Lana Church

Lana Church is a Teaching Instructor in the Department of Social Work at Rutgers University–Newark and serves as Director of Practicum Education and Campus Coordinator for the Baccalaureate Child Welfare Education Program (BCWEP). A Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified School Social Worker and Certified Gerontologist, she brings extensive practice experience in medical and psychiatric settings, with homeless youth and with survivors of domestic violence.

Education:

• MSW – Rutgers University
• B.A. Psychology – New Jersey City University

Research & Scholarship:
Church’s scholarly work centres on early-career professionalisation of social-work graduates, Latinx workforce experiences, emotional intelligence and supervisory attachment, and the intersection of PTSD, violence, severe mental illness and mindfulness-based coping. She is co-author of a 2013 Journal of Interpersonal Violence article on contextual coping among urban youth exposed to violence and has two additional manuscripts in progress on family policy and early-career patterns of BSW alumni.

Awards & Service:

• Rutgers University Recognition Award (2011)
• Faculty Co-Advisor, ΦΑ Honor Society for Social Work (ΜΥΝΧ chapter)
• Advisory Board Member, Salvation Army – New Jersey
• Regional Representative, NASW-NJ Board of Directors (elected 2022)

Through BCWEP she leads statewide efforts to enhance recruitment and retention of public child-welfare caseworkers, while her teaching portfolio spans field seminars, human behaviour, professional development and introductory social-work courses.