Desmond Upton Patton Named 2026 Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare
Patton is one of nine new fellows recognized for their distinguished accomplishments as scholars and leaders in the field of social work and social welfare.
Desmpnd Upton Patton (Photo: Eric Sucar)
Desmond Upton Patton, Waldo E. Johnson, Jr. Professor of Communication, has been named a 2026 Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW). He was among nine scholars selected nationally for the Academy’s 2026 class. Patton is a Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor and the director of the SAFELab at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.
AASWSW is an honorific society of distinguished scholars and practitioners who are dedicated to achieving excellence in the field of social work and social welfare, while advancing high-impact work that advances social good.
Patton studies the impact social media has on well-being, mental health, trauma, violence, and grief for youth and adults of color. He leverages social work thinking, data science, qualitative methods, and community partnerships to develop strategies to support digital grief and trauma and reduce on and offline gun-related violence.
“Being elected to the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare is a profound honor,” Patton says. “To me, it recognizes a body of scholarship rooted at the intersections of social work, communication, and technology, and a commitment to advancing social work science in ways that protect people, strengthen communities, and keep public interest technology accountable to the realities of everyday life. It’s a reminder that the future of social work will be shaped not only by what we study, but by what we build and who we build it with.”
Patton was inducted on January 17, 2026, during the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Conference in Washington, D.C.
