Faculty Member, Social Work
Associate Professor
C.W. Post Campus
About
Elissa D. Giffords, DSW, LCSW is an Associate Professor in the Social Work Department at Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus. Since joining the faculty in 2000, Dr. Giffords enjoys the mixture of teaching, advising students, producing scholarly research, and participating in service to the university and in the community.
Dr. Giffords entered the field as a paraprofessional in 1983 as a counselor at Runaway Youth Coordinating Council, then worked as an outreach worker at Youth Environmental Services and later as a Nassau County Department of Social Services (DSS) Child Protective Caseworker. She received her MSW and DSW degrees from Adelphi University. After graduating, she assisted eligible individuals to obtain health and human services through community-based coalitions and direct work with clients at the Interfaith Nutrition Network, Health and Welfare Council, and Family and Children's Association.
Dr. Giffords is involved in collaborative advocacy efforts to improve service delivery at the Nassau County Department of Social Services as Executive Committee Chair of the Commissioner's Advisory Council and serves as a member of the Income Supports sub-committee. She is also a member of the National Board of Directors for the Lupus Alliance of America. Additionally, she is an Executive Board member of the Long Island Health Access Monitoring Project (LIHAMP) a group that focuses on efforts to gain access to healthcare for underserved people. In 2006 this advocacy group worked in conjunction with other statewide coalitions and with the NYS Legislature to get the NYS Charity Care Legislation passed. She has served as the as the Faculty Liaison for the BSW & MSW Social Work Clubs, Honor Society Chapters and NASW Liaison. Through these roles, she has helped C.W. Post students achieve a prominent role in campus life, to engage in community service as well as assist in the socialization of future social work professionals.
In 2004, Dr. Giffords received the National Associate of Social Workers (NASW) NYS-Nassau Division Social Worker of the Year award and in 2008, she received the NASW New York State Chapter Social Worker of the Year Award. Additionally, Dr. Giffords was inducted into the New York Academy of Medicine as a fellow in 2010.
