Dr. Cheryl Regehr: Inaugural Recipient of the
OASW Beverley Antle Leadership Award
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| Kate Power (left), OASW President, with Dr. Cheryl Regehr (right), inaugural recipient of the OASW Beverley Antle Leadership Award, presented at the Association's Annual General Meeting on June 10, 2011. Photo credit: Christine Stibor. |
Dr. Cheryl Regehr, Vice-Provost, Academic Programs, at the University of Toronto and the former Dean of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at U. of T., was honoured as the inaugural recipient of the OASW Beverley Antle Leadership Award at the Association's Annual General Meeting on June 10, 2011, in Toronto. This award recognizes the pivotal and dynamic leadership roles played by social workers in non-traditional positions.
The following letter was written by Dr. Faye Mishna, Professor and Dean, University of Toronto Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, nominating Dr. Cheryl Regehr for the OASW Beverley Antle Leadership Award.
April 20, 2011
Nominating Committee
OASW Beverley Antle Leadership Award
Ontario Association of Social Workers
Dear Nominating Committee,
I am honoured and delighted to nominate Dr. Cheryl Regehr for the OASW Beverley Antle Leadership Award. Cheryl’s strong and innovative leadership has had a tremendous impact on the social work profession and makes her an ideal candidate for this award. Cheryl is Vice-Provost, Academic Programs for the University of Toronto and is the first person to assume this new position within the university. As Vice-Provost Academic Programs, Cheryl is responsible for quality assurance and standards. She serves as the point person for the academic planning process for all faculties in the University of Toronto and for cross-faculty interdisciplinary initiatives, as well as for university-wide policy matters such as academic integrity. In this pivotal non-traditional social work position, Cheryl has the ability to influence significant aspects of scholarship and research planning and to impart the values and lens of social work across the University.
Cheryl is exceptionally talented in bringing the values, knowledge and skills of excellent social work practice to her work with academic administrators, teaching faculty, and students across the wide range of disciplines represented in a university. Her leadership is evident as she works with multiple constituencies and stakeholders to create university policies and procedures. Gifted as an outstanding problem-solver, able to hear diverse positions, and creative in helping craft solutions and resolve conflicts, she has become a highly respected member of the university’s administrative leadership team.
Cheryl was previously Dean of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto and remains a Professor of Social Work. Cheryl is cross-appointed to the Faculty of Law and is a Member of the Graduate Faculty at the Institute of Medical Sciences. Cheryl’s social work practice background includes over 20 years in forensic social work, emergency mental health and in the administration of mental health
programs.
Cheryl is a member in good standing of the Ontario Association of Social Work and the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. Cheryl proudly identifies herself as a social worker in all of her activities within the university and the broader community. As Dean of the Faculty, one of the first messages Cheryl communicated to students was her pride to be associated with such a noble profession as social work. She not only inspired students but also faculty members, including myself. An outstanding scholar, exceptional teacher and wonderful colleague, Cheryl is internationally known for her research on response to horrifying events that assist with identifying individuals at greatest risk, reducing factors which exacerbate post-traumatic distress and developing effective models for intervention. She is a leading scholar in ethical and legal issues impacting health and mental health practice including confidentiality in practice and the duty to warn intended victims of violence; ethical and legal issues in e-therapy; and consent in the context of forensic assessments. This work has crossed disciplinary boundaries and has been published in international journals in various mental health fields. As a result of her work, Cheryl has consulted to a number of professional licensing bodies such as the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the College of Social Workers, the Law Society of Upper Canada, and the College of Optometry particularly with respect to sexual boundary violations and sexual assault against clients.
Her scholarly work on ethical and legal issues related to informed consent is cited as the basis for relevant standards of professional behaviour in the Code of Ethics for the Canadian Association of Social Workers. Her co-authored book, Essential Law for Social Work Practice in Canada (now in its second edition), is used across Canada by practitioners and in social work education programs alike. Her work in this area resulted in the Amicus Award from the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law in recognition of her contributions to forensic mental health.
Cheryl’s contributions to scholarship in social work and forensic mental health are far-reaching, influencing not only the development of scholarly knowledge but also policies and interventions for traumatized individuals. Cheryl’s impact is evident by her prolific scholarship; she has published approximately 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals and four books along with numerous papers in professional journals, book chapters, and book reviews. She is frequently sought out for speaking engagements and has made numerous presentations to juried conferences and to the local, national and international professional community. Cheryl has sat on the editorial boards of international journals and reviews for international journals for a wide variety of disciplines. Her deep commitment to students is apparent by her ongoing active engagement with students, even in her role as Vice-Provost of the university. Cheryl has been the Supervisor for 9 PhD Dissertations and has been or is currently a committee member for a number of PhD dissertations and MSW theses.
Cheryl unquestionably reflects the values and perspectives of social work. As Dean of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, Cheryl stated, “We are committed to transformative knowledge. Our social research is applied to the development of social policies, social programs and practice based interventions. Through our expertise and strong community partnerships, we can ensure that our scholarship leads to real world change.” This statement not only defined how Cheryl led the preeminent social work research faculty in Canada, but indeed exemplifies her own work in which research, policy and practice are intertwined.
Cheryl uses her position in a non-traditional social work role as another means through which to continue to actively support and contribute her expertise to and for the profession of social work. She sits on a number of university, association, social work, hospital and community Councils and Boards and garners tremendous respect for herself and for social work.
Beverley Antle and Cheryl were close and valued colleagues who collaborated in teaching and scholarship. I was lucky to be able to co-author two articles with them. Given her exceptional leadership in social work and her significant contribution to the University of Toronto, academia, and the broader community, Cheryl Regehr is the ideal candidate to receive the Beverley Antle Leadership Award.
Yours sincerely,
Faye Mishna
Professor and Dean