Among her many responsibilities in the new position, Ms. Turk will be recruiting students to the GSSW’s Brooklyn and Manhattan campuses; networking and nurturing relationships with regional synagogues, agencies, Touro-affiliated campuses and leadership; and serving as a liaison with NEFESH International, the network of Orthodox mental health professionals, where she serves as the organization’s executive director in a volunteer capacity.

"Miriam is a distinguished professional who brings out the best in us,” said Dr. Steven Huberman, dean of the GSSW. “She will help identify outstanding potential students to be trained as clinical social workers to serve the Jewish community, in keeping with Touro’s general mission, which is to provide professional education for the benefit of the individual and society as an expression of the Jewish tenet of Tikkun Olam.”

Ms. Turk will be engaged in providing scholarships to MSW applicants under a new $2.5 million grant from the federal government for economically disadvantaged students beginning fall semester 2016. The scholarships will cover tuition of full-time students and no repayment will be required.*

A social worker by training with many years of experience conducting both individual and group psychotherapy as well as supervising clinical staff, Ms. Turk said she is excited to be joining the GSSW and bringing her knowledge and expertise in the field as well as in program development to help Touro achieve its goals.

“I am passionate and committed to Touro’s mission of providing high caliber training and education,” said Ms. Turk. “One of my main goals is to attract Orthodox students to a program such as Touro’s that is educationally sound and more affordable than other programs.”

Another project she has already begun with great enthusiasm is the school’s partnership with UJA-Federation of New York.  Over the coming year Touro and UJA will be collaborating on a new initiative involving female leaders from different organizations in the Chareidi community. They will be invited to come together to learn about professional development, management and leadership training.

Ms. Turk noted that when considering coming to Touro, she had been especially impressed by the reaffirmation for eight years (through 2023) of the school’s national accreditation and perfect score from the Council on Social Work Education, the profession’s exclusive accreditation authority.

In addition to her work with NEFESH, she has worked for numerous Jewish social service agencies in a variety of positions including social worker, supervisor, director and program director. Among the organizations she has served are Agudath Israel; the Jewish Board of Family & Children’s Services in Brooklyn; The SAFE Foundation, where she was director of professional development and programming; and FEGS Health and Human Services Family Services, where she was program director for Jewish clinical and community outreach for youth-at-risk. Since 2013 she has served as director of the Children of Holocaust Survivors Program for Project Witness, a religiously-sensitive Holocaust resource center for diverse communities and schools worldwide.

Ms. Turk received her Master of Social Work from Yeshiva University’s Wurtzweiler School of Social Work.

*This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant # T08HP30149 and titled Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (total award amount $630,000.00). This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the US Government.

Media Contact

Barbara Franklin 
Director of Communications 
646-565-6530 
Barbara.franklin@touro.edu

About the Touro College and University System

Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 18,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has 29 branch campuses, locations and instructional sites in the New York area, as well as branch campuses and programs in Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College, Touro University California and its Nevada branch campus, as well as Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to: www.touro.edu/news/