Summer Woodside, an associate professor in the Social Work Department at UNC 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 at the SSWAA National Conference in Chicago on April 8. The award is given to faculty who have made significant contributions in the field of school social work from the SSWAA. It is awarded annually to one faculty member in the nation.

Shaffer was a UNC School of Social Work faculty member and a passionate advocate for children and the field of school social work. He supervised more than 300 masters of social work students within North Carolina school districts. He was responsible for licensing school social work practitioners through the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.

Shaffer passed away in 2009. Later that year, the SSWAA established this award program to honor his years of service and scholarly contributions to the field.

"Dr. Shaffer was my professor and mentor and greatly supported me as I was working towards my educational and career goals," 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."

During the conference, Dr. Woodside and Dr. Veronica Hardy, a fellow UNCP professor, led a six-hour session on Racial Equity Leadership for School Social Workers.

At UNCP, Dr. Woodside serves as interim associate dean of the College of Health Sciences and school social work licensure coordinator. She recently completed the requirements to become a national certified school social worker.