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A Gift for the Future

This year, Dr. Julianne S. Oktay, MSW ‘66 , PhD ‘74, professor emerita of social work at the University of Maryland, and her husband, Dr. Erol Oktay — a threetime Michigan graduate (BSE ‘63, MSE ‘64, PhD ‘69) and retired plasma physicist — are establishing the Julianne S. Oktay Oncology Social Work Fund at the School of Social Work through an estate gift.

This endowed fund will support oncology social work research at Michigan Social Work in Oktay’s name in perpetuity. “The fund that we are establishing will support Michigan faculty and students in oncology social work research,” Oktay said. “This can mean support for faculty research, dissertation support and research expenses for PhD students, attendance at conferences, professional development, collaborative events and other activities that will enrich the School’s commitment to the field of oncology social work research.”

Looking at the oncology social work practitioners and researchers who have come out of Michigan already, one can only agree with Oktay that Michigan is well positioned to lead the nation in this field.

Michigan Social Work is the top school of social work for training at all levels: faculty, postdocs and master’s and doctoral students. The Julianne S. Oktay Oncology Social Work Fund can encourage interested students and scholars to come to Michigan because of its research in oncology social work. The U-M School of Social Work is already well respected. Through this generous philanthropic investment from the Oktays, the School can take its social oncology program to the next level and simultaneously demonstrate to the wider community the importance of this field. The Fund can encourage leadership development and the ability to brainstorm new ideas and strengthen research — the core of the Michigan School of Social Work.

Fellow Michigan Social Work alumni and oncology social work research colleagues, Karen Kayser PhD ’88 and Professor Bradley Zebrack, PhD ‘99 both applaud Julianne Oktay’s gift. “I am behind anything Michigan can do to build up even more its training and research efforts in oncology social work,” Kayser said. And in Zebrack’s opinion, “Julie’s gift to the U-M School of Social Work will help build that bridge between research and training at the school and clinical care in our communities.”

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