This month MSW alumna Jasmine Wilson-Bryant was nominated by her coworkers and won Social Worker of the Year 2025 for the Washington, DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center
She was also selected and honored to serve as a panelist for the Veterans Affairs' National Social Work Program during National Social Work Month. The panel focused on ethics and care management during disaster deployments, which directly connected to her experience as a volunteer social worker with the VA’s Disaster Emergency Medical Personnel System (DEMPS). Wilson-Bryant completed two voluntary deployments supporting the Veterans Healthcare Administration's Hurricane Mission in Asheville, North Carolina, working with disabled Veterans and their families following a natural disaster.
After her initial deployment, she was asked to return for a second assignment, where she played a pivotal role in the demobilization phase, ensuring Veterans remained connected to care as operations transitioned back to local teams.
What made this panel opportunity especially meaningful to Wilson-Bryant was “hearing from colleagues who attended the panel and felt inspired by the discussion. Many shared that it not only deepened their understanding of the ethical challenges we face in disaster response but also reminded them of the unique impact social workers have during times of crisis. It was a powerful reminder of how important it is to create space for these conversations within our profession. Both my deployment episodes and being selected for a national panel are truly the most meaningful milestones of my career as a social worker and civil servant.”
Wilson-Bryant was a Direct Practice (Advanced Standing, Gerontology, and a John A. Hartford Fellow). Her field placement was with the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System.