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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,  ACSW, FGSA, FAASWSW, 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 Committee on the Quality of Care in Nursing Homes, and the 2020 National Academy of Medicine's (NAM) Vital Directions for Health and Healthcare project.

In 2024, Dr. Galambos co-chaired the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s symposium on Essential Health Care Services Related to Anxiety and Mood Disorders in Women. She serves on the Health Care Services Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and Milwaukee County’s ADRC Board. In 2023, Dr. Galambos received the Leadership Award from AGE-SW, a national organization that promotes gerontology education in social work programs. 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. In 2024, she was selected as an inaugural Bader Leadership Institute Fellow. She has received the prestigious recognition of Stanford University’s top two percent of most impactful scientists in the fields of social work, nursing, public health, and social sciences.

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. Funding includes grants from various foundations, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Administration for Children and Families, and state government contracts.

Professional Work:

  • Adjunct Professor, Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, Medical College of Wisconsin
  • Editorial Board, Journal of Health and Human Services
  • Associate Editor, Gerontechnology Journal
  • Member Health Care Services Board, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
  • Member Milwaukee County ADRC Board
  • Member, Coalition for Social Work and Health
  • Member, Milwaukee Coalition for African American Caregivers

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