Michael (Mike) Spencer

Associate Professor of Social Work

Degrees

BA, Psychology, 1988, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu;
MSSW, Social Work, 1992, University of Texas, Austin;
PhD, Social Welfare, 1996, University of Washington, Seattle

BioSketch

Associate Professor Michael Spencer's research examines disparities in physical and mental health and service use of populations of color, as well as interventions for reducing disparities. Dr. Spencer is the principal investigator of the REACH Detroit Family Intervention, an NIH-funded, community-based, participatory research (CBPR) project that aims at reducing disparities in type 2 diabetes through the use of community health workers among Latino residents in Southwest Detroit.

Also, Dr. Spencer has initiated CBPR interventions on issues of environmental justice in collaboration with the Environmental Justice Initiative through the School of Natural Resources and the Environment. These interventions aim at building the capacity of community residents to organize and take action against environmental injustices in Detroit neighborhoods.

Dr. Spencer also coordinates dialogue groups in local high schools as a means for negotiating conflict and promoting anti-bigotry and social justice among adolescents. He teaches courses in multicultural multilingual organizing, dialogue facilitation, community development, human behavior in the social environment, and contemporary cultures in the United States. He specializes in social justice education and has conducted numerous workshops and lectures on issues of diversity and disparities.

Personal Information

Email

spencerm@umich.edu

Web Sites

GPY - Building Collaboratories around Mental Health Services for Children in Detroit Head Start

Mailbox

INDI

212

Primary Location

Room:	2728 SSWB
Phone:	(734) 764-7224
Fax:	(734) 763-3372

University of Michigan
School of Social Work
1080 S. University
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Selected Publications

Laroche, H. H., Davis, M. M., Forman, J., Palmisano, G., Reisinger, H., Spencer, M. S., et al. (in press). Childrens? messages and actions toward a parent with diabetes: An exploration. American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Rosland, A., Kieffer, E., Israel, B., Cofield, M., Palmisano, G., Spencer, M. S., et al. (in press). When is social support important? The association of family support and professional support with specific diabetes self-management behaviors. Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Spencer, M. S., Brown, M., & Garvin, C. (in press). Process and impact evaluation of an intergroup dialogue program for high school students [Special issue]. Small Group Research.

Spencer, M. S., & Martineau, D. J. (in press). Facilitation training for dialogues on diversity and social justice: Skills for multicultural social work practice. In K. Maxwell, M. Thompson, & B. Nagda (Eds.), Facilitating intergroup dialogues: Training models, pedagogical practices and research. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

Heisler, M., Spencer, M., Palmisano, G., Forman, J., Graddy-Dansby, G., & Kieffer, E. A. (in press). Qualitative assessment of the influence of a community health worker intervention on diabetes care and patient-doctor interactions in inner-city Detroit. American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Spencer, M. S. (2008). A social worker's reflections on power, privilege, and oppression. Social Work, 53(2), 99-101.

Spencer, M. S., Brown, M., Griffin, S., & Abdullah, S. (2008). Outcome evaluation of the intergroup project. Small Group Research, 39(1), 82-103.

Chavez, V., Minkler, M., Wallerstein, N., & Spencer, M. S. (2007). Community organizing for social justice. In L. Cohen, V. Chavez, & S. Chehimi (Eds.), Prevention is primary: A renewed approach to health (pp. 95-120). San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

Gee, G., Spencer, M. S., Chen, J., & Takeuchi, D. T. (2007). The association between perceived discrimination and DSM-IV mental health disorders: A nationally representative study of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. Social Science and Medicine, 64, 1984-1996

Spencer, M. S., Kohn-Wood, L. P., Jankowski, R., Grant, S., & McCall, J. (2007). Perceptions of mental health services among low-income parents of Head Start children. In B. A. Arrighi & D. J. Maume (Eds.), Child poverty in America today (Vol. 2, pp. 93-105). Westport, CT: Praeger.

Two Feathers, J., Kieffer, E., Spencer, M., Janz, N., Palmisano, G., Anderson, M. A., et al. (2007). Development, implementation and process evaluation of the REACH Detroit Partnership's Diabetes Lifestyle Intervention. Diabetes Educator, 33(3), 509-520.

Abe-Kim, J. Takeuchi, D. T., Hong, S., Zane, N., Sue, S., Spencer, M. S., et al. (2007). Use of mental health-related services among immigrant and US-born Asian Americans: results from the National Latino and Asian American Study. American Journal of Public Health, 97, 91-98.

Gee, G. C., Spencer, M. S., Chen, J., & Takeuchi, D. (2007). A nationwide study of discrimination and chronic health conditions among Asian Americans. American Journal of Public Health, 97, 1275-1282.

Gee, G., Chen, J, Spencer, M. S., See, S., Kuester, O., Tran, D, et al. (2006). Social support as a buffer for perceived unfair treatment among Filipino Americans: Differences between San Francisco and Honolulu. American Journal of Public Health, 96(4), 677-684.

Hudson-Banks, K., Kohn, L. P., & Spencer, M. S. (2006). An examination of the African American experience of everyday discrimination and symptoms of psychological distress. Journal of Community Mental Health, 42(6), 555-570.

Kieffer, E. C., Sinco, B. R., Rafferty, A., Spencer, M. S., Palmisano, G., Watt, E. E., et al. (2006). Chronic disease - Related behaviors and health among African Americans and Hispanics in the REACH Detroit 2010 Communites, Michigan and the United States [Suppl.]. Health Promotion Practice, 7(3), 256-264.

Spencer, M. S., Kieffer, E. C., Sinco, B. R., Palmisano, G., Guzman, R., James, S., et al. (2006). Diabetes-specific emotional distress among African Americans and Latinos. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 18, 88-105.