Larry E. Davis

The Significant Lifetime Achievement in Social Work Education Award is presented to Dr. Larry E. Davis, dean of the School of Social Work, Donald M. Henderson Chair, and founding director of the Center on Race and Social Problems at the University of Pittsburgh.

He has dedicated his life to issues of race, civil rights, and social justice, with a career marked by several firsts. He was the first African American to earn a PhD from the dual-degree program in social work and psychology at the University of Michigan, and was the first African American to be awarded tenure at Washington University in St. Louis.

Over the years, the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Science Foundation have funded Dr. Davis’s work. As a leading scholar of the narrative about race in America and its role in social justice, he has sought solution-based dialogues that promote a more racially equitable society. His books include Why Are They Angry With Us? Essays on Race; Race, Gender, and Class: Guidelines for Practice With Individuals, Families, and Groups (coauthored with Enola Proctor); Ethnic Issues in Adolescent Mental Health (coedited with Arlene Stiffman); Working With African American Males: A Guide to Practice; Measuring Race and Ethnicity (coauthored with Rafael Engel); and Race and Social Problems: Restructuring Inequality (coauthored with Ralph Bangs). Dr. Davis serves as the coeditor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Social Work (20th ed.) and editorial board chair of Race and Social Problems. His articles have appeared in periodicals such as International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Journal on Research on Social Work Practice, Journal of Urban Education, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, and Psychiatric Services.

Dr. Davis’s extensive contributions as educator, scholar, and leader make him a worthy recipient of this prestigious award.