of Medicine's (NAM) Vital Directions for Health and Healthcare project. In 2020, Dr. Galambos was appointed to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Committee on the Quality of Care in Nursing Homes. Recently, Dr. Galambos was selected as one of the Milwaukee Business Journal’s 2020 Women of Influence for her mentorship of students preparing for careers in gerontology.

Research Interests:

Galambos’ active research areas include care transitions, advance care planning/end of life decision making, aging in place, health and long–term care systems quality improvement, gerontechnology, older adults and behavioral health, caregiving and abuse in later life, and competency based gerontological education. She is principle investigator on a Bader Philanthropies grant that is examining the caregiver experience of African American caregivers and resources needed to support their role. She is a co-investigator on an Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Grant that will integrate advocates in health care settings to strengthen intimate partner screening. Formally, she worked as an investigator on several research projects aimed at improving long-term care, funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, National Institutes of Health, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, totaling over $37 million in grant support.

Professional Work:

  • Adjunct Professor, Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, Medical College of Wisconsin
  • Co-author Actualizing Population Health for Older Adults, vital Directions for Health and Healthcare 2.0, National Academy of Medicine
  • Editorial Board, Journal of Health and Human Services
  • Associate Editor, Gerontechnology Journal
  • Member, Advisory Board, National Social Services Director's Survey
  • Data and Safety Monitoring Board, National Institute on Aging (NIA) Grant #2R44AG049548-02A1

Books:

  • Galambos, C.M., Greene, R. R., Cohen, H.L., & Kropf, N.P. (2018). Foundations of social work practice in the field of aging: A competency-based approach (2nd ed). Washington, D.C.: NASW.
  • Greene, R.R., Galambos, C. M., Greene, N. (2016). Social work with the aged and their families (4th ed.). New Brunswick, New Jersey: Aldine Transaction.
  • Greene, R. R., Cohen, H.L., Galambos, C.M., & Kropf, N.P. (2007). Foundations of social work practice in the field of aging: A competency-based approach. Washington, D.C. : NASW
  • Cummings, S. & Galambos, C. (2004). Diversity and aging in the social environment. Binghamton, N.Y.: Haworth Press.

Select Recent Publications (out of more than 150):

Curriculum Vitae