Millennium Magazine_5th Ed

220 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine M orreece “Elaine” Cook cannot recall a time in her life when she did not get pleasure from helping others. Deciding to enter the medical field seemed like the natural choice, and Ms. Cook has since had a more than 30-year long career in Social Work. She received a BA in Psychology from Mercy College in 1971 and a Master of Social Work from Wayne State University in 1985. She also completed doctoral studies at Wayne State University in 1988. Following her undergraduate studies, Ms. Cook became a senior social worker at the Sinai Hospital of Detroit, where she worked for 19 years. From 1991 to 1994, she was the Manager of Education at the Wayne State Medical School, and from 1996 to 1999, she was a Project Manager and human performance technologist at the General Motors and Kmart Corporations. Returning to the medical field, Ms. Cook served as the Manager of Social Work at the Henry Ford-Wyandotte Hospital and Medical Center from 1999 to 2002. Lastly, Ms. Cook worked at Community Hospice as a senior social worker from 2002 to 2004. Ms. Cook’s career ended abruptly when she was struck with medical complications. She began working part time roles and managed them as long as she could. Despite the circumstances, Ms. Cook says her career is her greatest achievement, and she is incredibly proud of the work she has done. She recalls the highlight of her career was being able to help “connect” her students and Health Care colleagues with patient care needs. An award winner of the National Academy of Certified Social Workers, Ms. Cook credits her success to Betty Rusnack of Wayne State, her greatest mentor and career influence. With her help, Ms. Cook completed her master’s degree thesis, “Paradigm for Achieving Self-Enhancement: A Problem-Solving Model for Implementing Personal Health Care Goals.” Ms. Cook is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, Association of Oncology Social Workers, Society of Hospital Social Work Directors, American Public Health Association, Michigan Public Health Association and the Social Workers Club of Detroit. MORREECE “ELAINE” COOK CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER Community Hospice Redford, MI HEALTH AND WELLNESS