OASW Honours Four Outstanding Social Workers at our 2022 Annual General Meeting

OASW is honoured to have recognized the following individuals at our Annual General Meeting on May 13, 2022:

2022 OASW Lifetime Achievement Award | Glenn French

OASW’s Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a social worker whose values, accomplishments and career reflect a passion, commitment and distinguished contribution to the profession, and who have demonstrated outstanding achievements and made contributions of lasting impact to social work in Ontario. 

OASW was pleased to recognized Glenn French as the 2022 recipient of this distinguished award. Glenn began working as a workplace mental health consultant in the early 1990s, with an interest in the emerging field of workplace violence prevention. At the time, few were paying attention to the systemic workplace abuses that can erode an individual's mental health or well-being. Glenn’s professional curiosity has driven his ground-breaking work in this area, including establishing the Canadian Initiative on Workplace Violence, researching and cataloguing trends in workplace conduct and practices in Canada, and working to identify gaps in legislation and workplace policies to recognize the increased risks of psychological violence for marginalized workers due to race, gender, age, education and sexual identification. In 2020, Glenn was a founding member of The Global Team Collaboration, an international, non-profit organization raising funds for workplace violence threat assessments. Over a 45-year career, Glenn has been visionary and unafraid to advocate for those who have been marginalized, neglected, or exposed to the risks associated with workplace abuse.

2022 OASW Inspirational Leader Award | Patricia Berendsen and Tina Gandhi

The OASW Inspirational Leader Award is presented to social workers whose current contribution to the profession inspires others and whose professional conduct serves as a role model for those working in the field of social work. This year, OASW is pleased to recognize two outstanding social workers with this award.

Throughout her career, Patricia Berendsen has been an innovative therapist, manager of a clinical association, teacher and supervisor of students, working in both non-profit agencies and private practice. She achieved her dream of starting a local not-for-profit community program in London, Ontario, where she has offered services to many who would not have been able to afford therapy otherwise. She has also been pivotal in bringing innovative trauma training approaches to Ontario, helping to train hundreds of new and seasoned professionals in trauma therapy, and continues to facilitate trainings globally. Patricia has been published numerous times, often writing about issues and approaches at the leading edge, ahead of the curve. She has been dedicated to learning about personal biases and issues based on individuals’ experiences currently and historically in Canada, and has produced two documentary films addressing the impacts of marginalization and violence toward the 2SLGBTQ+ community. 

Tina Gandhi is a champion and advocate for autism and mental health awareness who is currently part of a multi-disciplinary team at Surrey Place, an agency serving people of all ages with developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorder. On weekends, Tina has a private practice, counselling newly-diagnosed children, teens and families. During the pandemic, Tina continued to deliver services in-person, while also working to address increased demand by developing and hosting virtual groups for individuals as well as for parents and caregivers of those with autism. At Surrey Place, Tina is a Master level Suicide Prevention Trainer and a mental health ambassador, where she has been instrumental in creating customized resource materials for each team. Tina has been committed to sharing her social work knowledge by providing supervision and mentoring for MSW students from three universities, and by presenting an online educational series focusing on group work and autism. Tina has delivered an extensive array of presentations and education focusing on mental health, sharing relatable experiences and relevant case examples, often emphasizing the importance of respite for families.

2022 CASW Glenn Drover Award for Outstanding Service | Marion Bogo

The CASW Glenn Drover Award for Outstanding Service recognizes outstanding social work practice at the local, provincial, national or international level. 

In recognition of her distinctive contributions as a social work educator, researcher and community leader, OASW was pleased to nominate Professor Marion Bogo of the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work for this prestigious award from the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW). Professor Bogo passed away in September 2021 and OASW nominated her to receive this award posthumously in light of her incomparable impact on the social work profession in Canada. Professor Bogo’s leadership transformed social work education and practice both in Canada and across the globe, instituting major innovations that have led to the development of new knowledge and ground-breaking programs. She was a mentor and an inspiration to social work students and social workers across Canada and beyond. Her development of a Holistic Model of Competence for social work influenced social work education and the design of simulation-based learning. Professor Bogo also published over 125 journal articles and book chapters and seven books, and disseminated her research in invited presentations internationally. In 2014, Professor Bogo was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada for her achievements in the field of social work as a scholar and teacher, and for advancing the practice in Canada and abroad.

OASW congratulates Glenn French, Patricia Berendsen, Tina Gandhi, as well as the family, friends and colleagues of the late Marion Bogo on receiving these important recognitions for their outstanding leadership and contributions to the field.