Robert McKinney, LCSW
Social Worker
Dr. Robert McKinney, LICSW-S/PIP, C-IAYT, is associate professor of behavioral medicine in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the College of Community Health Sciences. McKinney is also director of University Medical Center’s Department of Social Services, where he supervises social work field students and student employees as they address the unmet patient needs regarding their social, environmental, and familial situations. UMC is operated by CCHS.
McKinney teaches about the social determinants of health and mental health and works in clinical teaching environments alongside interprofessional colleagues and learners. At UMC, McKinney facilitates and supervises clinical behavioral medicine learning opportunities for trainees from social work, psychology, counseling, and marriage and family therapy.
McKinney earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Mississippi State University in Starkville. He completed his master’s degree and PhD in social work at The University of Alabama School of Social Work. His professional experience began with direct clinical practice with children, adolescents and their families at Indian Rivers Community Mental Health Center in Tuscaloosa. He was the assistant director of Tuscaloosa’s One Place and served as the interim director of the Working On Womanhood program. McKinney is an active clinical social worker and a registered yoga therapist.
McKinney’s clinical and research interests are primarily in the areas of social determinants of health and academic medicine. He is a member of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association and the National Association of Social Workers. He has previously been the District 7 representative to the Alabama State Board of Social Work Examiners. He is the editor of the International Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics.
McKinney is formerly a working bass player and yoga studio owner. He’s a married father of two really cool kids and is a vegetarian. When he’s not at work, he likes to travel, explore new foods, and play snooker or 9-ball, preferably all at the same time.