J. Richard Romaniuk, PhD, MSSA, LISW-S, LICDC is a researcher, social worker, and educator. He worked in medical research at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Poland, before immigrating to the United States in 1988 to work at Case Western Reserve University in the School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. Currently, he works as a lecturer at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences (MSASS) of CWRU. As a teacher he shares his experiences from working in the Cleveland Department of Veteran Affairs, Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland, and Cleveland Clinic. He has participated in local and national VA committees and as a leader in the National Association of Social Workers in Cleveland.
His previous experience in medical research led him to develop lectures in social work such as the neurobiology of addiction and continues to inform his research and teaching. Dr. Romaniuk started his career as a neuroscientist studying the role of vagus nerve stimulation in the neural control of breathing. While working in the School of Medicine at CWRU, he completed the graduate program in social work at MSASS. In recent years, he learned more about the role of vagus nerve stimulation in somatic interventions in mental health treatment. This is how he realized that everything you learn throughout your life helps you to understand the complexity of mind-body cooperation. He continues to work with a group of neuroscientists from CWRU on electrical stimulation of the spinal cord to restore respiratory muscle function in quadriplegic patients. This research is performed at the Cleveland Department of Veteran Affairs. For more information, see Dr. Krzysztof Kowalski & Spinal cord injury Veterans can now effectively cough.
He shares his experiences in social work and neuroscience in such courses as:
- SASS 500: Introduction to Neuroscience in Social Work Practice
- SASS 520: Homelessness
- SASS 524: Social Work with Military Veterans and their Families
- SASS 547: Problem Identification, Screening and Assessment/Diagnosis
- SASS 562: Social Work Interventions in Co-occurring Mental and Substance Abuse Disorders
- SASS 375: International Travel & Study Abroad: Invisible Groups in a New Poland
- SASS 564: Interventions in Alcohol and other Drug Abuse
Dr. Romaniuk was involved locally as a Board member of The Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County. He served as a Director and Vice President of the John Paul II Polish-American Cultural Center in Cleveland. He is the author of many academic and professional articles in Polish and international publications in the fields of neuroscience, social work, and addiction. He is active in developing cooperation between Adam Mickiewicz University (in Poznań, Poland) and MSASS, and he has helped to organize international conferences in Poland on gambling, addiction, and working with vulnerable populations. He has volunteered in teaching English as an approach to international social work in Poland, Brazil, India, Tanzania, and Guatemala. He understands firsthand how a knowledge of English helps people reach their life goals.
Romaniuk was a featured participant on the Peace Corps' website in Nov. 2024—“The experience virtually is different than experiencing a new place in person, but you will still meet fascinating people. You will still be invited into their homes and their private lives, and you will feel not like a tourist but like a friend.”
Why I Teach
My professional beginnings were in the Polish Academy of Sciences. Education was a part of the Academy's mission. Learning different approaches in international social work motivated me to share what I learned across borders. Mental health and addiction disorders were the focus of my social work practice, and so these became the topics of my educational career.
Why I Chose this Profession
I developed an interest in social action for change as a result of my experience in Poland's “Solidarity” movement. An interest in the biological basis of mental health and addiction disorders directed me to studies of the best practices to help people on their roads to recovery.
Publications
Journal Articles
Romaniuk, J, R., Mamzer, H., Farkas, K, J. (2024). The transformation of social work in Ukraine before and during the war. Society Register 8 (1), 7-26. DOI: 10.14746/sr.2024.8.1.01
Farkas, K. J., Romaniuk, J. R., Mamzer, H. (2023). Using multiple lenses to see an invisible group. Society Register 7 (3), 21-34. DOI: 10.14746/sr.2023.7.3.02
Czarnecka, K., Farkas, K. J., Romaniuk, J. R. (2023). Treatment of trauma using Horse Assisted Education in Poland. Zoophilologica: Polish Journal of Animal Studies, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.31261/ZOOPHILOLOGICA.2023.S.03
Romaniuk, J. R. (2023). Central pattern generator and control of breathing (In Polish). Military Physician, 101(1), 19-25. DOI: 10.53301/lw/156877
Farkas, K. J. & Romaniuk, J. R. (2021). Supervision for Advocacy: Supporting Self-Care. Society Register 5 (4), 23-40.
Romaniuk, J. R. & Farkas, K. J. (2021). Trauma Informed Care in Medical Centers (In Polish). Lekarz Wojskowy 99 (4), 182-190.
Romaniuk, J. R., Kotlarska-Michalska, A. & Farkas, K. J. (2021). American perspectives on suicidality among men in Poland. Society Register 5(1), 45-72.
Romaniuk, J. R., Miller, K., Pieski, M. K., Wojcik, T. G., & Farkas, K. J. (2020). Teaching English as a foreign language: A case study from Poland. Society Register, 4(4), 167-182. https://doi.org/10.14746/sr.2020.4.4.08
Romaniuk, J. R., Esmurdoc, F. C. (2020). The role of Social Work in Health Care for Veterans in the United States of America. Lekarz Wojskowy, 98(3), 199-205.
Farkas, K. J., Romaniuk, J. R. (2020). Social work, ethics and vulnerable groups in the time of coronavirus and COVID-19. Society Register, 4(2), 67-82. DOI: https://pressto.amu.edu.pl/index.php/sr/article/view/22508
Romaniuk, J. R., Farkas, K. J. (2019). Contemporary challenges of social work in Ohio, USA. Social Work, 34 (2): 5-26 (In Polish). https://e-pracasocjalna.pl/resources/html/article/details?id=193660
Romaniuk, J. R. (2019). Mental health problems of the youngest generation of American veterans. Lekarz Wojskowy, 97(1), 50-55.