Name: Sara English
Title: Associate Professor of Social Work; Director of the Gerontology program
Education: Ph.D., Social Work, University of South Carolina
M.S.W., Winthrop University
B.A., Behavioral Science, Columbia College
Office: 121 Bancroft Hall
Phone: 803/323-3109
E-mail: englishs@winthrop.edu
Area(s): Gerontology
Sara English is an Associate Professor of Social Work and the faculty advisor for the Gerontology Minor Program at Winthrop University. She is a Certified Gerontology Professional (CPG) and AGE-SW fellow, and has presented her research at local, national, and international venues, including at the University of Bath, the University of Iceland, and in South Africa. She serves as the NASW-SC representative to the Alzheimer’s Advisory Board for the SC Lieutenant Governor’s Office on Aging and was recognized by the NASW-SC as the Social Work Educator of the Year for 2022. Dr. English is the faculty representative for Phi Alpha social work honor society and serves as president of the Winthrop’s chapter of Phi Kappa Phi national honor society. Dr. English studies the power of non-familial relationships among staff and residents of institutional settings and is examining younger residents living in Long-Term Care. Dr. English also explores how simple mindfulness practices can enhance mental health and well-being, and was selected as Winthrop University’s Thompson Scholar for the academic year 2023-2024, creating a student-focused mindfulness program. She is passionate about qualitative research and the depth of understanding it offers to global studies of persons who live in the margins of society.