Elizabeth Lightfoot

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Elizabeth Lightfoot is an American social work scholar, social policy expert, and academic administrator. She is the director and distinguished professor of social policy in the School of Social Work at Arizona State University (ASU), Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions. [1] Her research focuses on disability policy and services, particularly in relation to child welfare, aging, and health, as well as social work education.

Contents

Early life and education

Lightfoot earned a Bachelor of Science in multidisciplinary studies from Santa Clara University, with concentrations in philosophy, sociology, psychology, religious studies, and Spanish. She completed a Master of Social Work (MSW) in human services management at the University of Minnesota. She later received a Ph.D. in public policy from Indiana University Bloomington, through the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the Department of Political Science. [1]

Career

Lightfoot joined the University of Minnesota School of Social Work in 1999, where she served on the faculty for over two decades and directed the school’s Ph.D. program for fifteen years. [2] In 2021, she was appointed director of the School of Social Work at Arizona State University, effective July 1, 2021. [3] At ASU, she also holds the title of Distinguished Professor of Social Policy and teaches doctoral students. [1] She has served in leadership roles with several national organizations, including as Secretary for the Society for Social Work and Research, [4] Board Member of the Council on Social Work Education, and Board Member and Mentorship Chair for the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare. [5] She also served as the President for the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work. [6]

Research and contributions

Lightfoot’s scholarship examines the intersections of disability and social services, particularly child welfare, aging, and health. [7] She has published extensively with international partners [8] and co-led CBPR projects with refugee communities. [9] [10] She has published widely on social work doctoral education [11] and the history and future of the discipline [12] . Lightfoot is a two-time Fulbright Scholar. [13] In 2008, she held a Fulbright at the University of Namibia, and in 2018–2019, [14] she was a Senior Fulbright Scholar at the University of Bucharest in Romania. [15] [16] [17] In 2022, she was named a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Alumni Ambassador, the first social worker to hold that role. [18]

Policy impact

Lightfoot’s work has influenced policy in the United States and internationally. Her research on parents with disabilities and discriminatory child welfare statutes informed the National Council on Disability’s 2012 report Rocking the Cradle: Ensuring the Rights of Parents with Disabilities and Their Children, which underpins later U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services joint guidance to child welfare agencies, [19] [20] as well as many other international, federal, and state policy documents. [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] Her studies have also been incorporated into various state and local-level resources for policymakers, advocates, and social workers, [26] [27] [28] and used as evidence in legal proceedings. [29] Her coauthored study on the health effects of volunteering among older adults [30] has been cited in U.S. federal evidence briefs on the health benefits of volunteering [31] as well as international policy documents on volunteerism and health. [32] [33] [34] [35] [36]

Awards

Lightfoot was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare in 2020. [7] She has also received the Educational Leadership Award from the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education. [37]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Elizabeth Lightfoot | ASU Search". search.asu.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  2. ↑ University of Minnesota School of Social Work. "Elizabeth Lightfoot, Distinguished Global Professor Emeritus". University of Minnesota School of Social Work.
  3. ↑ "Minnesota professor named School of Social Work director | ASU News". news.asu.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  4. ↑ "President's Welcome – SSWR — Society for Social Work and Research" . Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  5. ↑ "Board Members". American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  6. ↑ "President | GADE Social Work". www.gadesocialwork.org. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  7. 1 2 American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare. "Elizabeth Lightfoot, PhD". AASWSW Fellows.
  8. ↑ Haihambo, Cynthy; Lightfoot, Elizabeth (2010). "Cultural Beliefs Regarding People with Disabilities in Namibia: Implications for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities". International Journal of Special Education. 25 (3): 76–87. hdl:11299/171770. ISSN   0827-3383.
  9. ↑ Lightfoot, E.; McCleary, J. S.; Lum, T. (2014-03-01). "Asset Mapping as a Research Tool for Community-Based Participatory Research in Social Work". Social Work Research. 38 (1): 59–64. doi:10.1093/swr/svu001. ISSN   1070-5309.
  10. ↑ Lightfoot, Elizabeth; Blevins, Jennifer; Lum, Terry; Dube, Amano (2016). "Cultural Health Assets of Somali and Oromo Refugees and Immigrants in Minnesota: Findings from a Community-Based Participatory Research Project". Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. 27 (1): 252–260. doi:10.1353/hpu.2016.0023. ISSN   1548-6869. PMID   27763468.
  11. ↑ Lightfoot, Elizabeth; Franklin, Cynthia; Beltran, Raiza (2021-01-02). "Preparing for the Academic Job Market: A Guide for Social Work Doctoral Students and Their Mentors". Journal of Social Work Education. 57 (1): 153–164. doi:10.1080/10437797.2019.1671263. ISSN   1043-7797.
  12. ↑ Lightfoot, Elizabeth; Beltran, Raiza (2018-03-28), "The Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work", Encyclopedia of Social Work, NASW Press and Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.1281, ISBN   978-0-19-997583-9 , retrieved 2025-09-20
  13. ↑ "Elizabeth Lightfoot | Fulbright Scholar Program". fulbrightscholars.org. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  14. ↑ Professor, Elizabeth Lightfoot, Fulbright (2008-12-12). "Unam Exceeds Expectations". The Namibian. Retrieved 2025-09-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ "Dr. Elizabeth Lightfoot's Participation in the 3rd Edition of the Social Work International Conference » Fulbright Romania". Fulbright Romania. 2018-11-20. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  16. ↑ "World Social Work Day » Fulbright Romania". Fulbright Romania. 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  17. ↑ "Dr. Lightfoot, Senior Fulbright Grantee, Meets with Romanian High School Students » Fulbright Romania". Fulbright Romania. 2019-02-06. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  18. ↑ "School of Social Work director named Fulbright Scholar Alumni Ambassador | ASU News". news.asu.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  19. ↑ "Rocking the Cradle: Ensuring the Rights of Parents with Disabilities and Their Children". 2015-03-25. Archived from the original on 2023-12-12. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  20. ↑ "Legal Ableism: A Systematic Review of State Termination of Parental Rights Laws – Washington University Law Review". wustllawreview.org. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  21. ↑ Parenting Research Centre. (2020, October). Submission to the Department of Social Services for the review of the National Disability Strategy, 2020. https://engage.dss.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/National-Disability-Strategy-Submission-from-the-Parenting-Research-Centre-Oct-2020.pdf
  22. ↑ Libesman, Teresa; Gray, Paul; Chandler, Eloise; Briskman, Linda; Didi, Aminath; Avery, Scott (2023-07-11). Parents with disability and their experiences of child protection systems (Report). Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.
  23. ↑ DISABILITY DATA INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP of the NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL (2025). "FEDERAL EVIDENCE AGENDA ON DISABILITY" (PDF). US White House.
  24. ↑ Washington State Judicial Branch, Office of Public Defense. (2023). Prefiling parent representation to prevent family separation [Decision package AB, 2023-2025 biennial budget]. https://www.courts.wa.gov/content/Financial%20Services/documents/2023_2025/Combined%20Branch%20PDF/69%20AB%20Pre-Filing%20Parent%20Representation%20Combined.pdf
  25. ↑ "The Over-Representation of Disabled Children and Young People in Out-of-Home Care in Northern Ireland | The Executive Office". www.executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk. 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  26. ↑ Maryland Department of Health. (2022, November). Home Visiting Services for Caregivers with Learning Differences: Toolkit 2.0 [Conceptual model and resource compendium]. https://health.maryland.gov/phpa/mch/Documents/MIECHV/Toolkit%202.0%20-%20JHU%20-%20November2022.pdf
  27. ↑ Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften. (2021). Leitlinie 028-042 [Guideline]. AWMF-Leitlinienregister. https://register.awmf.org/de/leitlinien/detail/028-042
  28. ↑ Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Office of Problem Gambling Services. (2021, June). Community level health project: Everett, Massachusetts planning year report. https://www.mass.gov/doc/community-level-health-project-everett-massachusetts-planning-year-report-june-2021/download
  29. ↑ "Fulton v. City of Philadelphia". American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  30. ↑ Lum, Terry Y.; Lightfoot, Elizabeth (2005-01-01). "The Effects of Volunteering on the Physical and Mental Health of Older People". Research on Aging. 27 (1): 31–55. doi:10.1177/0164027504271349. ISSN   0164-0275.
  31. ↑ Corporation for National and Community Service; Abt Associates Inc. (2008, May). Still Serving: Measuring the Eight-Year Impact of AmeriCorps on Alumni [Report]. Office of Research and Policy Development. https://dph.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/idph/files/publications/americorps-still-serving-052008-041816.pdf
  32. ↑ "Active Ageing and Quality of Life in Old Age | UNECE". unece.org. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  33. ↑ Organization, World Health (2014-05-22). Social determinants of mental health. World Health Organization. ISBN   978-92-4-150680-9.
  34. ↑ "Helseeffekter av å fortsette i arbeid etter pensjonsalder". Folkehelseinstituttet (in Norwegian). 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  35. ↑ "National Positive Ageing Strategy". gov.ie. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  36. ↑ Haq, Gary (2013-01-30). "Global Ageing and Environmental Change: Attitudes, Risks and Opportunities".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  37. ↑ "Faculty Award for Educational Leadership | GADE Social Work". www.gadesocialwork.org. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
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