Justine McGovern, Ph.D., L.M.S.W.
justinemcgovern@aol.com

EDUCATION

New York University Silver School of Social Work, PhD, 2012
Dissertation: Couplehood and the Phenomenology of Meaning for Older Couples Living with Dementia
Dublin Institute of Technology, Visual Research Methodologies, 2007
New York University Silver School of Social Work, MSW, 2003
Yale University, B.A. American Studies, 1985

PHOTOGRAPHY PRACTICE (selected)

Belfast Exposed, group show, 2024. Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Dublin Institute of Technology, group show, 2007. Dublin, Ireland.
Narrative Matters Conference, Atlanta, GA. Picturing the future self: Visual Storytelling and transformative pedagogy.
Arts in Societies Research Network Conference, 2018, Paris, France. With David Schwittek. Challenging Ageism in the Bronx and Beyond with Community-based Arts Activism.  
International Conference on Design Principles and Practices, 2018, Barcelona, Spain. With David Schwittek. Because I am alive: Dispatches from the frontlines of aging.
Society for Social Work Research Annual Conference, Washington, DC, 2018.
Lehman College Department of Art, 2018. Bronx, NY. With David Schwittek. Through the lens of age: A photovoice project promoting intergenerational health and wellbeing. 

SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE (selected)

Chair, Department of Health Promotion and Nutrition Sciences, Lehman College City University of New York, 2023-present.
Associate Professor, Department of Social Work, 2020-present.
Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, Lehman College, City University of New York, 2013-2020.
Dementia Caregiver Support Group Leader, Alzheimer’s Association New York City Chapter, 2008-2013. Crisis intervention; support; psycho-education; linkages to resources, advocacy. 
Parental Care Consultant, Aging Families Consulting, Brooklyn, NY, 2005-2013. Family support; crisis intervention; dementia care management; referrals.
Intergenerational Program Director, SCS, Queens, NY, 1995-98. Development and oversight of recreational, academic and therapeutic intergenerational programs. 

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS (selected)

McGovern, J. (2025). Possibilities: A commentary on creative aging. Possibility Studies and Society, in press.

McGovern, J. (2023). Arts-based methods and transformative pedagogy in the Bronx:  A case example.  The International Journal of Social, Political and Community Agendas in the Arts. Published online 11/1/2023.  https://doi.org/10.18848/2326-9960/CGP/v19i01/23-38

McGovern, J., Burt, K., & Schwittek, D. (2021). Food for thought: Culturally diverse older adults’ views on food and meals captured by student-led digital storytelling, Urban Social Work, 5:60-75. doi:10.1891/USW-D-18-00005. 

McGovern, J. (2018). Increasing undergraduate competence in multicultural gerontology practice with fresh pedagogies: A digital storytelling case example. Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2018.1489249

McGovern, J., Schwittek, D., & Seepersaud, D. (2018). Through the lens of age: Challenging ageism in the Bronx and beyond with community-based arts activism. The International Journal of Social, Political and Community Agendas in the Arts 13 (2): 1-8. doi:10.18848/2326-9960/CGP/v13i02/1-8.

McGovern, J. (2017). Integrating student research across the social work curriculum: A photovoice case study. Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, 22:43-51.

McGovern, J. (2015). Living better with dementia: Strengths-based social work practice and dementia care. Social Work In Health Care, vol. 54(5), 408-421.

McGovern, J. & Gardner, D. (2015). Aging siblings: Supporting new care partnerships. Journal of Social Work Practice, vol. 29(4), 475-485.

McGovern, J. (2014). The forgotten: Dementia and the LGBT community. The Journal of Gerontological Social Work, vol. 57(4): 845-857.