x Authors and Contributors
human behavior, and cultural diversity. He has also taught at Wash-
burn University at Topeka. His research interests include international
and cross-cultural social work. He has published articles about Asian
Indian immigrants and identity, media stereotypes of the elderly, and
international field placements.
Kollengode R. Ramakrishnan, Ph.D., is a professor of social work at
West Texas A&M. His scholarly interests and publications center on
community development, especially in developing countries; population
control; and teenage pregnancy. He has worked as a community organ-
izer for the Economic Opportunity Agency, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Blanca M. Ramos, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at the School of Social
Welfare and the Department of Latin American and Caribbean Studies,
State University of New York at Albany. She teaches practice and social
work with culturally diverse clients. Her scholarly interests focus on
cross-cultural social work. She has extensive experience as a clinical so-
cial worker and community organizer with vulnerable populations.
William J. Reid, D.S.W., is a Distinguished Professor at the School of
Social Work, State University of New York at Albany, where he teach-
es research methods and clinical practice. His most recent books are
Science and Social Work: A Critical Appraisal (with Stuart Kirk) and
The Task Planner, both published by Columbia University Press.
Eleanor Reardon Tolson, Ph.D., is associate professor emerita at the
Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago,
where she taught practice, research, and human behavior. She has also
taught at the Universities of Chicago and Washington. Her authored
and edited books include The Metamodel and Clinical Social Work,
Perspectives on Direct Practice Evaluation, and Models of Family
Treatment.