The Helen Rehr Social Work in Health Care Scholarship
Michelle Neo is the first graduate student to receive this award. She is currently pursuing her MSW at NYU Silver School of Social Work. Michelle previously worked as a tattoo artist prioritizing autonomy, dignity, and culturally responsive care, She is excited to apply her creative skills and uphold these values in palliative and end-of-life care settings. As a Zelda Foster Fellow, Michelle looks forward to her second-year placement in palliative care at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, where she will advocate for patient-centered care. In her first-year practicum at NYU’s School Social Work Training Academy (SSWTA), Michelle supports the recruitment and training of interns placed in NYC public schools. Passionate about both direct care and the larger systems shaping service delivery, Michelle strives to honor Helen Rehr’s legacy through thoughtful and holistic approaches to social justice, healthcare, and education.
The establishment of this scholarship is a response to the attrition of experienced professional social workers from employment in health care settings - a trend exacerbated by the Covid 19 pandemic. Not only will the scholarship provide an incentive to graduating social work students, but it will help throw light on the need for social work in health care that Helen Rehr championed.
