To inaugurate this series, I want to introduce the work of Laura Burney Nissen, Ph.D., LMSW, CADCIII, Professor of Social Work at Portland State University. She has inspired me to become a futurist and apply a futures lens to global learning and engagement. Her blog, Social Work Futures, is a highly curated resource that is an excellent starting point for exploration of foresight practice and futures thinking, especially as it relates to academic practitioners.
Dr. Nissen is a trailblazer in introducing futures thinking to an academic audience, and then scaling it to the overall mission and work of the university. She has established and leads a Futures Collaboratory , composed of faculty, staff, administrators and students, to explore the future of our university and its open access mission. She wrote a grant founding the first national social work futures education lab. This lab will prepare social work educators to address issues like climate change on the future of mental health, how to ensure that AI does not reinforce bias in the delivery of health care, and the impact of social media on loneliness and belonging. She also serves as a research fellow at the Institute for the Future where she is a thought leader in innovation of health and human services, equity work, human rights and social justice.
Dr. Nissen’s reading lists and annotated bibliographies will be invaluable to anyone wanting to explore futures thinking and foresight practice. I recommend you signing up for her blog and following her on Twitter @lauranissen.
