Denise Burnette
Email: jdburnette@vcu.edu
Phone: (804) 828-2859
Denise Burnette, Ph.D., is the Samuel S. Wurtzel Professor of Social Work at VCU. Her research focuses on global mental health, with an emphasis on health and psychosocial problems and related service needs of older adults in resource-constrained settings. She has held Senior Fulbright fellowships in India and Botswana, and served as an International Scholar with the Open Society in Central Asia and the Balkans for almost a decade. Burnette’s program of research aims to inform the development and delivery of effective, appropriately targeted services in locales where there is a significant mental health treatment gap for older adults. Her current research examines the knowledge, attitudes and practices toward COVID-19 among older adults in Puerto Rico.
Burnette has taught extensively across M.S.W. and Ph.D. curricula and in related disciplines. A core component of her research agenda in low- and middle-income countries is capacity-building with faculty and students in collaborating schools of social work and public health. Examples include dissertation supervision, classroom teaching, community lectures, seminars, training workshops and individual and departmental faculty development initiatives.
She has held several academic administrative appointments, most recently as the director of the VCU School of Social Work's Ph.D. Program through the 2022-23 academic year; and serves as president of the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work (GADE).
Burnette has extensive direct social work practice experience in medical and public psychiatric settings. She holds a certification in Management Development for College and University Administrators from Harvard University and is Professor Emerita at Columbia University School of Social Work.
Areas of expertise
- Aging and Mental Health
- International Social Work
- Research Design and Measurement
Education and credentials
M.S. Mental Health Policy & Services, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
M.S.S.W., University of Tennessee
B.A., University of Tennessee
B.S., University of Tennessee
Work
Selected publications
Kim, K., *Buckley, T.D., Burnette, D., Kim, S. & Cho, S. (2021). Measurement indicators of age-friendly communities: Findings from the AARP Age-friendly Community Survey. The Gerontologist.
Burnette, D., Buckley, T.D., Fabelo, H.E., & Yabar, M.P. (2020). Foregrounding context in the COVID-19 pandemic: Learning from older adults in Puerto Rico. Journal of Gerontological Social Work. July 16.
Kim, K., Burnette, D., An, S., Lee, M., & Cho, S. (2020). Geographic proximity to neighborhood resources and depression among older adults in South Korea. Journal of Aging and Mental Health.
Li, S., Zhang, Y., Ruan, H., Guerra, E., & Burnette, D. (2020). The role of transportation in older adults' use of and satisfaction with primary care in China. Journal of Transport & Health, 18.
Burnette, D., Yi, X., Cheng, Z., & Ruan, H. (2020). Living alone, social cohesion and quality of life among older adults in rural and urban China: A conditional process analysis. International Psychogeriatrics, Jul 2;1-11.
Burnette, D., Bhatta, T., & Roy, M. (2020). Intersectional effects of gender, education, and geographic region on functional health disparities among older adults in India. Journal of Aging & Health, 1-10.
Myagmarjav, S., Burnette, D., & Goeddeke, F. (2019). Comparison of the 18-item and 6-item Lubben Social Network Scales with community-dwelling older adults in Mongolia. PLoS ONE, 14(4): e0215523.
Witte, S.S., Burnette, D., Myarmarjav, S., & Toivgoo, A. (2019). Academic research partnerships: Lessons learned from two studies in Mongolia. M. Kumar, O.S. Bahar & K.-Y. Huang (Guest Editors), Special issue on Equity, Collaboration and Empowerment in Mental Health Research Partnerships. Global Social Welfare, 6.
Professional highlights
Research projects and funding
- Mental Health Status and Needs of Older Adults in Puerto Rico
- Social and Psychological Well-Being of Older Adults in India and China
Accomplishments
- 2021-2025 Fulbright Specialist Scholar
- 2018: University of Richmond Faculty Seminar to South Africa, Virginia Commonwealth University Representative
- 2018: Phi Kappa Phi
- 2013: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, Fellow
- 2012-13: Senior Fulbright Scholar, Center for Study of HIV/AIDS, University of Botswana, Gaborone
- 2008-15: International Scholar, Academic Fellowship Program, Soros Open Society Foundations
- 2006-07: Senior Fulbright Scholar, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India
- 2003: New York Academy of Medicine, Fellow
- 2001: Nathan Cummings Visiting Lecturer, University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration
- 1999: Association of Gerontology Education in Social Work, Faculty Achievement Award
- 1999: New York State Office for Aging/State Society on Aging, New York State Aging Scholar
- 1998: Gerontological Society of America, Fellow; Social Research, Policy & Practice
- 1998: Lydia Rapoport Distinguished Visiting Professor, Smith College School for Social Work
- 1990: Sigma Phi Omega, National Academic Honor and Professional Society in Gerontology
- 1989: University of California, Berkeley, Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor
- 1972: Phi Beta Kappa
Teaching areas and interests
Courses
- Ph.D. Professional Seminar
- Research Methods
Areas of teaching and mentoring expertise
- Aging
- Research methods
- Global mental health