A 2009 School of Social Work graduate chosen for a prestigious Fellowship in Gerontological Social Work at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Paula Wood, a 2009 Simmons School of Social Work graduate, has been chosen in a competitive selection process for the prestigious Rose and Jacob Ruderman Post- Master’s Fellowship in Gerontological Social Work at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital in Boston. The Fellowship trains social workers to assume clinical and programmatic leadership roles in the field of aging.

Paula will start the Fellowship in September where she will work on the Behavioral Neurology Unit, with patients with Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s disease and dementia. She will also provide services to family care-givers, participate on an interdisciplinary team and write a scholarly paper in the area of social work and gerontology.

In addition to the rigorous MSW course work at Simmons SSW, Paula had two full year field placements. In her first year, Paula interned at MetroWest Medical Center, Natick, MA, an Adult Inpatient Psychiatric Unit and in her second year, she was an intern at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Liver/Kidney Transplant Clinic. Describing her internship experience while at Simmons, Paula states “My clinical internships were extraordinary and prepared me to work in a fast-paced, hospital environment.”

At Simmons, Paula’s favorite classes were Attachment and Neurobiology in Social Work, Assessment and Diagnosis, and Understanding Trauma. Describing her experience Paula states, “Many of the courses I took supported the work I was doing in the field, giving me a very practical hands-on experience.”

Paula has BA in Political Science from Bowdoin College. Before coming to Simmons, she was a small business owner.