Hermeet Kohli, PhD, MSW

Associate Professor

324 Masterton Hall
(207) 228-8160
hkohli@usm.maine.edu

Dr. Hermeet Kohli joined the University of Southern Maine as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2006. She received her MSW from Delhi School of Social Work, Delhi University, India, and earned her Ph.D. from Kent School of Social Work, University of Louisville (U of L), Louisville, KY. Earlier she was teaching at School of Social Work, California State University, Chico, CA. She teaches undergraduate and graduate social work courses i.e. multiculturalism and diversity; research; social work practice (Practice II Generalist Social Work Practice and Practice III working with Groups, Communities, and Organizations); macro human behavior and social environment; social welfare; and field work education.

Prior to becoming a full time faculty, Professor Kohli worked as a generalist social work practitioner in several national and international social work agencies. As the Senior Coordinator of the KICS (Kentucky Interdisciplinary Community Screenings) grant, Kent School of Social Work, U of L, she was the liaison with all the team players (Area Health Education Centers, U of L student and faculty from Social Work, Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Public Health, and other community leaders and organizations) in the health field. Before coming to the United States, Professor Kohli had been actively involved in advocacy for the runaway and street youth in India. As the Project Director for the non profit organization called "Prayas Children's Home", JAC, Delhi, India, she was overall in charge of the residential home for street/run away and orphaned children in the age group of 6 - 14 years. She has also worked as a Welfare/Probation Office at the Delhi Directorate of Social Welfare, and a domestic violence counselor.

Her current research projects focus around coping strategies of children from bicultural families; early childhood education; qualitative and quantitative reflections on challenges faced while teaching courses on human diversity; measuring cultural competence in social work students; development of online social work courses; and working with immigrant populations.