Sunggeun (Ethan) Park

Associate Professor of Social Work

Ethan Park is an organizational scholar with an overarching research question, "how can health and social service organizations provide more responsive and effective services?" He is deeply interested in (1) how to ensure user's meaningful representation opportunities in service and policy decision-making processes, and (2) how intra/inter-organizational collaborations and macro-level measures influence organizational behaviors and shape the experience of vulnerable service users. As a scholar using organization as a main unit of analysis, Park's study spans across multiple fields, including but not limited to substance use disorder treatment centers, community-based organizations in South Side Chicago, child and youth serving organizations, homeless-serving regional networks and HIV prevention service providers.

Research Interests

Human service organization, Nonprofit Strategy and Management, Client Engagement in Services, Empowerment Practice, Health Care Politics and Policy, Child Welfare Policy and Practices, Health Services and Access and Public-Private Collaboration

Curriculum Vitae

Contact Information

  • [email protected]

  • (734) 615-2916

  • 3810 SSWB
    University of Michigan
    School of Social Work
    1080 S. University Ave.
    Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Education

  • 2018 PhD Social Service Administration
    University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
  • 2012 MBA Business Administration
    Washington University, St. Louis, MO
  • 2010 MSW Social Work
    Washington University, St. Louis, MO
  • 2008 BS Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
    Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Gyeongbuk Province, SOUTH KOREA
  • 2008 BA Social Welfare
    Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Gyeongbuk Province, SOUTH KOREA

News

Activities

Websites

Publications

Meehan, P. & Park, S. (2025). Racial disparities in the mortgage application process: Evidence from 2018 to 2024 national-level data. Race and Social Problems, 18(12).
Park. S., Okpych, N. J., & Courtney, M. E. (2025). Effectiveness of public-nonprofit collaboration: Providing transition housing placements for transition-age foster youth in California. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research.
Park, S., Bakko, M., & Pinto, R. M. (2025). Improving delivery of research-supported practices in human service organizations: A narrative review of organizational dimensions in dissemination and implementation. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership, & Governance.
Elliott, W., Jones-Layman, A., Park, S., Min, S., & O’Brien, M. (2024). What are characteristics of tangible hope? A guaranteed income and asset experiment in Saint Paul, MN/A children's savings account program. Sociology Mind, 14, 95-120.
Pinto, R. M., Hall, E. , Im, V. , Lee, C. A., & Park, S. (2024). Disruptions to HIV services due to the COVID pandemic in the USA: A state-level stakeholder perspective. BMC Health Services Research, 24, 196.
Park, S., Nadon, M., Okpych, N. J., Harty, J., & Courtney, M. E. (2024). Examining prevalence and predictors of food insecurity for transition-age youth transitioning out of foster care. Journal of Public Child Welfare. 1-30.
Park, S., Okpych, N. J., Harty, J., & Courtney, M. E. (2023). County-level factors matter: The role of contextual factors in foster youths' extended foster care participation and human capital outcomes. Child Maltreatment, 28(2), 332-344.
Okpych, N. J., Park, S., Powers, J., Harty, J., & Courtney, M. E. (2023). Relationships that persist and protect: The role of enduring relationships on early-adult outcomes among youth transitioning out of foster care. Social Service Review.
Okpych, N. J., Courtney, M. E., & Park, S. (2022). Memo from CalYOUTH: Colleges that are most frequently attended by older youth in California foster care. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.
Nadon, M., Park, S., Feng, H., & Courtney, M. E. (2022). Examining prevalence and predictors of economic hardships for transition-age foster youth. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research.

Honors and Awards

Year Description
2025 2025 SSWR Fellow
2022 Elected treasurer of the Society for Social Work and Research

Presentations

Year Description
2025 Hammond, I., Park, S. Okpych, N. J., Harty, J., & Courtney, M. E. (2025, January) Differences in satisfaction and perceived benefit of foster care: insights from CalYOUTH study participants. Society for Social Work and Research Conference (SSWR). Seattle, WA.
2025 Park, S., Okpych, N. J., Harty, J., & Courtney, M. E. (2025, January) Does transition planning increase service use among older adolescents in foster care? Society for Social Work and Research Conference (SSWR). Seattle, WA.
2024 Park, S., Okpych, N. J., Harty, J., & Courtney, M. E. (2024, June) Co-production of transition planning increased independent living service use among older adolescents in foster care. Public Management Research Conference, Seattle, WA
2024 Raeymaeckers, P., Mosley, J., Bode, I., Arvidson, M., Almog-Bar, M., & Park, S. (2024, July) Ships passing in the night? Improving scholarly conversations between social work, nonprofit studies and public administration. ISTR, Antwerp, Belgium
2024 Park, S., Okpych, N. J., Harty, J., & Courtney, M. E. (2024, July) Co-production of transition planning increased independent living service use among older adolescents in foster care. ISTR, Antwerp, Belgium

Courses

Current & Future Courses

Title Instructor Term Course Section Meeting Start Meeting End
Frameworks for Understanding Social Impact Organizations Park, Sunggeun (Ethan) Fall 2026 001 09:00 am 12:00 pm View Course
Essentials of Community and Organizational Practice Park, Sunggeun (Ethan) Fall 2026 001 02:00 pm 05:00 pm View Course

Past Courses

Title Instructor Term Course Section Meeting Start Meeting End
Advanced Topics in Management & Leadership Park, Sunggeun (Ethan) Winter 2025 001 06:00 pm 09:00 pm View Course
Frameworks for Understanding Social Impact Organizations Park, Sunggeun (Ethan) Winter 2025 001 09:00 am 12:00 pm View Course
Essentials of Community and Organizational Practice Park, Sunggeun (Ethan) Fall 2024 002 09:00 am 12:00 pm View Course
Frameworks for Understanding Social Impact Organizations Park, Sunggeun (Ethan) Fall 2024 001 09:00 am 12:00 pm View Course
Advanced Topics in Management & Leadership Park, Sunggeun (Ethan) Winter 2024 001 06:00 pm 09:00 pm View Course
Frameworks for Understanding Social Impact Organizations Park, Sunggeun (Ethan) Winter 2024 001 09:00 am 12:00 pm View Course
Frameworks for Understanding Social Impact Organizations Park, Sunggeun (Ethan) Fall 2023 001 09:00 am 12:00 pm View Course
Budgeting and Fiscal Management Park, Sunggeun (Ethan) Winter 2023 001 09:00 am 12:00 pm View Course
Advanced Topics in Management & Leadership Park, Sunggeun (Ethan) Winter 2023 001 05:00 pm 08:00 pm View Course
Frameworks for Understanding Social Impact Organizations Park, Sunggeun (Ethan) Winter 2023 001 09:00 am 12:00 pm View Course