Helen Rehr

Helen Rehr (1919–2013) was an American medical social worker and director of the Department of Social Work at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Born in New York to Polish immigrants, she earned a master's degree from Columbia University School of Social Work in 1945 and a doctorate in 1970. Rehr began her career at Mount Sinai Hospital in 1954, eventually retiring as the department's director in 1986. During her tenure, she established international exchanges for social work scholarship, co-founded the International Conference on Social Work in Health and Mental Health, and served as a faculty member and director of the Academic Division of Social Work at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Rehr authored over 100 scholarly publications and was a prominent figure in her field. She held editorial board roles and was a visiting professor at institutions including the University of Pennsylvania, Ben-Gurion University, and Hebrew University. Honored with awards such as the CUSSW Distinguished Service Alumni Medal, induction into the National Association of Social Workers' Pioneers Hall of Fame, and fellowships from the New York Academy of Medicine, Rehr left a lasting legacy. After her death in 2013, she established scholarships and professorship funds at Columbia University School of Social Work, and the Helen Rehr Center for Social Work Practice was founded in her honor.