School of Behavioral and Applied Sciences

Kathleen Tangenberg is co-chair of the Department of Social Work, director of the MSW Program, and associate professor of social work at Azusa Pacific University. Prior to moving to California in 2005, she taught in the M.S.W. programs at the University of Iowa and the University of Washington-Tacoma. Tangenberg received her Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of Washington, Seattle, in 1998. Her doctoral dissertation explored the physical and spiritual experiences of mothers living with HIV/AIDS, and their implications for social work practice, education, and research. Tangenberg's later pro-research projects and publications have examined the relevance of spirituality to addiction, spiritual, and political dimensions of faith-based social service delivery, international HIV/AIDS prevention, the experiences of women over 50 living with HIV/AIDS, the effects of fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions on family relationships, and youth mentoring activities in religious congregations. Tangenberg's publications include works published in Social Work, Families in Society, Affilia, Journal of Mental Health and Aging, and Journal of Social Work Research and Evaluation. Tangenberg teaches courses on social welfare policy, human behavior in the social environment, ethics, and addictions. Her social work practice experience includes home-based family counseling, hospital social work specializing in women’s health, and case management with adolescent parents.