Prof. URI AVIRAM
(1936-)
Biographical Sketch
Uri Aviram is Zena Harman Professor Emeritus of Social Work at the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem. From 2007 to mid 2011 he has been serving as the Chairperson of the Israel
National Council for the Rehabilitation in the Community of Persons with a Mental
Disability.
In 1999, he completed a six years term as the Head of the Paul Baerwald School of Social
Work of this University. Prior to his position at the Hebrew University and since 1987, he
was a professor at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, and the
School of Social Work, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. Previously, since
1972, he was on the faculty of the School of Social Work, Tel-Aviv University in Israel,
where he established and directed the Community Mental Health Program. In 1982 he
completed a four year term as the Head of the School. Professor Aviram also served as the
Dean of Student of Tel-Aviv University (1983-1987). In addition, Dr. Aviram has had
visiting appointments in several academic institution including - Case Western Reserve
University, Berkeley, Yeshiva University, University of Melbourne, The University of
Sydney, and Cornell University.
From the beginning of his academic career, Professor Aviram has conducted mental health
services research, and policy studies. His main areas of interest are community care for
severely mentally ill persons and psycho-social rehabilitation programs, social planning and
policy development, and the interface between psychiatry and law. Lately, he has focused
his research on issues related to efforts at reforming mental health service systems, dischargereadiness of mental patients and barriers to community placement; the involuntary
hospitalization of the mentally ill; outpatient commitment of mentally ill persons; crisis
intervention and continuity of care of former psychiatric patients; deinstitutionalization and
community care of persons with a psychiatric disability.
His publications have appeared in Israeli, American, and European Journals. He is the coauthor (with S. Segal) of the book: The Mentally Ill in Community-Based Sheltered Care: A
Study of Community Care and Social Integration, published by Wiley in 1978. Two other
books were based on studies completed in Israel - Community Mental Health in Israel (with
I. Levav); and Psychiatric Treatment and Civil Liberties: The Involuntary Hospitalization of
the Mentally Ill in Israe (with D. Shnit)l. The latter was awarded a prize by the City of Tel
Aviv in Israel for a contribution in the fields of Medicine and Public Health. Recently, he
completed editing the book Social Work in Mental Health, and the book Mental Health
Services in Israel: Trends and Issue (2006, with Y. Ginath), and a book on policy
development in Israel (with Gal and Katan) Formulating Social Policy in Israel.
In addition to his interest in the mental health field, Professor Aviram has been involved in
studying social work education issues and social workers professional careers. In his research
he assessed culturally sensitive social work education program and also conducted a
longitudinal study on professional careers of social workers. In this study he has focused on
issues such as professional values and interests; retention, drop-out and burnout of social
workers; and satisfaction from and commitment to the profession .He edited the book Social
Work Education in Israel: Past Present and Future.
In recent years he consulted the Open University of Israel and Ruppin Academic Center
assessing the feasibility of developing social work academic programs at their institution.
After completing his undergraduate studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1962,
Uri Aviram went on to receive his MSW degree from Wayne State University in Detroit,
Michigan, and, in 1972, his doctorate in Social Welfare from the University of California at
Berkeley. Since then he has held academic appointments in Israeli and American
institutions, and has been conducting research in Israel, the United States, Canada, and
Australia.
In addition to his involvement in the professional and academic social work development in
Israel during the last 40 years, Prof. Aviram has been active internationally. He chaired the
First International Conference on Social Work in Health and Mental Health in 1995, and has
been on the Secretariat of this movement ever since. Also, he served as the Israeli
representative on the board of the International Association of Schools of Social Work and on
the board of the International Academy of Law and Mental Health.
In addition to his academic duties, Prof. Aviram has served in the U.S. and Israel as a
consultant on mental health policies and programs as well as on social work education. For
example, he was a member of the Advisory Committee on Psychiatric Services to the Israeli
Minister of Health, and the Israeli Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Commission on the
Status and Tasks of Social Workers. Also he served as a consultant on research and planning
to the Director of the Israel Mental Health Services. During the 1990s, he served as a
member of the Public Commission on Equal Rights Legislation for Persons with Disabilities.
In his public and community involvement Prof. Aviram has been also a member and served
on boards of voluntary association in the health and welfare areas.
(September, 2011)