Research Office News

Professor Luke Shaefer spoke with the New York Times about Biden’s child poverty plan. “This is the boldest vision laid out by an American president for fighting poverty, and child poverty in particular, in at least half a century,” said Shaefer. 

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Researchers at the Center for Equitable Family & Community Well-Being surveyed more than 600 low-income residents across Ypsilanti about the impact of COVID-19. Their work is giving voice to the needs of those disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, ensuring that local health and economic responses attend to issues of equity.

Assistant Professor Shanna Kattari has received the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) 2021 Deborah K. Padgett Early Career Award, which recognizes an individual in their early career who is making a notable impact in their profession. Her accomplishments reflect innovative scholarship, a rigorous approach to social work research and work that exhibits an emerging influence in the field.

“I am so honored to receive this award; as someone whose focus on community engaged research and areas that are often less explored in the field of social work, I am delighted that this research is being recognized for the impact it has on the communities with whom I partner. I could not have done any of this on my own, and am so appreciative for all of the labor and support these communities have provided to help make this research possible,” said Kattari.

Kattari will receive the award at the SSWR virtual meeting award presentation, which will be live streamed on Thursday, January 21, 2021, 2:30 – 3:30 PM, EST.

Field Faculty Rosalva Osorio and Field Instructor Meghan Thiel have been selected as U-M Interprofessional Leadership Fellows. The program provides faculty members with opportunities to learn from and work with health sciences academic and practice leaders, at both the university and national level, and equips them to be interprofessional educator scholars, effective leaders and change agents.

Professor William Elliott III and MSW student Sophia Nielsen write about reducing poverty and promoting economic mobility through Child Savings Accounts and other short-term and long-term education investments in College Promise’s latest newsletter.

Professor Trina Shanks and Patrick Meehan, Program Manager of the Center for Equitable Family and Community Well-Being, wrote an op-ed for the Michigan Journal of Public Affairs. They write: “As the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines begins, the medical establishment faces a critical challenge: earning Black Americans' trust.”

Professor Daphne Watkins is a co-chair of a new task force, Advancing Public Safety at the University of Michigan. President Mark Schlissel and Provost Susan Collins appointed a 20-member task force that will examine what’s working and what needs to be improved with the university’s Division of Public Safety and Security. The task force is among several anti-racism initiatives that U-M officials announced last fall after the deaths of George Floyd and other Black people at the hands of police sparked national conversations around structural racism and policing. 

Assistant Professor Jamie Mitchell has been named assistant director of clinical research participation of the Community Outreach and Engagement program at Michigan Medicine’s Rogel Cancer Center. In this role, Mitchell will look to curate best practices for minority enrollment, providing a toolbox to help investigators consider diversity and inclusivity as they develop their trials. The role leverages work Mitchell is already doing to increase minority recruitment for aging-related studies.

“We as a cancer center community value research that represents more than just the majority population. We want to know our insights and discoveries apply to diverse populations. If we are having trouble recruiting diverse patients to our trials, having someone to think through issues strategically will help make it easier on researchers,” says Mitchell.