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Portia Cole

Portia Cole

Assistant Professor
Phone: (804) 827-0998
E-mail: plcole@vcu.edu

Making a difference in Congress

“My role as a Geiger Congressional Health Policy Fellow was to bring attention to racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care access in the U.S. Congressional staff can play a large role in setting the agenda, and the advocacy groups do play a very significant role with pressure. They come to the Hill sometimes several times a year for several years. And they’re persistent. Eventually their voices are heard because they’re not going to give up.

“Increased social work presence is needed on the Hill. But we will need social workers who have an in-depth understanding of social work theory and practice as well as budget and legislative policy processes. Unfortunately the access to someone who has acquired this type of experience may be limited for social work students. As far as I know I’m the first faculty member in the School of Social Work to hold a congressional fellowship. It is imperative that social workers participate in policy decisions at the national level to address health disparities. It is clear to me that the next generation of social work students must have the skills to navigate successfully within the unique culture of the Hill while also establishing relationships with power brokers and stakeholders to produce policy solutions. With a renewed sense of optimism, I look forward to putting what I have learned during my fellowship into practice.”

Education

  • H. Jack Geiger Congressional Health Policy Fellow, Office of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, 2007-08
  • W.K. Kellogg Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Health Disparities, Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and Morgan State University, Public Health Program, 2004-05
  • Ph.D. – American University, Washington, D.C.
  • M.S.W. – The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.
  • B.A. – The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

Research interests

  • Health disparities
  • Health policy (specifically Medicaid Waivers)
  • Work/family conflict stress

Courses taught

  • SLWK 602: Policy, Community and Organizational Practice I
  • SLWK 716: Concentration Policy for Social Work Administration, Planning and Policy Practice
  • SLWK 710: Social Welfare Policy and the Health Care System

Selected publications

  • Cole, Portia L. 2000. “Unfair Treatment, Neighborhood Effects, and Mental Health in the Detroit Metropolitan Area” (December). Race and Relations Abstracts, Louis Kushnik, Editor. London, Eng:SAGE Publishing Co.

  • Cole, Portia L. 2001. “Socioeconomic Status and The Racial Gap in Chronic Health Conditions” (May). Race and Relations Abstracts, Louis Kushnik, Editor. London, Eng:SAGE Publishing Co.

  • Cole, Portia L., and John W. Curtis. 2004. “Academic Work and Family Responsibility: A Balancing Act” January 16, 2004. Science Next Wave. American Association for the Advancement of Science (http://nextwave.sciencemag.org).

  • Cole, P.L. 2007. “Black women and sickle cell disease: Implications for mental health disparities research” Californian Journal of Health Promotion, (5), pp. 24-39.

  • Citero, V.A., Leveson, J.L., McClish, D.K., Bovbjerg, V.E., Cole, P.L., Dahman, B.A., Penberthy, L.T., Aisiku, I.P., Roseff, S.D., Smith, W.R. 2007. “The Role of Catastrophizing in Sickle Cell Disease – The PiSCES Project” Pain (133), pp. 39-46.

Professional affiliations

  • Council on Social Work Education
  • Society for Social Work Research