Dr. Cristina Nedelcu is a full-time lecturer at CWRU/MSASS. In this role, Dr. Nedelcu provides academic advisement to an assigned group of students and teaches a variety of courses in direct practice, theory and research methods. Dr. Nedelcu utilizes a variety of instructional strategies in order to engage students, including adult learning theory, self-directed, cooperative and transformational learning. active in the development and implementation of the virtual program at MSASS.
Dr. Nedelcu received a PhD in Social Welfare from Case Western Reserve University in 2019. She holds a MSSA (Masters in Social Service Administration) with from Case Western Reserve University/Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences (2002) and a MD degree from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila” in Bucharest, Romania (1991).
Dr. Nedelcu has participated in various research studies for CWRU on Indian and Norwegian adoptions and in emerging adulthood for youth in systems of care and Romanian adoptees. She is the co-author of a number of reviewed journal articles and of an encyclopedia entry on the topic of Romanian adoptions in the Historical and Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia of Adoption (2006). In addition, she is the co-author of a chapter on the Romanian Child Welfare System in the Inter-Country Adoptions: Policies, Practices and Outcomes (2013). Dr. Nedelcu was a presenter at different local and national conferences between 2005 and 2020. Her current research interests include: domestic and international adoptions and emerging adulthood in vulnerable populations.
Dr. Nedelcu has worked in the field of Child Welfare for more than 25 years, both in the US and internationally. In the early years of her career, Dr. Nedelcu has served as an Adoption and Permanency Planning Social Worker and Supervisor and Senior Manager of Training and Professional Development at Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services. Before immigrating to the US in 1994, Dr. Nedelcu was an Assistant Director of Training and Development at Holt International Children Services in Bucharest, Romania. Cristina was among the social work pioneers who developed and established the very first network of foster and adoptive families in Romania to address the urgent problem of institutionalized children.
Dr. Nedelcu is fluent in 3 languages: English, Romanian and French and can communicate on a basic level in 2 other languages: German and Italian.