Danny Rosen, PhD, MSW's multidimensional career underscores a steadfast commitment to community engagement, innovative healthcare solutions, and impactful social change—a testament to his family's legacy of activism and his enduring vision for a healthier, more equitable society.
Rosen, a prominent figure in social work and community health, has dedicated his career to bridging gaps in healthcare access and advancing social change.
While on sabbatical from Pitt next year, he will join the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) as a consultant, working with the Foundation to reflect on, revisit, and craft long-term plans for its major areas of focus.
"When we think about the next year and what will be happening on the national stage politically, it is going to be more important than ever for the Foundation to double down in the areas it's been passionate about and focused on for the past 30 years," Rosen said. "We cannot let up now. I'm looking forward to being a part of this group and achieving the standard of excellence the Foundation puts forth in all of the work that it does."
His vision for the future emphasizes resilience and innovation, especially in navigating complex societal issues such as the mental health crises among teens.
"As we face challenging times for at-risk populations across the country, our commitment to excellence in healthcare and social services must intensify," Rosen asserted, underlining his dedication to advancing the Foundation's mission.
Born into a family deeply rooted in community activism, Rosen's journey from his upbringing to his current roles as a Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work and founder of Wellbridge Health reflects a lifelong commitment to community service and innovative person-centered healthcare solutions.
"From the earliest age, the message to my brothers and me was 'it's not enough to complain, you have to get involved.' My grandparents played a role in social change movements, as did my parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins," Rosen said. "There was always a premium paid to being involved in your community, whether that was in synagogue life, community service, or in education."
Rosen received a bachelor's degree in political science, master's degree in social work, and joint doctorate in social work and sociology, all from the University of Michigan.
His early clinical experiences at a low-income community health clinic profoundly shaped his perspective on healthcare disparities and social justice. His work there, spanning over a decade, focused on serving at-risk teenage mothers and their children, emphasizing integrated healthcare models that consolidated services under one roof. This experience continues to shape his work, reminding him to ask questions about why racial health disparities exist and persist.
"What really attracted me to a PhD in social work was the applied nature of the research. You don't just do research for research's sake. You do it to think about how you can improve people's lives and give greater insight into social challenges," Rosen said.
This made the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, where community engagement is embedded into the tenure guidelines for faculty, a natural fit. Rosen is a Professor of Social Work at Pitt specializing in community health, urban social problems, and health social work. Within the School of Social Work, he holds multiple roles including serving as the Director of the Integrated Healthcare Certificate and coordinating the joint Master of Social Work / Master of Business Administration program.
Rosen's research includes examining older adult populations and substance use disorders, highlighting how age often serves as a barrier to accessing services. This research led to his involvement in AgeWell Pittsburgh, an initiative that focuses on engaging older adults and their caregivers in maintaining a healthy and independent lifestyle.
"I moved to Pittsburgh over two decades ago and pretty immediately became involved. One of the reasons we moved here was that it felt like a community where you could really have an impact. One of the things that attracted us to Pittsburgh was how much people really cared about the community and the region, and that they took great pride in it," Rosen recalled.
Beyond academia, Rosen's impact extends to founding Wellbridge Health, a trailblazing chronic disease management business aimed at reducing healthcare costs and improving outcomes for vulnerable populations. Wellbridge Health's model combines high-tech remote monitoring with personalized coaching, significantly reducing hospitalizations and enhancing patient independence.
His research and commitment to engagement in collaborations with community-based providers continues to make an impact through the design and implementation of sustainable and scalable programs to support community health.
His research on aging populations, substance use disorder, and barriers to healthcare access, has been supported by prestigious grants from the National Institute of Health, Centers for Disease Control, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration, as well as various national and local foundations.
His commitment to change is further exemplified by his past roles as Board Chair for both AgeWell Pittsburgh and The Friendship Circle, and by currently serving on the board of the Allegheny Regional Asset District. He has been involved with JHF for over a decade, serving on its Board of Trustees, Distribution Committee, as its representative chair on the Jewish Community Advisory Committee, and chair of the Adolescent Behavioral Health Special Advisory Committee.
As a Board member at JHF, Rosen shared how he is continually impressed with the Foundation's ability to pivot to meet the moment, recalling how its sprung to action at the beginning of the pandemic to meet the needs of youth and youth-serving organizations by granting 13 organizations $318,000 in emergency grants to serve youth at the unprecedented time of need.
"At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we began to see how much the organizations that were really valued were struggling to meet teens' needs. Literally on a Friday we came up with an idea to send a targeted request for proposals to 14 youth-serving organizations to say write us a letter by Monday and tell us something you're doing, you'd like to do, or that would help you in this moment," Rosen recalled. "We were able to quickly get out a tremendous number of financial resources to those agencies, which was incredible."
Rosen expressed that he loves to work with the Foundation because its President and CEO Karen Wolk Feinstein, PhD, as well as its staff, are intentional, strategic, and impact focused. Additionally, the Foundation's focus areas – from aging and seniors to reproductive justice to youth mental health – are ones that he is extremely passionate about.
"What I really like about working with the Foundation is that there's always a plan – even when it's difficult, even when it's a hard puzzle to crack, it's not shied away from," Rosen said. "And there's always a commitment to excellence and to getting the most knowledgeable people around the table to get their insight and expertise and use that in a way to really create pathways to address challenging issues."