Dr. Thereasa (Teri) Abrams
Dr. Thereasa (Teri) Abrams has been with the UT College of Social Work for eight years. As an assistant professor, Abrams taught in both the DSW and MSSW programs. Outside of the UTCSW, she was a six-year member of the quality committee of the American Burn Association, served two years as chair for the Psychosocial SIG, and received invitations to speak at many different conferences. Over the years, Abrams became one of the more influential psychosocial voices for burn docs because she was always there with new information to share.
When asked what she would miss the most when she retired, she stated she would miss the opportunity to make an impact on her population of interest, and the ability to share those findings with the community of burn providers. Additionally, she said she would miss the research and mentoring students.
After retiring from the UTCSW, Abrams plans to expand her work with the REACH Burn Foundation, where she has been on the board for over a year. “I have loved my time at UT and for the support I have received from so many people,” Abrams noted. “It is one of the first places that I have worked where I felt like I was really a part of something good and worthwhile. I felt like I had the potential to really affect the lives of people who are so frequently overlooked. I appreciate the opportunities that I was given and the relationships that have been built.”
Abrams is retiring August 1, 2025.
Ali Winters
Ali Winters has been with the UT College of Social Work since August of 2022. Winters was an associate professor of practice, teaching primarily direct/micro-level classes in the MSSW and DSW Programs. She also chaired the Forensic Social Work Certificate Program and served on the DSW Program and MSSW-Nashville Admissions Committees.
The hooding ceremony for the DSW Program is an event that Winters will always remember. “I was able to hood all the students for whom I served as chair of their research projects, and it was an incredibly rewarding experience.”
When asked what she would miss the most when she retired, she said working with students one-on-one. “My favorite part of teaching is getting to know the students and providing whatever assistance they need to be successful practitioner-scholars,” she said. “I’m really going to miss that part.” And what will she not miss? She answered that in one sentence. “I will not miss grading papers.”
After retiring, Winters will be completing research with a colleague from Australia, studying forensic social work practice/educational standards, and using that knowledge to develop standards for forensic social work on a national level through the Forensic Social Work Alliance. She added, “I am also opening up a pizza shop called Solidarity Square at the Nashville Farmer’s Market, which will be a vehicle to raise money for nonprofits central to my family’s philanthropic goals.”
Winters is retiring September 1, 2025.