Pathbreaking Research on Trauma Rewarded

On January 21, Israel's Council on Higher Education approved the promotion of Orit Nuttman-Shwartz to the rank of Full Professor at Sapir Academic College, thus recognizing her pathbreaking research on trauma.

Prof. Shwartz is the founding chair of Sapir's School of Social Work.

For the past three decades, she has been investigating the many aspects of trauma associated with life under continuous threat of terror.

Another important dimension of her work are the processes through which individuals develop resilience in the face of trauma-causing developments and events. Specific aspects of her work include bereavement and, in some cases, remarriage following the loss of spouse to terror. Sadly, due to the continuous threat of terror from the neighboring Gaza Strip, the western Negev, where Sapir is located, has become a laboratory for such trauma cases.

In recent years, Professor Shwartz has expanded her research to other causes of trauma such as a suicide committed by a family member or the sudden deaths of infants.