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The National Association of Social Workers Foundation
(NASWF) Honors Carl G. Leukefeld, DSW with the 2003
Knee/Wittman Lifetime Achievement Award
 The
National Association of Social Workers Foundation (NASWF) is pleased
to name Carl G. Leukefeld, DSW, as the recipient of the Knee/Wittman
Lifetime Achievement Award for 2003. The Knee/Wittman Awards recognize
individuals who are models of excellence and have made significant
contributions in the field of health and mental health. The Lifetime
Achievement Award, in particular, is presented to a professional
social worker who has made exemplary contributions in health and
mental health practice.
Dr. Leukefeld has dedicated his career to improving the mental health
of individuals who are drug and alcohol dependent, and to finding
ways of helping them become self-sufficient, contributing members
of their communities. As Deputy Director of the Division of Clinical
Research at the National Institute of Drug Abuse (part of the National
Institutes of Health), Dr. Leukefeld — one of the first clinicians
to identify the link between drug users and HIV/AIDS — was
involved in a series of studies, including clinical research on preventing
the onset and spread of HIV/AIDS among drug users, their spouses,
and their children.
Transitioning from public service to academia, Dr. Leukefeld is
now professor of behavioral science, with joint appointments in the
Departments of Psychiatry, Oral Health Sciences, and Social Work
at University of Kentucky. He is also director of the Center on Drug
and Alcohol Research, which has 125 staff members and an annual budget
of approximately $7 million. The Center brings together multidisciplinary
professionals with interests in drug and alcohol addiction, and is
responsible for encouraging scientists and practitioners to develop
and carry out research, educational activities, and clinical programs
in collaboration with multiple sources within and outside the University.
Dr. Leukefeld is also chair of the Department of Behavioral Science — which
has a three-fold mission in research, teaching and service — within
the College of Medicine at University of Kentucky. The Department’s
faculty carry out research on enhancing the understanding of human
behavior related to health and disease, with particular emphasis
in the areas of aging, addictions, and cancer. Additionally, they
provide instruction to medical students, graduate students, and post-doctoral
fellows in medical behavioral science.
Throughout his career, Dr. Leukefeld has been very involved with
NASW. He served as chair of the NASW Commission on Health and Mental
Health; a member of the Joint Commission on Inter-professional Affairs;
and co-chair of the Committee that established the Knee/Wittman Achievement
Awards. He has taken every opportunity to keep his social work colleagues
up to date about research findings and developments in the field
of drug abuse and addictions.
Dr. Leukefeld is nationally and internationally known for his outstanding
research and policy development accomplishments throughout his career.
His professional life is a remarkable example of dedication to establishing
effective policies in research, teaching, and clinical practice in
health and mental health. It is with great pride that the NASW Foundation
confers the Lifetime Achievement Award on Dr. Leukefeld.
Please click here to read Dr.
Leukefeld’s remarks.
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