OUR STUDENTS AND ALUMNI

By Catherine Donnelly

Ellen Fink-Samnick, MSW ’83, is a renowned UB School of Social Work alumna.

In 2025 alone, she received three industry honors: the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Social Workers of Virginia, Case Manager of the Year from the Case Management Society of America, and the Case Management Research award (with two colleagues) from the Case Management Society of America Foundation.

Previously, she was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from the School of Social Work and endowed a health equity scholarship for MSW students.

However, these accolades barely scratch the surface of her remarkable career. 

“My career sits at the intersection of human behavior and the social environment, no matter where I’ve been physically,” says Fink-Samnick, who has authored several books and more than 100 academic articles. “The key to my success has been continuous growth. Higher education teaches you how to learn and then you take that knowledge and keep evolving. Social workers learn from every patient and every colleague and synthesize those experiences into change.”

At UB, Fink-Samnick earned her bachelor’s in sociology and her Master of Social Work, discovering a passion for working with children and families along the way.

After graduation, Fink-Samnick returned to New York City, where she found a high-energy position working with physicians in an emergency room, intensive care unit and pediatric unit. Her challenge was to holistically investigate how families were impacted when their children entered the hospital.

“The skills that I acquired at UB were needed for that role,” she says. “I was asked not only to act as a social worker, but also to consider the family dynamics and improve the health of the community. This was when multidisciplinary models were just starting in health care, and I was excited to be at the forefront of the process.”

Fink-Samnick moved from that small hospital to a larger system where she gained leadership experience. Then life moved her to Virginia.

“While many social workers were leaving hospital systems, I happened to find a job as part of an interdisciplinary team focused on data collection and a new career within the rapidly growing case management profession,” she says. “All of that excited me! I loved learning about regulatory issues, updating my credentials and helping others acquire skills to succeed. I thought I’d spend the rest of my career in that space.”

Then 9/11 happened. Fink-Samnick was working close to the Pentagon, and the day brought back memories of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing when she was living in New York.

“The attacks and my experiences generated a critical reflection on my career,” she says. “I decided that while 20 years of advocating for patients and families had been fulfilling, I could potentially have a greater impact if I empowered the workforce to become more resilient.

“So, I pivoted,” Fink-Samnick continues. “I started writing and teaching and launched my own consulting business, called EFS Supervision Strategies LLC. Every contract I accepted allowed me an opportunity to empower interdisciplinary teams. In finding a new direction for my voice, I believe I’ve made a sustainable impact on the field.”

Fink-Samnick’s willingness to accept challenges is one of her superpowers. She was encouraged to enter a unique doctoral program focused on behavioral health and health equity, integrated care, quality and trauma-informed leadership just before the pandemic started.

“Sometimes the universe puts me exactly where I need to be,” she says. “I wasn’t entirely sure I needed my PhD, but I enrolled in January 2020 and then had the time to focus on it because everything else was cancelled. And while I had already been teaching, I expanded my lens. I now serve as a doctoral faculty member, an academic advisor and an IRB coordinator and culminating project lead.”

Fink-Samnick’s success shows the power of saying yes.

“Health care evolves and professionals need to evolve too,” she says. “In a perfect world we would have patient-centered and inclusive care delivered at the right time at the right cost rendered by a workforce who loves everything they do all the time. But we are not in a perfect world and so resilience is the most important tool in our arsenal. I’m proud that UB gave me the skills to keep learning every day.”