Education:
D.S.W., Columbia University School of Social Work
M.S.W., The Catholic University of America, The National Catholic School of Social Service
A.B., Philosophy and English, Sacred Heart Seminary
Biographical Information:
Dr. Ahearn has an international reputation in the area of psychosocial issues of forced migrants, particularly refugees and persons displaced by disasters. He has served on international missions in the aftermath of disasters and consulted with state and local mental health agencies in designing a mental health response in the case of disaster. He has an appointment as Research Associate at the Refugee Studies Centre of Oxford University where he has been a regular faculty tutor during the summer session.
Fluent in Spanish, Dr. Ahearn taught in Chile, Nicaragua, and Peru. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Washington’s Spanish Catholic Center. Dr. Ahearn has been a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Social Work, the National Council on Aging, Catholic Charities USA, and the National Center for Social Policy and Practices. For four years he was a member of the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Social Work Education, and has chaired many accreditation visits to other schools of social work. Currently he is Editor of the Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work: SOCIAL THOUGHT, a former member of the Editorial Board of Social Work, and currently an editorial board member for the Journal of Refugee Studies and the Journal of Immigration and Refugee Studies.
Dr. Ahearn teaches courses in the areas of social planning, social development, and community practice and often is the liaison for students who do field placements in the areas of planning, community organization, social policy, advocacy, or management.
Selected Publications:
Ahearn, F.L. (ed.) (2001). Global aspects of aging. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press.
Ahearn, F.L. (ed.) (2000). The psychosocial wellness of refugees: Issues in qualitative
and quantitative research. Oxford: Berghahn Press.
Austin, M., Ahearn, F.L., and English, R.E. (1997).The professional school dean: Roles of
leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
