Joseph P. Ryan

Professor of Social Work and Director, Child and Adolescent Data Lab

Joe Ryan's research and teaching build on his direct practice experience with child welfare and juvenile justice populations. He directs the Child and Adolescent Data Lab, an applied research center that works with public agencies to turn administrative records into evidence for policy and practice. The lab's computational methods help track the trajectories of children and families in child welfare and juvenile justice, and its work serves researchers, practitioners and the communities the data describe.

Ryan is committed to building strong university–public agency partnerships that use empirical evidence to answer critical questions about how systems shape children's lives. He serves on the editorial boards of Child Maltreatment, Social Work Research, Residential Treatment for Children and Youth, and Child Welfare.

Research Interests

Child welfare, Foster care, Residential care, Child maltreatment, Caseworker practices, Public policy

Curriculum Vitae

Contact Information

  • [email protected]

  • (734) 763-6580

  • 2848 SSWB
    University of Michigan
    School of Social Work
    1080 S. University
    Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Education

  • 2002 PhD Social Work
    University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
  • 1996 MSW Social Work
    University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • 1992 BA Psychology
    University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

News

Activities

Websites

Publications

Ryan, J. P., Oshman, L., Frank, C., Perron, B., Victor, B., & Sankaran, V. (2025). Prenatal cannabis exposure and the risk of subsequent maltreatment. Child Abuse & Neglect, 160.
Perron, B. E., Luan, H., Victor, B. G., Hiltz-Perron, O., & Ryan, J. (2024). Moving beyond ChatGPT: Local large language models (LLMs) and the secure analysis of confidential unstructured text data in social work research. Research on Social Work Practice.
Park, K., Victor, B. G., Perron, B. E., Ryan, J. P., & Braun, B. (2024). Persistent racial disproportionality in investigated and substantiated child maltreatment reports: Trend analysis before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–2020). Journal of Public Child Welfare, 18(1), 1-20.
Baron, J. E., Doyle, J. J., Emanuel, N., Hull, P., & Ryan, J. (2024). Discrimination in multiphase systems: Evidence from child protection. The Quarterly Journal of Economics.
Sokol, R. L., Victor, B. G., Yoon, M., Ryan, J., & Perron, B. (2023). Complex, co-occurring needs patterns and evidence-based service planning for families involved in foster care: A map for research and practice. Child Maltreatment, 28(2), 359-371.
Baron, E. J., Jacob, B., & Ryan, P. (2023). Pretrial juvenile detention. Journal of Public Economics, 217, 104798.
Baron, E. J., Goldstein, E. G., & Ryan, J. (2023). The push for racial equity in child welfare: Can blind removals reduce disproportionality? Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 42(2), 456-487.
Sokol, R., Victor, B., Yoon, M., Ryan, J., & Perron, B. (2022). Complex, co-occurring needs patterns and evidence-based service planning for families involved in foster care: A map for research and practice. Child Maltreatment.
Perron, B., Victor, B., Ryan, J., Piellusch, E., & Sokol, R. (2022). A text-based approach to measuring opioid-related risk among families involved in the child welfare system. Child Abuse and Neglect.
Sokol, R., Bushman, G., Gong, C. H., Rupp, L., Ryan, J., & Zimmerman M. (2022). Associations between micro-neighborhood greening and child maltreatment. International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice, 5, 281-293.

Honors and Awards

Year Description
2019 President's Award for Public Impact, University of Michigan
2018 Casey Family Programs
2018 Criminal Justice Policy Committee
2016 Fellow, Society for Social Work and Research
2010 Teacher Rated as Excellent, University of Illinois
2008 Scholars Finalist William, T. Grant Foundation
2007 Teacher Rated as Excellent, University of Illinois
2005 Marjorie Monkman Award, University of Illinois School of Social Work
2004 Teacher Rated as Excellent, University of Illinois
2003 Teacher Rated as Excellent, University of Illinois
2002 Teacher Rated as Excellent, University of Illinois

Presentations

Year Description
2016 Ryan, J. P. (2016) Does geography matter? Neighborhood changes and juvenile delinquency among foster youth. Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR), Washington DC.
2015 Ryan, J. P. (2015). The transition to adulthood in child welfare: Comparing adolescents in foster care and intact family settings. SSWR, New Orleans, LA.
2015 Ryan, J. P. (2015, January). Integrated services in substance abuse treatment: Implications for implementation of the Affordable Care Act. SSWR, New Orleans, LA.
2015 Ryan, J. P. (2015, January). Screening for substance abuse in child welfare: Timing matters. SSWR, New Orleans, LA.
2015 Ryan, J. P. (2015). Adolescent Neglect and Juvenile Delinquency. Invited speaker at the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC), New Orleans, LA.

Courses

Current & Future Courses

Title Instructor Term Course Section Meeting Start Meeting End
Child Welfare System Ryan, Joseph P. Fall 2026 801 06:00 pm 08:00 pm View Course

Past Courses

Title Instructor Term Course Section Meeting Start Meeting End
Child Welfare System Ryan, Joseph P. Winter 2026 801 06:00 pm 08:00 pm View Course
Child Welfare System Ryan, Joseph P. Fall 2025 801 06:00 pm 08:00 pm View Course
Child Welfare System Ryan, Joseph P. Winter 2025 801 06:00 pm 08:00 pm View Course
Child Welfare System Ryan, Joseph P. Fall 2024 801 06:00 pm 08:00 pm View Course
Child Welfare System Ryan, Joseph P. Fall 2023 001 02:00 pm 05:00 pm View Course
Child Welfare System Ryan, Joseph P. Fall 2021 001 06:00 pm 09:00 pm View Course
Child Welfare System Ryan, Joseph P. Winter 2021 001 09:00 am 12:00 pm View Course
Interdisciplinary Problem Solving (Law) Sankaran, Vivek S. Fall 2020 002 03:15 pm 06:30 pm View Course
Integrative Seminar: Child Maltreatment Ryan, Joseph P. Fall 2019 001 02:00 pm 05:00 pm View Course
Juvenile Delinquency, Juvenile Justice and Social Work Ryan, Joseph P. Winter 2019 001 02:00 pm 05:00 pm View Course