John R. Gyourko, PhD, MSW

Dr. John R. Gyourko, PhD, MSW is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work, College of Health and Behavioral Studies at James Madison University. Born and raised in Virginia, Dr. Gyourko completed his undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech and earned graduate degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). In 2020, he was named MSW Student of the Year by the Virginia chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. In 2022, he received Penn’s annual Hal Levin Award for outstanding scholarship in the PhD in Social Welfare program. Dr. Gyourko also received the 2023 Keystone Presidential Service Award from the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.To date, Dr. Gyourko has accumulated 16+ years of clinical and policy practice experience in child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health, vocational training, and disability service systems. In these roles, he worked closely with vulnerable populations in a variety of community and carceral settings, providing trauma-informed services to children and caregivers in multiple U.S. states. His research and teaching approaches are grounded in these experiences. Dr. Gyourko also works at the Virginia Department of Social Services, administering statewide programs and conducting applied research to support evidence-based child welfare policy and practice. Dr. Gyourko’s scholarship addresses topics at the intersection of child maltreatment, consumer financial protection, economic inequality, and public policy, with special emphasis on financial social work and child/youth services.