Faculty

Matthew J. Smith, PhD, MSW, MPE, LCSW, received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed post-doctoral fellowships in psychiatric epidemiology and biostatistics at Washington University in St. Louis and in translational neuroscience at Northwestern University. Smith also ...

Karen Staller, PhD, JD, received her educational training at Cornell Law School and Columbia University School of Social Work, where her dissertation on runaway and homeless youth was awarded with distinction. Staller practiced public interest law with low-income senior citizens and at-risk ...

Richard M. Tolman, LMSW, PhD, is a professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. He received his doctorate in social welfare from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his MSW from the University of Michigan. Professor Tolman's work focuses on the effectiveness of ...

My research aims to increase access to mental health services for underserved, economically disadvantaged individuals and families living in rural communities. As an intervention and services researcher, I seek to develop and test innovative approaches for adapting, translating, and ...

Cross received her MSW from the School of Social Work and a PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of Michigan. Her research program utilizes a strength-based approach to examining family and cultural factors that promote healthy development and mitigate the risk of poor ...

Larry M. Gant’s current work focuses on neighborhood-level change efforts in the Detroit and surrounding metropolitan areas. The co-operative work incorporates strategies and tactics inspired by collaborations with research colleagues sharing historical, social and political lessons learned from ...

Professor Lorraine Gutiérrez has a joint appointment with the School of Social Work (SSW) and Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan and is a faculty associate in American Culture. She also is a member of the SSW Community Organization Learning Community. Her teaching and ...

Katie Richards-Schuster, AM, PhD, is an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. She received her doctorate in Social Work and Sociology from the University of Michigan and her AM from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. Her ...

Associate Professor Kristin Seefeldt’s primary research interests lie in exploring how low-income individuals understand their situations, particularly around issues related to work and economic well being. Currently, she is conducting research on families’ financial coping strategies and is a ...

Jamie Kynn, MA, MSW, focuses on research methods, program evaluation, social welfare policies and violence prevention. Their work is centered on understanding violence at a macro-level and how social workers can improve how institutions interact with historically marginalized populations. Kynn ...

Dr. Dana Levin is a graduate of the Joint Program in Social Work and Developmental Psychology (2010), and an associate professor of social work at the University of Windsor in Ontario. Her research focuses primarily on gender and sexual socialization in adolescents and emerging adults, looking ...

Professor Ruth Dunkle's research, teaching, and clinical practice focus on gerontology. Recent research projects include "Mothers of Adult Daughters with a Serious Mental Illness: The Experience of African Americans and Whites" and "An Historical Perspective of Social Service Delivery in Detroit ...

Thomas Powell conducts research with mental health and substance use self-help groups. He has been an active participant in research on community support systems for consumers and family caregivers. As principal investigator for the NIMH-funded Center for Self-Help Research, he has collaborated ...

Lawrence Root is a professor in University of Michigan's School of Social Work. His research and practice have focused on the intersection of employment and social welfare. He has directed programs and published in the areas of fringe benefits and social policy, employee assistance programs, ...

Daniel Fischer is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work, and Assistant Dean and Director of Field Education at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. He is also an Clinical Assistant Professor at Michigan Medicine Department of Psychiatry. Dan completed his BA is psychology ...

Leslie Hollingsworth retired on 5/31/2016. Her research interests have focused on circumstances surrounding the lives of vulnerable children and families across the child welfare and mental health systems and their implications for social work practice and policy. Her adoption-related research ...