Annual Conference

The GADE Annual Conference is hosted each year by a member institution and brings together social work doctoral program directors for networking, resource-sharing, problem-solving, and professional development. Attendance is limited to directors and chairs of doctoral programs (including assistant directors/chairs) from GADE institutional members, in accordance with our Annual Conference Policies.

The conference traces its roots back to 1977, when social work doctoral program directors gathered at the University of Southern California. Following that successful meeting, the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work (GADE) was formally established, with Tom Holland of Case Western Reserve University serving as its first chair (Holland et al., 1980; Rosen, 1982). What began as informal annual gatherings has since evolved into the GADE Annual Conference, now a cornerstone event for advancing excellence in doctoral education in social work.

Future Conferences