June 17, 2005

New leadership for Social Services and Chaplaincy

Last week, Ann Daniels, MSW, PhD (below left), was named as the new executive director for the MGH Department of Social Services and Chaplaincy.

Daniels has been a member of the MGH Social Services Department since 1974, serving in the positions of unit supervisor, associate director, clinical director and most recently as interim executive director. She has an academic appointment as adjunct faculty at the Boston College School of Social Work and is very active in her discipline's professional organizations. Earlier this year, the Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care presented Daniels with the prestigious Hyman J. Weiner Award, which celebrates exemplary leadership. In 2004, she was the recipient of the Simmons College School of Social Work Centennial Excellence in Supervision Award.

"We are so pleased that Ann has accepted this position," says Jeanette Ives Erickson, RN, MS, senior vice president for MGH Patient Care Services and chief nurse. "She brings incredible expertise and passion for the field of social work with a strong commitment to patient- and family-centered care. She has already put a plan into motion that will integrate even more the work of social workers and chaplains into the fabric of the MGH community."