Dr. Ramona Denby-Brinson
Dean of Social Work
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work
Ramona Denby-Brinson is the 13th dean of the UNC School of Social Work. In addition, she serves as the Kuralt Distinguished Professor of Public Welfare Policy and Administration.
Recognized as a leading expert in kinship care and culturally adapted child welfare services, Denby-Brinson has published extensively on these topics and is the author of four books, including “Kinship Care: Increasing Child Well-Being through Practice, Policy and Research.” To date, she has received more than $34 million in competitive grants, including federal funding to conduct research related to child and family well-being from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies. In 2014, Denby-Brinson received the Senator Harry Reid Silver State Research Award in recognition of her research, community engagement and response to the needs of vulnerable communities and populations.
A licensed social worker since 1989, Denby-Brinson uses her research and experience to help community nonprofits and agencies build their capacity to serve their clients and address mental health and child welfare challenges. Her scholarly interests include policy, programming and treatment issues relevant to children and families, child welfare, children’s mental health, and culturally specific service delivery.
Denby-Brinson completed her PhD at The Ohio State University, MSW at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and bachelor’s degree at Arizona State University. Prior to her academic career, she served children and families in various social service settings.
