Originally from Australia, Dr. Janis Fook first studied social work in 1974 which launched her career in academia spanning four decades. A widely recognized international scholar, she is known for her work on critical social work, practice research, and critical reflection. Following an accomplished journey spanning Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Norway, Fook joined ̽̽’s College of Education and Services as Chair of the Department of Social Work in 2019.
As an extraordinarily impactful scholar in her field, Fook is a sought-after presenter and consultant whose work has been widely shared around the world in countries such as Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Mongolia, Portugal, and Sweden. Her impressive record of publications includes 18 books, 64 book chapters, 36 journal articles, five guest editorships of special topic journal issues, and dozens of other articles and reports.
Now she has the distinction of being named as a 2022-2023 University Scholar by the ̽̽ Graduate College for her sustained excellence in research, creative and scholarly activities.
Since arriving at ̽̽, Fook led the Department of Social Work’s successful efforts in achieving accreditation through the Council for Social Work Education (CSWE) as well as expanding the department’s research capacity and productivity. She also guided the department’s work in re-visiting and updating its curriculum, long-term planning goals, and commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“Our learning environment at ̽̽ is enhanced by the progressive culture of Vermont which provides a rich community network to enable both instructors and students to contribute to a socially just society,” says Fook. "We ourselves strive to be reflective and humble lifelong learners as we prepare students to be professionals whose practice embodies the same.”
Fook’s recent books include Learning Critical Reflection: Experiences of Transformative Learning (2020, Routledge) and Researching Critical Reflection: Multidisciplinary Perspectives, edited with V. Collington, F. Ross, G. Ruch and L. West (2016, Routledge). Two of her earlier books, Transforming Social Work Practice (co-edited with Bob Pease, 1999, Routledge) and Social Work: Critical Theory and Practice (2002, Sage), are considered pioneering works that set the stage for major theoretical and methodological developments in the profession of social work.
Fook is a founding member of the Editorial Executive Board for a new journal, Qualitative Social Work, which first began in 2002 and soon became highly influential, attracting input from the best universities around the world.
Her track record includes the development of new doctoral programs in social work and interdisciplinary studies, and she been awarded approximately $500,000 in support of her work and collaborative initiatives over the course of her career.
During a study spanning a decade in Australia that resulted in the publication of her book, Professional Expertise (2000), Fook turned her focus to the study of critical reflection. It became clear to her that all professionals need an ability to critically reflect to become ‘expert’. That includes learning from experiences, adapting theories and practices to changing and often unpredictable situations, and not just imposing theory in a top-down way.
She also discovered that many social work courses at that time stressed the importance of critical reflection, but what it meant and entailed wasn’t explicitly taught. “Everyone says they critically reflect,” Fook says. “But often they can’t really describe how they do it or what’s involved.”
For the past two decades, she has been developing and teaching her model of critical reflection, a deliberately structured and concrete methodology to get at the root of what’s underneath—and what’s implicit—in our understanding and assumptions about ourselves, others, and our place within our culture.
“I kind of got converted by it (critical reflection), because when I started teaching my model to people, I actually found them making change,” Fook explains. “I could see them changing their thinking in front of me.”
The University Scholars program recognizes distinguished faculty members for sustained excellence in research, scholarship, and creative arts. This year’s recipients were honored at an induction ceremony held on May 6 at ̽̽.
