BU Today Features Professor Collins’ Social Work Training in Vietnam

Mary Collins, professor of social welfare policy at the School of Social Work, set off for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, last fall to spend her Fulbright Scholarship at Vietnam National University (VNU), the country’s largest university. Social work is a new field in Vietnam, making it the perfect destination for Professor Collins to help shape the profession. In 2010, the Vietnamese government officially classified the job as a profession, and allocated money for training social workers and creating a network of social services. This created a demand for social workers and social work faculty. She now teaches students and faculty in the VNU social work department and trains social workers in the field.

With almost all of the faculty and community providers having no background in social work, Professor Collins’ goal is to “help develop social work education and the professional workforce.” Her biggest challenge while overseas has been gaining a sufficient understanding of the social problems and policies in Vietnam with the language barrier, and she has seen fundamental differences between the social work field in the U.S. and Vietnam. “This experience raises some questions about how adaptable social work can be and still maintain its core attributes,” said Professor Collins.

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– Nina Follman