Dr. Donna Van Alst is a seasoned social work educator committed to advancing social
work practice through education, research and community engagement. In addition to
her extensive experience in academia, Donna has collaborated with a range of social
service agencies and government partners on applied research, program planning, grant
writing and workforce development initiatives. Her work has covered a wide array of
practice areas including child welfare systems reform, disaster recovery, infant and
toddler mental health, substance abuse prevention, and services for vulnerable populations,
including aging-out youth and individuals with developmental disabilities. She has
also authored several peer-reviewed publications and numerous research reports, presenting
her findings at national and international conferences. She brings hands-on expertise
in social work administration, policy, and planning to her work at SUNY Plattsburgh.
Donna teaches B.S.W. and M.S.W. courses that focus on macro-level social work practice
including administration, policy and research. Her goal is to prepare social workers
to integrate policy, research, and leadership skills into their work with clients.
Weldon, P. & Van Alst, D. (2025). Clinton County Health and Well-Being Report (2019-2024).
Adlin Bosk, E., Van Alst, D., Van Scoyo, A. (2017). A chronic problem: competing paradigms for substance abuse
in child welfare policy and practice and the need for new approaches. British Journal of Social Work, 47(6), 1669-1685.
Fox, T., Hager, M., Thompson, A., & Van Alst, D. (2017). The many roles of the social worker in shaping the quality of care in transdisciplinary
teams as we get to zero. In (ed. Mark Henrickson) Getting to Zero Global Social Work
Responds to HIV. Joint publication of the International Association of Schools of
Social Work and UNAIDS.
Koivunen, J., Van Alst, D., Ocasio, K., and Allegra, C. (2017). Understanding engagement in mental health services
for preschool children: an analysis of teacher, clinician, and parent perspectives.
Early Childhood Education Journal, 45(3), 313-320.
Ocasio, K., Van Alst, D., Koivunen, J., Huang, C., & Allegra, C. (2015). Promoting preschool mental health:
Results of a three-year primary prevention strategy. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24(6), 1800-1808.
Weldon, P., & Van Alst, D. (2024, October). Examining How County Health Rankings Data Can be Used to Inform Social Work Practice
Across Settings. Presentation at 57th Annual Conference of the New York State Social Work Education
Association, Saratoga Springs, NY.
Van Alst, D., Montague, A., & Damiri, P. (2018, May). Needs of MS Patients At-Risk of Being Underserved. Poster presented at 2018 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers,
Nashville TN.
