College of Health & Social Sciences News and Stories

Emerita Ann Hallum driving her car

New Scholarship Pays Tribute to Former Dean Ann Hallum

The scholarship, named after a beloved professor, will provide financial support for physical therapy students in need who demonstrate excellence in academic work and community service.

Liliana Ascencio

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) Funds Nursing Fellowship

Liliana Ascencio was one of 20 grad students to be awarded a $2,500 fellowship funded by Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), a supplier of medical products, capabilities, and solutions. The fellowship played a big role in Liliana's educational journey.

Michael Ritter and Karla Castillo

Continue the Dream Scholarship

Karla Castillo (B.S., ’93, B.A. ’94, M.S., ’06), a faculty member in the Counseling department and a swimming enthusiast who swims in San Francisco Bay, partners with a small team of dedicated outdoor swimmers to raise funds for the scholarship with an “Escape From Alcatraz” swim each year.

MORE COLLEGE OF HEALTH & SOCIAL SCIENCES (HSS) STORIES

Mrs. Gloria Kennett posing

The Dr. William Kennett Memorial Nursing Scholarship Program

Many of us have had the good fortune of having a doctor who made us feel special the moment they walked into the room. A skilled physician who clearly enjoyed and cared about connecting with and healing patients. By all accounts, Dr. William Kennett was that kind of doctor.

Makayla Wai-Lan Scott

Scholarship Awardee Finds Her Passion

Recipient of two scholarships at SF State, Makayla Wai-Lan Scott is a senior who switched her course of study from Pre-Nursing to Public Health. Makayla approaches health equity through an intersectional lens and works with high school students to help them talk about health in a way that resonates with them.

Nathan Burns

Longmore Institute on Disability: Empowering Disabled Students with a Supportive Community

2023 marked the tenth year of the Longmore Student Fellows program, combining paid student positions with professional development and personal mentorship in disability studies. Fellow Nathan Burns reflects on his time at the Longmore Institute and the confidence he's gained from the experience.

Ellen and Marie Louise Moore

A Legacy of Caring

Though Marie Louise Moore (M.S., ’85) passed away last year, her lifelong commitment to helping others continues: In her will she left $10,000 to SF State to support disability programming. Her sister, Ellen Moore (teaching certificate, ’79), says that reflects both Marie’s professional dedication and her personal tenacity.

Bench commemorating Professor Lewenstein

Personal Experiences Motivate Lewenstein Scholars to Help Others

The two 2020 recipients of the Professor Morris R. Lewenstein Scholarship, Allison Phuong and Michael Brodheim are at different stages of their lives and careers. 

Professor Lewenstein and tran

New Social Science Scholarship Honors Professor’s Love of Learning

Ida Lewenstein describes her late husband, Morris R. Lewenstein, an SF State professor and founder of the University’s first social science program, as a passionate, lifelong learner. 

Family Acceptance Project participants

The Acceptance Project Helps Diverse Families Support Their LGBT Kids

When Proposition 8 was on the California ballot to make same-sex marriage illegal, 10-year-old Jordan Montgomery's Mormon parents went door to door to urge their neighbors to vote in favor of the proposition, just as their church has asked them to do. Read on to see what transpired.

James Finley posing for a headshot

Alumni Spotlight: James Finley, MBA, RN, BSN

As a vice president at Encore Health Resources, Jim Finley provides consulting knowledge and expertise to a portfolio of clients to assist them in optimizing the use of their Health Care IT systems and strategies and their electronic health records.

Nurses undergoing training

Nursing program mixes medicine & make-believe

When you're a kid, playing sick is something you do to get out of school. But at San Francisco State University, playing sick is something certain people do in school all the time. It's not a way to get out of classes, either. It's how the School of Nursing helps students develop the diagnosis and communication skills they'll need on the job.

Students in the Willie L. Brown, Jr. Fellowship Program

Willie L. Brown, Jr. Fellowship Program

The Willie L. Brown, Jr. Fellowship program provides SF State students who have faced barriers to pursuing a college education with professional experience in the public sector while developing a lifelong commitment to public service.