FIFSW’s Faye Mishna retires after 26 years, but her service continues

After 26 years of teaching, research and leadership at the University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) professor and former dean Faye Mishna is retiring from her academic role.

But she is not stepping away entirely. Her research on technology usage and effects among youth continues, while she also takes on a new position as U of T’s next ombudsperson, beginning July 1.

“I’m really committed to the University and feel lucky to be in a place I love so much,” she says. “I felt like I was ready to retire, but I still wanted to be involved.”

Mishna is proud of FIFSW’s excellence in teaching evidence-based social work geared to the needs of individuals, families, groups, and communities. She also takes pride in FIFSW’s support for faculty, whose ongoing collaboration in teaching, research, and leadership enables them to make a greater difference, locally and globally, within the field of social work and beyond.

Building together

This collaborative approach started on day one for Mishna. When she joined the University in 1999, she and Professor Cheryl Regehr — her longtime colleague who later served as U of T’s provost from 2013 to 2024 — worked together to expand the team model of teaching in the Faculty, developing several team-taught clinical courses.

“It’s a great model,” says Mishna. “You’re always building on everybody’s insights, as opposed to just your own.”

As FIFSW Dean from 2009 to 2019, Mishna continued to invest in this collaborative culture, both within the Faculty and in partnership with community organizations.

“I feel very proud of hiring excellent people and facilitating an environment which thrives on support, excellence and collaboration,” she says.

Under her leadership, the faculty strengthened its approach to research-informed practice, developed new community partnerships and launched a range of hands-on, community-based teaching, programming and practicum opportunities.

“As Dean, Faye articulated a visionary model for FIFSW— one in which research and practice are inextricably linked, each informing and elevating the other. This approach has become the hallmark of our Faculty,” says Professor Charmaine Williams, FIFSW’s current dean. “Her commitment to recruiting outstanding faculty, dedicated not only to scholarship but also to building meaningful partnerships with community organizations, has been instrumental in shaping our Faculty’s reputation for excellence.”

Making a difference through research

Mishna’s research journey began with her front-line experience in children’s mental health. As she pursued a PhD to explore group intervention for youth with learning disabilities, she stumbled upon the prevalence and deep harms of bullying.

“Bullying was not on my radar,” she says. “But in my research, almost all of the youth I interviewed talked about being bullied.”

As she reflected on her earlier work, she realized that bullying had come up repeatedly as a challenge that the youth with whom she worked were facing. That insight changed how she understood and worked with the youth and their families and launched her groundbreaking research career focused on bullying, cyberbullying, and the social and emotional effects of digital life.

Her work has uncovered the complexities of consent and coercion in sexting and image sharing, helping inform how we think about youth digital safety. In 2022, a study published in the journal Research on Social Work Practice listed Mishna, along with four other researchers from FIFSW, among the 100 most impactful global contributors to social work journal scholarship.

Mishna is now embarking on research exploring parents’ perspectives of youth sexting and non-consensual image sharing. She hopes it will equip parents to better support their children, who may be hesitant to come to them to ask for help.

“Adults need to be in this conversation,” she says. “It can no longer be just, ‘don’t do it.’ It’s being done. The best way to make it safe is talking about it.”

New role at U of T draws on social work skills

In her new role as U of T’s ombudsperson, Mishna will draw on her decades of experience in social work practice, teaching and academic leadership.

“You’re not an advocate for the person who’s coming to you, and you’re not an advocate for the University,” she says. “Rather, you are there to be impartial and ensure procedural fairness and outcomes that are just and reasonable”.

The ombudsperson also has the responsibility to identify systemic issues when patterns emerge. It’s a role that resonates deeply with Mishna’s social work background: grounded in ethics, systems thinking and a commitment to doing better.

A legacy of collaboration and impact

As she looks back on her career, Mishna sees every accomplishment as a shared one.

She is grateful for the community she found and helped build at the FIFSW — from early collaborations with colleagues, co-created courses and programs, to the mentors who helped her throughout her career.

In particular, she credits the late Professor Marion Bogo, her longtime mentor and friend, for giving her many years of trusted guidance. “When I was dean, I called her my wise person,” she says.

Mishna, herself, is also a dedicated mentor to many. “Faye has guided countless students and colleagues with wisdom and generosity, offering steadfast support throughout their academic and professional journeys,” says Dean Williams. “While her daily presence will be missed, we are fortunate that her ongoing commitment to research and service will ensure a continued connection.”

At a Faculty and University that have given her both support and independence to pursue research that matters and prepare social work students to make a difference across communities, Mishna is leaving her own legacy of collaboration and impact.

By Carolyn Morris