Mark E. Courtney

Mark E. Courtney is the Samuel Deutsch Professor Emeritus in the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago. Dr. Courtney has served on the faculties of the University of Washington and the University of Wisconsin. He was also former director of Chapin Hall (institute) at UChicago and founding director of Partners for Our Children (POC) at UW. His work has received many honors, including the 2015 Distinguished Career Achievement Award from the Society for Social Work and Research and the 2010  Peter W. Forsythe Award for leadership in public child welfare from the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators. Dr. Courtney was named 2012 Fellow to the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare and was recognized as Social Worker of the Year by the Wisconsin Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. He specializes in child welfare policy and services, the connection between child welfare services and other institutions serving marginalized populations, and the professionalization of social work. His current work includes studies of the adult functioning of former foster children, evaluation of polices and services for youth transitioning to adulthood from foster care, and the influence of juvenile courts on the operation of the child welfare system. Dr. Courtney holds a PhD and MSW in social welfare jointly from the University of California, Berkeley along with an MA in clinical psychology from the John F. Kennedy University and a BA in social sciences from the University of California, Berkeley.

updated 2024