Laura Bronstein

Professor, Department Chair

Office: (607) 777-9162
Office Location: Q Pod, Engineering Building
Fax: (607) 777-5683
E-mail: lbronst@binghamton.edu

Dr. Laura Bronstein (Professor of Social Work) is a founding member of Binghamton University's Department of Social Work and currently serves as Department Chair and Director of the Institute for Intergenerational Studies. Her background includes social work practice in family preservation, a school for children with developmental disabilities, hospice and a psychiatric hospital. Dr. Bronstein's research revolves around interdisciplinary/inter-professional and inter-organizational collaboration. She created the Index of Interdisciplinary Collaboration and an article which Dr. Bronstein published detailing the model on which the Index is based has been cited as one of the top ten most influential social work articles of the last decade. She is currently working with BOCES and Broome County schools, and the Broome County Aging Futures Consortium on projects related primarily to school-linked services and services for older adults for which she has received $3.5 million dollars in grant funding.  Dr. Bronstein received her MSW from SUNY Albany and PhD in Social Work from Barry University. Dr. Bronstein is currently working on a book for which she has a contract with Columbia University Press, Services for Children and Families: Linkages with Schools. 

Educational Background

• PhD, Social work, Barry University
• MSW, School of Social Welfare, University at Albany
• BA, Political science and psychology, Union College 

Current Research Interests

• Interprofessional and interagency collaboration
• Practice in host settings, e.g., schools and health care
• Social work education
• Social work practice with aging populations

Most Recent Publications

Anderson-Butcher, D., Mellin, E., & Bronstein, L.R. (2011). (Eds.)Collaboration among schools, families and communities; Special issue of Advances in School Mental Health Promotion, 4(2).

 Mellin, E., Anderson-Butcher, D., & Bronstein, L.R. (2011). Strengthening interprofessional team collaboration: Potential roles for school mental health professionals. Advances in School Mental Health Promotion, 4(2), 51-61.

 Bronstein, L.R., Ball, A., Mellin, E., Wade-Mdivanian, R., & Anderson-Butcher, D. (2011). Advancing collaboration between school- and agency-employed school-based social workers: A mixed methods comparison of competencies and preparedness. Children and Schools, 33(2), 83-95.

 Bronstein, L.R., Gellis, Z., & Kenaley, B. (2011). A Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Community: Views from providers and residents. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 30(11), 104-112.

 Bronstein, L.R. & Kenaley, B. (2010). Learning from vertical NORCs: Challenges and recommendations for horizontal NORCs. Journal of Housing for the Elderly; Special edition – Naturally occurring retirement communities, 24(3/4), 237-248.

Mellin, E., Bronstein, L.R., Anderson-Butcher, D., Amrose, A., Green, J., & Ball, A. (2010). Measuring interprofessional team collaboration in expanded school mental health: Model refinement and scale development. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 24(5), 514-523.

Bronstein, L.R., Mizrahi, T., Korazim-Korosoy, Y., & McPhee, D. (2010). Interdisciplinary collaboration in social work education in the U.S., Israel and Canada: Deans’ and directors’ perspectives. International Social Work, 53(4), 457-473.

Lee, Y., & Bronstein, L.R.. (2010). When do Korean American dementia caregivers find meaning in caregiving: The role of culture and differences between spouse and child caregivers. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 19(1), 73-86.

Bronstein, L.R. (2009). Commentary: Examining the interplay of evidence and knowledge for social work practice in a health setting. International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 16(3), p.165.

Bronstein, L.R. & Abramson, J.S. (2009). Interdisciplinary teamwork. In A. Gitterman & R. Salmon (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Social Work with Groups, (pp.281-283). New York: Routledge.

Bronstein, L.R. & McPhee, D. (2009). Goals for group work with women transitioning from welfare to work. Social Work with Groups, 32(1/2), 96-108.

Strolin, J., McCarthy, M., Smith, B., Lawson, H., Bronstein, L.R., & Caringi, J. (2008). A comparison study of intention to leave among public child welfare systems with high and low turnover rates. Child Welfare, 87(4), 125-143.