Award for Johanna Hefel

Johanna Hefel from Dornbirn established the master's degree programme in Clinical Social Work, founded the Austrian Society for Social Work (ogsa) with colleagues from the federal states in 2012 and has been its first female president since 2019. In 2019, she was awarded the Austrian Social Work Science Prize for her dissertation on "Loss, Dying and Death across the Lifespan". For her autoethnographic contribution, she received the Best Abstract Award at the "International Conference on Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society" in Hong Kong. Hefel is also a member of national and international committees and of the recently formed Scientific Advisory Board of Hospice Austria. These are just a few examples of her impressive professional career.

Great recognition

Every year on St. Joseph's Day (19 March), the country puts the spotlight on fellow citizens who have made a commendable contribution to the country, its people and society as a whole over a long period of time. "This award came as a complete surprise to me. As a feminist woman in particular, I see the award as a recognition and appreciation of my professionalism and my commitment to the profession and discipline of Social Work, both at the FHV and throughout Austria. On a meta-level, the award is also a recognition of the Social Work profession," Hefel said happily.

Congratulations from the FHV 

Hefel is the second professor at the FHV to receive this award. The current FHV rector Regine Kadgien, then head of the Computer Science degree programme, was honoured in 2022 for her commitment to inspiring young people for STEM subjects and as co-initiator of the "Code Base Camp Vorarlberg" project. "I am delighted that Johanna Hefel has been awarded the Grand Decoration of Merit. It is impressive what she has achieved with her work at the FHV and beyond. We are proud that she taught and researched at our university for over two decades until her retirement last year and that she still teaches today as an external lecturer. A big thank you and congratulations on the award," emphasized FHV Rector Kadgien.

Congratulations were also offered by FHV Managing Director Stefan Fitz-Rankl: "Johanna Hefel has significantly shaped Social Work at the FHV and beyond with her many years of commitment to teaching and research. She deserves the highest recognition for her great commitment and professional expertise. I warmly congratulate her on this special award."

Education has always been very important to Johanna Hefel. "I had good, supportive socialization conditions. I grew up with a well-filled rucksack of values, self-efficacy and resilience," says Hefel, looking back on her career. She has done pioneering work at a professional level. International Social Work in teaching and research was an important focus in her professional life. "Professional success also means, in particular, disciplined work, perseverance in the sense of stubborn persistence and sacrifice. I am proud of my grown-up children, of our relationship, that they have walked this path with me and that they are exactly the way they are," emphasizes the award winner.

Passion for teaching and research 

She helped develop the Social Work degree programmes at the FHV. "I enjoy researching and teaching and working with students is still a task that I am passionate about. I'm interested in the students, how they see the world, their experiences and ideas, and this flows into my teaching," says Hefel. Her research focuses on taboo topics. She always sees Social Work as political. Hefel was involved in the development of the Social Work Designation Act 2024 from the very beginning and is playing a key role in the current process of developing a professional law for Social Work.

Networking is important

The winner of the Grand Award of Merit would like to give all women one more thing. "Always dare to do more than you think you can and network with others who are well-disposed towards you. Smart women in particular tend to be overly self-critical. I think that we women should consciously tackle professional challenges. Especially when it comes to content positioning and leadership roles, we should think carefully about who we choose as mentors. It is important to position yourself, but also to accept that others may take an opposing position and that can also be uncomfortable," Hefel concludes. 

About the person

Professor (FH) Dr. Johanna M. Hefel

• Born 1964, professor of Social Work at the FHV (from 2004 to 2025), set up the master's degree programme in Clinical Social Work, external lecturer at the FHV since 2026
• Studied Social Work (Bregenz) and Educational Sciences (Innsbruck); 2017 dissertation at the University of Innsbruck on the topic of "Loss, dying and death across the lifespan" and 2019 award of the Austrian Social Work Science Prize for her work
• Research on loss, dying and death; professionalization of social work; digitalization and social work; Best Abstract Award at the "International Conference on Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society" in Hong Kong
• International research and teaching, including in Finland and the UK (Research Fellowship, University of Bath)
• Co-founder and President of the Austrian Society for Social Work (ogsa)
• Co-founder and deputy chairwoman of the grief research institute "kleine Blume e. V."
• Involvement in national and international professional societies, committees and in the hospice sector; member of the scientific advisory board of Hospiz Österreich, editor of the online journal Social Work "soziales kapital"

Click here for the press article of the state of Vorarlberg.