Kevin D. Blair, Ph.D., ACSW

Dr. Blair received his MSW from the University of Chicago and his Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo. He has over 30 years of clinical social work experience. Dr. Blair is also a graduate of the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. Dr. Blair's practice experience includes work as a school social worker, and social work practice in the areas of crisis intervention, divorce mediation, family therapy, and community organizing. His research interests include education of undergraduates about poverty, kinship care, as well as the practice of social work in schools and linkages between anthropology and social work.

In recent years Dr. Blair's research has focused on issues of poverty and on the Child Only component of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. He recently published studies of the strengths and stressors associated with being a kinship care giver who is involved in the TANF program.

Currently Dr. Blair and his colleagues are in the process of developing a tracking tool that assesses the attitudes of undergraduate students towards those living in poverty as well as research into the efficacy of undergraduate poverty education at American universities. Data and tools related to this project can be found in the research links on this web page.

Beginning in July 2011 Dr. Blair joined with colleagues from NU and with members of the City Niagara Falls in a new initiative called: Creating a Healthier Niagara Falls. Dr. Blair will lead the outcome evaluation of this project. More details will be posted as the project progresses.

Dr. Blair teaches the Practice Methods sequence of courses, an introductory course on poverty (SWK 120 Addressing Poverty) each fall, and the course in Social Welfare Policy. He has also served as the Interim Department Chair (Spring 2011) as well as the Coordinator of the Field Practicum from 1994 - 1996.