Dexter R. Voisin is the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Dean of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. He is a licensed psychotherapist with more than 30 years of clinical, research, teaching and administrative experience. He earned his PhD and master's in philosophy from Columbia University and his master's in social work from the University of Michigan.
Before joining Case Western Reserve in January 2022, Voisin was dean of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the Sandra Rotman Endowed Chair in Social Work at the University of Toronto. Prior, he was on faculty at the University of Chicago for two decades where he was director of the STI/HIV Intervention Network and co-director of the Chicago Center for HIV Elimination.
Voisin is an internationally-recognized expert on how racial and structural inequalities influence health behaviors and outcomes among minoritized populations. As principal or co-investigator, he has secured more than $20 million in extramural funding from the National Institutes of Health and the W. T. Grant Foundation, among others. He has also authored more than . His book, , was published by Columbia University Press in 2019. In 2020, he was recognized as among the top 2% of scientists in the world within his field.
He is a frequent keynote speaker at national conferences, and his expertise and research findings have been cited by numerous members of the international and national media. His research has also informed public health policy in Illinois, where he was appointed to two Illinois state boards by Governor Pat Quinn.
Voisin is a Fellow and former Board Member of the Society for Social Work and Research, a Fellow and Board Member of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, and President of the National Association of Deans and Directors. In 2024, he was named a Social Work Pioneer by the National Association of Social Workers.
Biosketch | Curriculum Vitae |
The phonetic spelling of “Voisin,� which means “neighbor� in French, is waz-zin or vwah-zan. .
Why I Teach
I teach because when I do so, I also learn. I am continually inspired by my students and colleagues. In my three decades in academia as a clinician, practitioner, educator, researcher and administrator, I have learned so much. Teaching allows me to share the things I have learned that bring me joy. I get to grow alongside exceptional students eager to make a positive impact. My small yet meaningful teaching contributions help equip them to create change that promotes equity and justice.
Why I Chose This Profession
I believe that social work found me. I was on my way to becoming a psychologist when I discovered the many career opportunities available in social work across public, private, for-profit, nonprofit, corporate, government and philanthropic sectors, among others. This revelation showed me that this profession could offer a deeply meaningful, diverse and fulfilling lifelong career.