Curtis Center Postdoctoral Fellowships - Elizabeth Thomason

Elizabeth is a graduate of U-M’s Joint Doctoral Program in Social Work and Psychology. Currently finishing her second year in the fellowship program, Elizabeth serves in a unique capacity conducting research in maternal mental health and family well-being during early childhood years while working with the Curtis Center’s Program Evaluation Group. The position affords her extensive time on-the-ground in communities, working with social service agencies, collaborating on government projects, while also pursuing research. With support and mentoring from Dr Himle, Elizabeth applied for and received internal funding for a mixed-method study that examines maternal beliefs in African-American women in Flint, Michigan using qualitative interviews, quantitative data collection and analysis.

As part of her fellowship experience, Elizabeth developed and honed her teaching skills while teaching Program Evaluation classes at the MSW level. 

Upon completion of her fellowship at the end of this summer, Elizabeth will enter the job market, teach Introduction to Community Organization, Management and Policy/Evaluation Practice to MSW students, and plans continue her research into maternal depression..

“I have clinical training but I’m not a clinician doing direct practice work. The Program Evaluation Group placement was a great fit because it allowed me to continue my collaborative research while gaining experience in macro community context work, which is rare to find in a university setting.”