Alumni in the Field
Chad Dion Lassiter, MSW’01
For Chad Lassiter, MSW’01, jumping rope with a diabetic teenager, organizing a lecture series for Black History Month, teaching Social Work 603 in Penn’s Racism Sequence, and mentoring an accomplished group of Philadelphia high school students are all part of a normal day’s work.
Chad holds the multi-faceted title of social worker, behavioral interventionist, and researcher at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in the Division of Endocrinology/Diabetes. His work is part of the TODAY study (Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth), funded by the National Institutes of Health to evaluate effective treatment options for children and adolescents with Type II diabetes. As a social worker in this position, he works with patients and their families to develop healthy behaviors, like becoming active, eating nutritious foods, taking medications as prescribed, and checking blood sugar levels. Because the study aims to determine the most effective combination of behavioral therapy and medication, Chad points out that his position offers a unique combination of social work practice and research. The nationwide TODAY study continues through 2010, but Chad has already seen some overwhelming successes among his patients.
The fact that Chad’s work involves a combination of research and clinical practice is nothing new. Prior to enrolling in the MSW program – and continuing throughout his time as a student - he was a Research Fellow with the W.E.B. DuBois Collective Research Institute at Penn’s Graduate School of Education and worked on the NIMH-funded PLAAY Project (Preventing Long-term Anger and Aggression in Youth). Here, he worked with Howard Stevenson on issues of violence prevention, and had a chapter published in a book edited by Dr. Stevenson, Playing with Anger: Teaching Coping Skills to African American Boys through Athletics and Culture.
A social worker’s passion for social justice and advocacy always extends into their extracurricular activities, and Chad is no exception. In a recent interview, he explained that the “notion of being a social interventionist” (something he learned in the MSW program) influences his decisions to become involved in groups and give back to the community. One of the important ways he does this is through his involvement in Black Men at Penn School of Social Work, Inc., of which he is both a founding member and the current President. The group sees the challenges Black men face, but serves as a support system. Among other things, the group also offers a book scholarship and presents the Combating Racism Awards to graduating students in May. As part of Black History Month, Black Men at Penn is hosting a four-part lecture series, Knowledge and Black Possibilities: The Intellectual Legacies of W.E.B. DuBois (more information on these upcoming lectures can be found in the Upcoming Events section below, and more information about Black Men at Penn can be found at www.blackmenatpenn.org).
Chad’s involvement with Black Men at Penn is only the tip of the iceberg: he is a member of the SP² Alumni Council and teaches a section of Social Work 603 (which he “loves, because it gives [him] an opportunity to work with emerging leaders who are going to change the world”). Beyond Penn, Chad’s presence in the community is a strong one; whether it’s appearing on radio talk shows to talk about violence prevention, visiting local high schools to speak to college-bound students about academic achievement, or supporting his wife’s non-profit organization, FAMILY (Fostering, Adopting, and Mentoring to Improve the Lives of Youth), he recognizes the needs of the community and works to address them. It is safe to say that Chad has succeeded both in “being a social interventionist” and “giving back” and that he is truly a social worker fighting for social justice.