Faculty

Dr. Laura Yakas completed her PhD in anthropology and social work here at the University of Michigan in 2018. Her passion is disability justice and healing-centered pedagogy, and she loves writing articles and book chapters and teaching transformative social work courses. She also enjoys writing and performing musical comedy – because making fun of the world is another way to transform it!

Nari Yoo, PhD, is an assistant professor at the School of Social Work and a scholar in the NIH-funded Michigan Program for Advancing Cultural Transformation (M-PACT). She studies well-being and service use among immigrant and refugee, racial and ethnic minority, and linguistic minority populations, and how digital technology is reshaping access, delivery and implementation of care for these groups.

Professor Yoshihama's research interests are violence against women, immigrants, mental health, and community organizing. Combining research and social action at local, state, national, and international levels over the last 25 years, Dr. Yoshihama focuses on the prevention of gender-based violence and promotion of the safety and wellbeing of marginalized populations and communities. Dr. Yoshihama’s research in both the U.S.

Lacea Zavala, MSW ‘07, is the Lead Learning Experience Designer and an adjunct lecturer at the U-M School of Social Work, and a child abuse prevention community organizer. Zavala worked for over 20 years in a variety of positions across the child welfare system, most recently as a supervisor for the Kids-TALK Children’s Advocacy Center in Detroit. Zavala was a LEO I Lecturer for UM-Dearborn in the College of Education, Health, and Human Services, where she developed and launched a course on child maltreatment and trauma in 2016 and taught for seven years.

Dr. Brad Zebrack's research and teaching interests are in the areas of health, psychosocial oncology, medical social work and health service delivery. His research on quality of life and cancer survivorship over the past 25 years has been supported by the National Cancer Institute (K07, R03, R01), the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), and HopeLab Inc.

Candace Ziglor holds a Doctor of Social Work from Simmons University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto, with a concentration in individual, group, and family practice with children and families. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry, where she supports dental students in developing person-centered care approaches and strong interpersonal communication skills. In the student dental clinic, Dr.

Roland Zullo is the Director of the Center for Labor and Community Studies at the University of Michigan - Dearborn. His interest is in understanding how non-market institutions contribute to the formation of sustainable economies, defined as exchange systems that are equitable, politically stable and environmentally responsible.