Dana Dillard

Dana Dillard is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Mississippi State University, where she brings over two decades of practical experience in social work to her academic role. Her work bridges teaching, community service, and advocacy, particularly within the burn survivor community.

Her research and professional interests center on social work practice, mental health support for trauma survivors, and service-learning in high-impact environments. She is deeply committed to social justice and preparing students for real-world challenges in the field.

Dillard remains actively engaged with the International Association of Fire Fighters Burn Survivor Summit and serves on psychosocial teams at national burn camps, including Camp I Am Me and Children’s Colorado Burn Camp. These experiences inform her teaching and reflect her full-circle journey from practitioner to educator.

She completed her Ph.D. and master’s in social work at the University of Georgia. Prior to academia, she served as Program Director for the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation and gained extensive experience in school social work and nonprofit program development.

Dana Dillard emphasizes mentoring future professionals and aims to create opportunities for social work students to engage directly with the burn community through service-learning initiatives.