Jen Silver joined the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Association of Social Workers’ Board of Directors

Jen Silver (A&S ’13), a second-year master's student in the School of Social Work, was elected to the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, the largest membership organization of professional social workers worldwide.

“I ran for the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania chapter with the intent to advocate for people with substance use disorders, as they are often voiceless and shamed in a healthcare setting,” said Silver.

Her experience working in the addiction medicine field at the national level showed Silver that treatment education is integral to caring for patients with respect and dignity.

Silver is currently a fellow in the Coalition for Opioid Addiction Leadership in the School of Social Work and is completing an internship at Pitt’s School of Medicine in the Center for Research on Health Care. She is also working on several research studies in the Clinical Trials Network for the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

“The lessons I learned inside and outside of the classroom at Pitt, both in an undergraduate and graduate setting, have prepared me for the challenges of working with people who are resistant to change and being a fierce advocate for those who are stigmatized,” said Silver.