NASW Awards Shawn King, PhD Candidate, Aron Fellowship

PhD Candidate Shawn King (‘09) is the recipient of the National Association of Social Workers Foundation’s 2009-10 Jane B. Aron Doctoral Fellowship for his dissertation, Midlife and Older Gay Men and their use of Physical and Mental Health Services: Exploring the Effects of Health Enablers, Health Need, Psychosocial Stress and Individual Health Coping. The fellowship provides partial support for doctoral dissertation work in health care policy and practice.

King says, “My career in gerontology social work has been enhanced through the funding provided and by the recognition and credibility that has been given to the importance of my research which addresses access barriers to physical and mental services for midlife and older gay men."

Focusing on important, but often ignored questions about health care access and barriers for older gay men, King’s research provides policy makers and practitioners with information needed to better address the needs of this population. 

“My research has been able to identify certain biopsychosocial barriers surrounding access to health care,” he adds. “ It addresses important policy and practice intervention needs which will hopefully enhance service use and lead to better health and well-being for this population.”

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