• Professor, George Warren Brown School of Social Work

Nancy Morrow-Howell

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• Ph.D. in Social Welfare at University of California at Berkeley
• M.S.W. in Social Work at University of Kansas
• B.S.W. in Social Work at University of Kansas

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China's rapidly aging population -- part of a worldwide trend The global demographic shift is a significant opportunity as long as it is in tandem with a policy and cultural shift, say productive aging experts Oct. 14, 2009 -- China's population of adults over 65 tops 100 million. This number is steadily growing, putting China at the forefront of a global demographic shift that includes the United States and other developed nations. "While a common tendency is to focus on the burdens an aging population will place on a country's economic and social welfare, an aging society represents an opportunity, not just a crisis," says Nancy Morrow-Howell, Ph.D., productive aging expert and professor at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University. "Expanding opportunities for productive engagement, including paid employment, formal volunteering, and mutual aid, may reduce social costs by reducing health care expenses and need for post-retirement income supports. (Video available)

Award-winning intergenerational research Morrow-Howell and McCrary win Generations United Award for evaluation of Experience Corps tutoring program July 31, 2009 -- Nancy Morrow-Howell, Ph.D. the Ralph and Muriel Pumphrey Professor of Social Work and Stacey McCrary, project manager, both at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, are winners of the prestigious Generations United 2009 Brabazon Award for Evaluation Research. Morrow-Howell and McCrary are being honored for their work evaluating Experience Corps, an award-winning organization that trains thousands of people over 55 to tutor children in urban public schools across the country.

Experience Corps tutoring produces big gains in student learning Study finds students with Experience Corps tutors make 60% more progress in critical reading skills than students without tutors April 7, 2009 -- Tutoring children in and after school isn't new, but how much does it really help in critical areas like reading? Rigorous new research from Washington University in St. Louis shows significant gains from a national service program that trains experienced Americans to help low-income children one-on-one in urban public schools. The central finding: Over a single school year, students with Experience Corps tutors made over 60 percent more progress in learning two critical reading skills — sounding out new words and reading comprehension — than similar students not served by the program.

Students are not the only ones who benefit from school-based tutoring Researchers Find Sustained Improvement in Health in Experience Corps Tutors Over 55 March 12, 2009 -- Tutors over 55 who help young students on a regular basis experience positive physical and mental health outcomes, according to studies released by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The tutors studied were members of Experience Corps, an award-winning organization that trains thousands of people over 55 to tutor children in urban public schools across the country. Researchers at Washington University's Center for Social Development assessed the impact of the Experience Corps program on the lives of its members and found that, compared with adults of similar age, demographics and volunteer history, Experience Corps tutors reported improvements in mental health and physical functioning (including mobility, stamina and flexibility) and maintained overall health longer. Video Available

Tapping baby boomers U.S. government should help 'make volunteering a natural part of later life,' says productive aging expert March 2, 2005 -- With the first wave of baby boomers preparing for retirement, the 2005 White House Conference on Aging to be held this fall in Washington, D.C., will be an important opportunity to assess aging in America and improve the lives of older Americans. "The demographic revolution is upon us, and there is widespread agreement that we need to do something differently regarding older adults," says Nancy Morrow-Howell, Ph.D., productive aging expert and the Ralph and Muriel Pumphrey Professor of Social Work in the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. "The U.S. government and other service agencies need to expand and create institutions that make volunteering a natural part of later life," she says.

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Knowledge Network -- Fall 2009 Course Listings The New York Times Aug. 25, 2009 -- One of the courses offered in The New York Times Knowledge Network Fall 2009 catalog is Introduction to Encore Careers. This course will introduce you to the phenomena of encore careers in the health and human services sector and help you explore some of the distinguishing features and challenges of the nonprofit sector. WUSTL social work professor Nancy Morrow-Howell is among participating faculty.

Students in urban schools get big boost from pioneering tutor program The Christian Science Monitor April 8, 2009 -- A new WUSTL social work study shows that comprehension and other critical skills improve dramatically with one-on-one help from Experience Corps' volunteers. WUSTL social work professor Nancy Morrow-Howell comments.

For some older people, the rocking chair still beats rocking out Inside Bay Area (CA) June 21, 2005 -- When The Rolling Stones announced plans recently for another world tour, performing their 34-year-old hit "Brown Sugar" and other songs at a New York news conference, it evoked the usual snickers about sexagenarians, drugs and rock 'n' roll. But it's not just money that drives Jagger and Richards — and Charlie Watts, 63, and Ron Wood, the baby of the group at 57 — to keep performing. "That's what they know how to do," said Dr. Nancy Morrow-Howell, a professor of social work at WUSTL. "They're going to continue to do it."

She is the current chair of the Ph.D. Program in Social Work; previously she coordinated the gerontology concentration and chaired the curriculum committee. Professor Morrow-Howell has taught courses in gerontology, statistics, and evaluation. She is the 1996 recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Award from the GWB Alumni Association and 1996 recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Award from Washington University. She received the 1999-2000 Leadership Award from the Association for Gerontology in Social Work Education.

She has served in an advisory capacity for Jewish Family and Children's Services, Jewish Community Center's Adult Day Care, St. Louis VA Hospital Social Work Services Research Committee, Life Crisis, Inc., and the St. Louis Alzheimer's Association, among others. She is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America. In 1999 the John A. Hartford Foundation of New York City selected her as a national level mentor for its Hartford Scholars Program.

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Professional Specialties

* Gerontology

* Research and Evaluation

Selected Publications

Morrow-Howell, N., Hinterlong, J., & Sherraden, M. (2001). Productive Aging: Concepts and Challenges. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Morrow-Howell, N., Proctor, E., Rubin, E., Li, H., & Thompson, S. (2000). Service needs of depressed elders following acute psychiatric care. Aging and Mental Health, 4, 330-338.

Morrow-Howell, N., Proctor, E., & Rozario, P. (2001). How much is enough? Perspectives of care recipients and professionals on the sufficiency of in-home care. The Gerontologist, 41(6), 723-732.

Morrow-Howell, N., Kinnevy, S., & Mann, M. (1999). The perceived benefits of participation in volunteer and educational activities, Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 32, 65-80.

Morrow-Howell, N.; Proctor, E.K.; & Doré, P. (1998). Adequacy of care: The concept and its measurement, Research in Social Work Practice 8 (1), 86-102.

Morrow-Howell, N.; Becker-Kemppainen, S.; & Judy, L. (1998). Evaluating an intervention for elders at increased risk of suicide, Research in Social Work Practice 8 (1), 28-46.

Morrow-Howell, N.; Proctor, E.K.; Doré, P.; & Kaplan, S. (1998). Post acute services to older adults with heart disease, Journal of Applied Gerontology 17, 150-171.

Morrow-Howell, N. & Proctor, E.K. (1998). Informal caregiving to older adults hospitalized for depression, Aging and Mental Health 2, 222-231.

Selected Grants

Principal Investigator- "Productive Aging: Toward a Knowledge Building Agenda." Funded by the National Institute of Aging to support a scientific meeting December 1998.

Principal Investigator (with E. Proctor) - "Service Use of Depressed Elders After Acute Care." Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. 1996-2000.

Academic Honors

* 1998 Fellow, Gerontological Society of America

* 1997 Distinguished Faculty Award, Washington University

* 1997 Distinguished Faculty, George Warren Brown School of Social Work

Affiliations, Associations, Consultation

* Gerontology Society of America

* National Association of Social Workers

* Academy of Certified Social Workers

* Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work (past co-chair)

* Practice Concepts Editor for The Gerontologist

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