SP2’s Dr. Desmond Patton named to AASWSW Class of 2026

Dr. Desmond Upton Patton has been selected to join the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare’s Class of 2026 Fellows. 

This honor recognizes distinguished scholars, practitioners, and policy leaders whose high-impact work advances social good. Dr. Patton is one of nine individuals chosen for induction this year and will be formally inducted on Saturday, January 17, 2026, during the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Conference in Washington, DC.

“I am deeply honored to join the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare’s Class of 2026. This recognition reflects the brilliance of the youth, community partners, and colleagues who have trusted me to learn alongside them and to imagine new ways to bring heart, equity, and innovation into our digital lives. I see this fellowship as a charge to keep building technologies and policies that protect, uplift, and create real possibility for communities too often pushed to the margins,” says Dr. Patton.

As Penn’s 31st PIK University Professor, Dr. Patton holds joint appointments at Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) and the Annenberg School for Communication, along with secondary appointments at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Perelman School of Medicine. He is the founding director of SAFELab, founding faculty director of the Penn Center for Inclusive Innovation & Technology, and Chief Innovation Officer at SP2. He is also a member of the National Academy of Medicine.