Chesney Ward
Assistant Professor
Educational Background
- PhD - University of Tennessee College of Social Work - 2024
- MSW - Tulane University School of Social Work - 2015
- BA - Auburn University - 2013
Expertise
Successful Aging; End of Life Care; Healthcare Accessibility and Disparities; Minority Healthcare; Rural Populations; Inclusive Excellence
Biography
Dr. Chesney Jones Ward is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at Utah State University. She earned her PhD in Social work from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 2024. She completed her MSW (2015) with a Certification in Family Practice from Tulane University and her BA in Psychology (2013) with a minor in Social Work from Auburn University. Dr. Ward has almost a decade of practice experience working in hospice and healthcare settings as a Medical Social Worker as well as working in private practice and licensure supervision.
Her community-based research centers on successful aging, end-of-life care, healthcare access and disparities, minority healthcare, and rural populations. Additionally, as a feminist scholar, Dr. Ward is dedicated to enhancing inclusive excellence for Black women doctoral students through mentorship and networking opportunities and reserves part of her scholarship to these efforts. She and her colleagues are recipients of the 2024 Feminist Manuscript of the Year Award from the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE).