Karen Bullock Named NASW Social Work Pioneer

Congratulations to NASW member Karen Bullock for being inducted into the prestigious NASW Social Work Pioneers! The NASW Social Work Pioneers program recognizes members who contribute to the “evolution and enrichment” of the social work profession.

Karen Bullock, PhD, LICSW, is the Louise McMahon Ahearn Endowed Professor in the Boston College School of Social Work and in Global Public Health. She has been a leading force in advancing social work education and training in health disparities, health equity, serious illness care, aging and gerontology, hospice, palliative and end-of-life care decision making for the last two decades. Dr. Bullock is the first and only social work practitioner who was honored as the 2024 Richard Payne Outstanding Achievement in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. 

Dr. Bullock grew up in rural North Carolina and graduated from North Carolina State University with her BSW (1990). She received her MSW from Columbia University in New York (1992) and her PhD in sociology and social work from Boston University (2000).  Dr. Bullock was the first African American graduate from the Boston University Joint Doctoral Program in Sociology and Social Work.

Dr. Bullock joined the faculty of North Carolina State University in 2011 as an associate professor of social work before being promoted to the rank of full professor and being named head in 2013. She was the first African American to hold these positions in the Department and School of Social Work at North Carolina State. Under Bullock’s leadership, social work experienced significant growth in student credit hours and external funding. Bullock directed the unit’s transition from a department to a school and led a successful re-accreditation process. Since 2022 she has served as the Louise McMahon Ahearn Endowed Professor at the Boston College School of Social Work and Global Health.  

The 2024 class of pioneers includes 25 members who will be honored October 19 at the 18th annual NASW Social Work Pioneers Celebration in Washington, D.C.