Dr. Dexter R. Voisin is the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Dean in Applied Social Sciences at APP. Voisin is an experienced academic administrator and licensed psychotherapist with more than 30 years of clinical, research, teaching, and administrative experience. He earned his Ph.D. and master's in philosophy from Columbia University and his master's in social work from the University of Michigan.
Before joining Case Western in January 2022, he was Dean of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the Sandra Rotman Endowed Chair in Social Work at the University of Toronto. He was on faculty at the University of Chicago for two decades where he was director of the and co-director of the .
Voisin is an internationally recognized expert on how structural, racial, and structural inequalities influence health behaviors and outcomes among minoritized populations. He has secured more than $16 million dollars as principal or co-investigator in extramural funding from the National Institutes of Health, and the W. T. Grant Foundation, among others. Voisin has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications. His book, , was published by Columbia University Press in 2019. In 2020, he was recognized to be among the top two percent of scientists in the world within his field.
He is a frequent keynote speaker at national conferences. Numerous national and international media outlets have sought his expertise and cited his research findings. His research has informed public health policy in Illinois where he was appointed to two Illinois State boards by Governor Quinn.
Voisin is a Fellow of the Society for Social Work and Research and a former Board Member, a Fellow and Board Member of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, and President of the National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work.
Biosketch | Curriculum Vitae |
The phonetic spelling of “Voisin,” which means “neighbor” in French, is waz-zin or vwah-zan. .
Why I Teach
I teach because when I do so, I also learn. I am continually inspired by my students and colleagues. In my three decades in academia as a clinician, practitioner, educator, researcher and administrator, I have learned so much. Teaching allows me to share the things I have learned that bring me joy. I get to grow alongside exceptional students eager to make a positive impact. My small yet meaningful teaching contributions help equip them to create change that promotes equity and justice.
Why I Chose This Profession
I believe that social work found me. I was on my way to becoming a psychologist when I discovered the many career opportunities available in social work across public, private, for-profit, nonprofit, corporate, government and philanthropic sectors, among others. This revelation showed me that this profession could offer a deeply meaningful, diverse and fulfilling lifelong career.
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