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Balaswamy, Shantha, PhD

Balaswamy, Shantha, PhD

Associate Professor

614-292-6632 | balaswamy.1@osu.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Bio

Dr. Balaswamy received a B.Sc. in Biology-Chemistry and a Masters in Social Work in Community Practice at the University of Madras, Chennai, India, before moving to Case Western Reserve University where she completed a Ph.D. in Social Welfare. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Case Western Reserve University funded by the National Institute on Aging.

Her practice, scholarship, and service focuses on understanding the well-being of women and older adults who are victims of violence or mistreatment, and on improving delivery of community-based services for victims  who are mistreated. In addition, she has undertaken research at state and international level to enhance programs and support services for older adults, immigrants and refugees who are victims of domestic violence. She is interested in evaluating service delivery systems and programs to increase access and utilization, and examine the effectiveness of services.

Prior to joining the CSW-OSU faculty, Dr. Balaswamy taught at the University of Akron, and Case Western Reserve University. Shantha has published her research in a wide array of scholarly journals, including the Gerontologist, the Journal of Applied Gerontology, and the Journal of Community Practice. She has also presented her work in national and international forums. She serves on many local, state and national boards both in dealing with Elder Mistreatment and domestic violence. She is a member of State Elder Abuse Task force – Research Team, National Adult Protective Services Association, Research Committee State Victims Assistance Act (SVAA) and the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant programs committee.

 

Education

Post-Doc - Case Western Reserve University, 1996 - Post-Doctoral Fellow, National Institute on Aging
PhD - Case Western Reserve University, 1992 - Social Welfare
MSW - University of Madras, India, 1979 - Community Development and Social Policy
BS - University of Madras, India, 1976 - Biology and Chemistry

Areas of Expertise

Social policy for older adults
Service delivery systems for older adults and victims of violence
Evaluation & assessment methods