Page Walker Buck, MSS, PhD, LSW
Professor, MSW Program
Anderson Hall 449
484-880-4931
pbuck@wcupa.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Degrees
- BA: Middlebury College
- MSS: Bryn Mawr College
- PhD, Social Work and Social Research: Bryn Mawr College
Main areas of interest
- Traumatic brain injury
- The human-animal bond
- Realities of field practicum
Inspiration
The first day I drove into the parking lot of my MSW program, I knew I was home. It
was exactly where I belonged and has been so ever since. For me, being a social worker
is a natural extension of my personal values. As a young kid, I was always interested
in social and civic issues, especially women's issues. By the age of 8, I was suggesting
that we have "family meetings" to address things that were going on at home. No one
other than the dog and I were very interested in attending. I went on to pursue African
Studies and French so that I could do women's work in northern Africa after college.
Although I never made it to Africa, my interest in social justice led me to work with
adolescents in a residential setting and then to work with organizations in a community-based
setting. My current social work practice is in higher education. I previously served
as director of the MSW Program at West Chester University, a role in which I helped
faculty and staff deliver the highest quality, most affordable MSW program in the
tri-state area with the goal of training future agents of social change. I am proud
to say that we were very successful in achieving this goal.
I am also actively involved in research and service. My research interests include
traumatic brain injury and the realities of field practicum. I have published several
articles on both topics. My service interests are in the human-animal bond, an exciting
new field for social work. I am currently working on developing a graduate certificate
in this area to help train social workers and other helping professionals on the role
of animals in the healing and recovery processes.
One of my areas of research is mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), otherwise known
as concussion. Once believed to be a rite of passage, concussions are now understood
to be serious injuries with potentially life-threatening consequences.
Presentations
- Buck, P.W., Kirzner, R., Sagrati, J. & Laster, R. (2012, March). The challenge of mTBI work:
Exploring the experiences of rehabilitation professionals. Presentation at the International
Brain Injury Congress, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
- Buck, P.W., & Pierce, S. (2011, October). Mild traumatic brain injury: A silent epidemic. Presentation
at the meeting of the American Public Health Association, Washington, DC.
- Buck, P.W., Sagrati, J., & Plaisted, C. (2011, June). Voices from the field: Working with mild
traumatic brain injury. Paper presented at the meeting of the Brain Injury Association
of Pennsylvania, Lancaster, PA.
- Buck, P.W. (2011, April). Concussions on campus: What faculty and staff in higher education
need to know about this silent epidemic. Presentation at WCU Research Day, West Chester,
PA.
Publications
- Buck, P.W., Sagrati, J., & Kirzner, R. (2013). Rehabilitation work with mild traumatic brain injury: A place for social work. Social Work in Health Care, 52(8), 741–751.
- Buck, P.W., Laster, R., Spencer, J.S., & Kirzner, R.S. (2012). Voices from the field: Working with mild traumatic brain injury. Rehabilitation Research and Practice, Special Issue-Mild Brain Injury.
- Buck, P.W. (2011). Mild traumatic brain injury: A silent epidemic in our practices. Health & Social Work, 36(4), 299-302.
Much of my current research is on humans' relationships with animals. I am studying
how animal-assisted therapies are being utilized in treating children with autism
and adolescent girls who are involved in the criminal justice system. West Chester
University has granted me a semester-long sabbatical to develop a graduate certificate
in Human-Animal Studies.
Presentations
- Buck, P.W., McDonald, S., Hoy, J., & Kim, C. (2016, November). Human-animal interactions: Implications
for wellness and social work education. Panel discussion at the Council on Social
Work Education Annual Program Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
- Hoy, J., Vincent, A., Buck, P.W., & Strand, E.B. (2016, November). Humans and animals: An emerging and promising collaborative
practice. Workshop presented at the Council on Social Work Education Annual Program
Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
- Buck, P.W., Adams, A., Brescia, L., & Green, L. (2016, November). Voices from the barn: Parent
perceptions of animal-assisted activities for children with autism. Poster presented
at WCU Research Day, West Chester, PA.
- Buck, P.W., Bamford, S., & Mendez, K. (2015, November). Integrating content on the human-animal
dynamic into the MSW foundation curriculum. Presentation at the Veterinary Wellness
and Social Work Summit, Knoxville, TN.
Publication
- Buck, P.W., Bean, N. & de Marco, K. Equine-assisted psychotherapy: An emerging trauma-informed
intervention. Manuscript under review for Advances in Social Work Practice.
One area I focus on in my research is field education, a fundamental part of all accredited
social work programs. The American Foundation for Research and Consumer Education
in Social Work Regulations awarded me $10,000 to conduct a two-year mixed-methods
study of unethical shortcuts in field education.
Presentations
- Buck, P.W., & Sowbel, L. (2015, October). The reality of hours and supervision in field practicum.
Paper presented at Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, Denver,
CO.
- Sowbel, L., & Buck, P.W. (2014, March). Gatekeeping for 21st-century social work. Pre-conference workshop
at annual meeting of the Association of Baccalaureate Program Directors, Louisville,
KY.
- Buck, P.W., Robb, L., & Fletcher, P. (2013, November). Reports from field directors: Seeking
the “good enough” balance. Paper presented at the Council on Social Work Education
Annual Program Meeting, Dallas, TX.
- Bradley, J., Laster, R., & Buck, P.W. (2012, November). The new social service environment, through a Field Director lens.
Presentation at the Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, Washington,
DC.
- Buck, P.W. & Robb, L. (2012, November 2012). The ethics of competing demands in field education.
Presentation at the Council on Social Work Education Annual Program meeting, Washington,
DC.
Publications
- Buck, P.W. & Sowbel, L. Unethical shortcutting in social work: A workforce reality. Manuscript
in progress.
- Bradley, J. & Buck, P.W. (2016). Roles and responsibilities of the field director. In C. Hunter, J. Moen,
& M Raskin (Eds). Social work field directors: Foundations for excellence, Revised edition. Chicago: Lyceum Books.
- Buck, P.W. & Sowbel, L. (2016). The logistics of practicum: Implications for field education. The Field Educator, 6(1).
- Buck, P.W., Fletcher, P. & Bradley, J. (2015). Decision-making in social work field education: A “good enough” framework. Social Work Education, 35(4), 402-413.
- Bradley, J. & Buck, P.W. (2014). Roles and Responsibilities of the Field Director. In C.A. Hunter, J.K. Moen,
& M. Raskin (Eds.). Social Work Field Directors: Foundations for Excellence(pp. 23-40) .Chicago: Lyceum Books.
- Buck, P.W., Bradley, J., Robb, L. & Kirzner, R.S. (2012). Complex and competing demands in field education: A qualitative study of field directors’
experiences. The Field Educator, 2(2).
Presentations
- Buck, P.W., Tennille, J., & Holbrook, A. (2015, October). Beyond implicit and explicit curricula:
A third dimension for social work education. Presentation at the Council on Social
Work Education Annual Program Meeting, Denver, CO.
- Buck, P.W., & Sullivan, T. (2014, October). Social justice by design: Administrative and programmatic
choices in social work education. Presentation at the Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, Tampa,
FL.
- De Hope, E., & Buck, P.W. (2014, October). Infusing neuro-bio and social-neurology content into the social
work curriculum. Presentation at the Council on Social Work Education Annual Program
Meeting, Tampa, FL.
- Homonoff, E., & Buck, P.W. (2013, November). Field education scholarship. Presentation at the Council on Social
Work Education Annual Program Meeting, Dallas, TX.
- Gregorio, E., Bartell, K., Holiday, B. & Buck, P.W. (2011, October). Raising voices and defining values: The development of a student-led,
open-access journal. Presentation at the Council on Social Work Education Annual Program
Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
Publications
- Buck, P.W., Tennille, J. & Holbrook, A. The practice of engaged research: building workforce
capacity. Manuscript in progress.
- Buck, P.W. Anti-oppressive social work in an era of fiscal retrenchment. Manuscript in progress.
- Holbrook, A., Tennille, J., & Buck, P.W. Building capacity for evidence based practice together. Under review for Social Work in Public Health.
- Member, Council on Social Work Education Council on Field Education
- Consulting Editor, Health & Social Work
- Reviewer, The Field Educator
- Reviewer, Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting
- Consulting member, PAWS for People
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