James A. Martin

Professor Emeritus of Social Work
James A. Martin headshot

Department/Subdepartment

Education

  • M.S.W., Boston College
  • Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
  • Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired)

Biography

James (Jim) Martin is a tenured Professor of Social Work and Social Research and a retired Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with more than forty-nine years of professional Social Work practice. His scholarship, teaching, and public service have focus on the well-being of individuals, families and communities, and his research and civic engagement have address military and Veteran populations. A retired Army Officer, Martin’s military career included a wide array of clinical, research, senior program management (command) and policy assignments. Martin was the senior Social Work Officer in the First Gulf War Combat Theater and prior to his military retirement, Martin served in the Pentagon as the Executive Assistant to the Army Assistant Surgeon General for Medical Research & Development and as the Senior Medical Advisor to the Army Director of Science and Technology. During his tenure at ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï, Martin has held a number of appointed as well as elected College and GSSWSR faculty service positions. He served twice as Chair of the College's Committee on Academic Priorities and served as Special Assistant to the President for Information Technology, leading the design and initial development of the College's Library & Information Technology Services (LITS). Martin is a recipient of the ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï McPherson Fellowship for excellence in teaching, research, and service. He was the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work recipient of their 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award for Social Work Practice and he received the 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award from Boston College's School of Social Work. In 2016, Martin was recognized by the National Association of Social Work Foundation as a Social Work Pioneer. 

Research and Scholarly InterestsMilitary and Veteran-connected behavioral health; loss and grief across the life course, aspects of grief leadership among military leaders and senior first responders, as well as mental health issues related to interpersonal violence.

Substantive Specialization: Clinical practice with individuals, families, and groups; community assessment and program evaluation; human services consultation and survey research.