Curtis VanderWaal, MSW, Ph.D., is Chair and Professor of Social Work at Andrews University, where he has taught since 1990.  He is also Director of the Center for Community Impact Research at the Institute for Prevention of Addictions.  He teaches classes in program evaluation, substance abuse treatment, group therapy, and values & ethics.  The majority of his research has focused on substance abuse treatment & prevention, social capital, faith-based ministries, agency program evaluations, and faith-based LGBT issues.  He has been involved in over 30 funded research projects, including funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Institute of Justice, the DeVos Family Foundations, the United Way of Southwest Michigan, and the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.  He has authored or co-authored over 30 peer reviewed journal articles or book chapters and participated in more than 90 peer reviewed research presentations and poster sessions.  He currently serves on the editorial board of the journal "Social Work and Christianity."  He is also a board member for Riverwood Center, the community mental health center for Berrien County.

Prior to coming to Andrews University, VanderWaal was a counselor at a community mental health center in Michigan.  He received his Master of Social Work (MSW) in 1987 from The University of Michigan, and his Ph.D. in 1995 from Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Dr. VanderWaal is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the Council on Social Work Education.  He has been inducted into the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society, Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Alpha Honor Societies. He received the J.N. Andrews Medallion (2014), the Sigfried H. Horn Scholarly Research Award (2012), Student Advising Award from Andrews University (1992), the Zapara Excellence in Teaching Award (1998) and the Andrews University Teacher of the Year award (1999).