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Areas of Research and Practice
Dr. Jess Retrum is Interim Dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences and Professor of Social Work at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Throughout her career, she has been committed to building partnerships between higher education, health systems, government agencies, and community organizations to address complex workforce and community challenges. Her work focuses on behavioral health workforce development, interprofessional education, aging and healthy communities, health and human services systems, and innovative education-to-workforce pathways. She is passionate about engaging students in applied research, grant-funded initiatives, and community-based projects that create meaningful learning experiences while improving the health and well-being of Colorado communities.
Biography
Dr. Jess Retrum, PhD, MSSW, serves as Interim Dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences and Professor of Social Work at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She provides strategic leadership for one of Colorado’s largest colleges preparing the health, behavioral health, and human services workforce, with a focus on student success, community partnerships, innovation, and workforce development.
Before serving as Interim Dean, Dr. Retrum was Chair of the Department of Social Work, where she led significant program growth, interdisciplinary collaboration, and externally funded initiatives. During her time as chair, she served on the Executive Committee of the Council of Chairs and Directors, representing academic leaders across the university, including serving as Vice President (2021–2023) and President (2023–2025).
Dr. Retrum has more than eight years of clinical social work experience in hospice, home health, inpatient care, developmental disabilities, and community mental health. Her research career began with a John A. Hartford Foundation Pre-Dissertation Award and continued through the Institute of Gerontology at the University of Colorado Denver. She later served as the PARTNER Postdoctoral Fellow in Public Health Systems and Services Research, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Her scholarship has addressed aging, social isolation, health equity, community-based services, and public health systems. She has led and collaborated on projects examining older adult isolation, LGBTQ+ aging, geriatric social work workforce development, and evidence-based practice, including serving as lead researcher for AARP’s Framework for Isolation in Adults Over 50.
More recently, Dr. Retrum’s work has centered on strengthening Colorado’s behavioral health workforce through innovative educational pathways and cross-sector partnerships. As Principal Investigator of a $1.5 million Colorado Behavioral Health Administration initiative, she has led the development of apprenticeship-based and employment-supported pathways designed to expand access to behavioral health careers while helping address critical workforce shortages across the state.
Throughout her career, Dr. Retrum has remained committed to integrating teaching, scholarship, leadership, and community engagement. She has taught undergraduate and graduate social work courses in clinical practice, research, program evaluation, health and behavioral health, families, and aging. Whether leading a college, securing external funding, or mentoring students and faculty, her work is grounded in the belief that universities have a responsibility to partner with communities to improve health, strengthen the workforce, and expand opportunity.