LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 28, 2026) — Following a 20-year career with the University of Kentucky College of Social Work (CoSW), Pamela Weeks, J.D., MSW, has left a lasting legacy on the College and the social work profession. On Oct. 1, at the CoSW’s Annual Recognition Celebration, she will be honored for her achievements with the “Legacy of Impact” Award.
The award recognizes an individual whose sustained commitment, service and advocacy advanced the mission of the College of Social Work and created meaningful, lasting change. Weeks will be honored for dedicating her time, talents, leadership and passion to supporting the College, its students and the communities it serves.
A 1978 graduate of the CoSW’s Master of Social Work program, Weeks began her professional career in social work, working primarily with children and families, before pursuing a law degree. Advocacy played a central role in her work, sparking her interest in the law. As an attorney, there was potential to have an impact on the systems that served children and families and how those systems implemented the law.
She earned her J.D. from the UK College of Law in 1989 and became a certified mediator in 1992. She went on to practice at the intersection of the two professions; including working with the Kentucky Department of Education as a member of the Exceptional Children Appeals Board and as an administrative hearing officer, presiding at due process hearings involving appropriate education for children with disabilities.
Although law became an important part of Weeks’ professional path, social work remained at the center of her work. Her experience in both fields ultimately brought her back to the College of Social Work, to assist in developing programs with the College of Law and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Weeks originally joined the CoSW in a part-time capacity, expecting the position to be temporary.
“I agreed to come on a part-time status to help develop these projects. My intent was to be there for a short amount of time,” Weeks said.
That decision marked the beginning of a 20-year career defined by impact, growth and a willingness to pursue new opportunities.
During her time with the College, Weeks served as a clinical assistant professor from 2000-2006 and clinical associate professor from 2007-2022, as well as child welfare field education program coordinator from 2000-2003. Building on her experience in the field, she became director of child welfare education programs in 2003, collaborating in designing, developing and implementing a statewide workforce development program in public child welfare.
As the College continued to grow, Weeks was named director of field education in 2012, overseeing the graduate and undergraduate field education programs and the development and implementation of field education policies, procedures and curriculum.
For Weeks, that path was not the result of a methodical, carefully planned career. Instead, it came from following her passions and remaining open to new opportunities.
“I’d like to say that I’ve had this thoughtful, well-planned approach, but really, it wasn’t. I know what interests me when I see it,” Weeks said. “Sometimes it’s just grabbing that opportunity and thinking, ‘All right, let’s do it.’”
One of those opportunities was expanding the presence of social workers in spaces where they had not traditionally practiced. Weeks helped develop an Integrated Behavioral Health Program (IBH) in collaboration with the College of Health Sciences and College of Medicine.
“IBH students will learn how to address behavioral health concerns including mental illness, family violence, psychological trauma and substance misuse, as well as behavioral components in conditions such as diabetes, insomnia and chronic pain,” Weeks said as the program expanded with the second HRSA grant in 2017. “MSW IBH students will integrate classroom learning with hands-on clinical experience in primary care settings to offer access to services for patients with a wide range of behavioral health problems.”
The program helped prepare MSW students to practice in integrated healthcare settings, expanding opportunities for the profession while improving access to behavioral health services. For Weeks, seeing social workers become established, respected members of health care teams remains one of the accomplishments she is most proud of.
“For me, I think the success was in expanding opportunities for social workers in medical settings and other multidisciplinary spaces, and seeing other professions recognize the value that a social worker brings to all these different environments and the clients they serve,” Weeks said.
Reflecting on her time with the CoSW, Weeks is reminded of the possibilities that come with a career in social work and the many spaces the profession can occupy. Because social work encompasses so many different aspects of life, she encourages students to find the area that speaks to them and remain open to where their careers may lead.
Her biggest piece of advice for future social workers? Follow your passion.
“Follow your passion to what really drives you to want to make a difference,” Weeks said. “Be flexible enough to know when a certain path is not the correct path and be willing to change the path.”
Since retiring from the College in 2022, Weeks has continued to follow that advice. She enjoys traveling and spending time with her family, while also staying involved in her community volunteering with CASA, Floracliff Nature Sanctuary and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UK.
For Weeks, a career that began without a carefully mapped-out plan ultimately became two decades of sharing lessons from her 25 years of practice experience and creating opportunities for students, social workers, and the profession itself.
As she returns to the College on October 1 to receive the Legacy of Impact Award, the honor recognizes not only the work she accomplished during her time at CoSW, but the impact that continues through the programs she helped build, the students she supported and the spaces she helped open to social workers.