Amanda Ryan LMSW, graduated in 2004 from St. Edward's University in Austin, with a BA in Social Work, with the distinction Cum Laude. While working on her undergraduate degree, Amanda completed a year long internship with Communities in Schools at an elementary school in Austin, TX, and led the annual Coats For Kids drive for the entire elementary. In 2007, Amanda received her MSW at the University of Texas at Austin. While working on her MSW, Amanda completed her internship at St David's Hospital in Austin. During her internships, Amanda gained skills in counseling, crisis intervention, case management, group therapy, trauma, and community engagement. After graduating from UT Austin, Amanda began a career as a hospital social worker, working with Nephrology and Dialysis patients, as well as working with patients on the Med/Surg and Cancer floors in East Texas and spent the last four and half years in the Emergency Room setting working with psychiatric and substance abuse cases. Amanda’s research interests include mental health, substance abuse, and community health.