Research Office News

Associate Research Scientist Roland Zullo’s research on privatizing food service in Michigan prisons was featured in The Nation’s cover story “How Private Equity Is Turning Public Prisons Into Big Profits.”

Berenice Castillo, Joint PhD student Social Work and Psychology was recently awarded the Jerald and Virginia Bachman Research Fellowship on Change in American Youth from the Institute for Social Research. The Bachman Fellowship is designed to support an outstanding emerging scholar who is conducting research to examine patterns and changes in the lifestyles and values of American youth and young adults.

PhD Student Garrett Pace and coauthors Associate Professor Andrew Grogan-Kaylor and Associate Professor Shawna Lee's poster "Spanking and Young Children’s Socioemotional Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries" was recognized at the Population Association of America annual meeting.

Associate Professor Trina Shanks has been named a fellow at the Urban Institute, where she will contribute her expertise on poverty, wealth inequality and child development to the institute’s research projects. The institute is known for its robust microsimulation models, which use historical census and tax data to forecast the effects of specific policies on communities and families. As a fellow, Shanks will be able to run simulations specifically focused on Michigan and Detroit.

Associate Professor Andrew Grogan-Kaylor and Berenice Castillo (PhD student) had their research featured in "Revista Semana", an important news magazine in Colombia. The article explained how socioeconomic factors contribute to the physical discipline of children in Colombia.

Joyce Lee's (PhD student), study published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence found that when parents listen or use humor to resolve conflicts, their children report fewer emotional and behavior problems. Families from all socioeconomic backgrounds are affected by parental conflict. The rates tend to be higher in low-income households that deal with poverty, stress and unemployment.

Associate Professor Daphne Watkins received the “Thought Leader Award for Peer-Reviewed Publications” at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Connections Capstone Symposium last month. Watkins was the recipient of a New Connections Initiative Award in 2007 for her project “Examining the Influence of Psychosocial Factors on the Mental Health of Black Men.” This recent accolade is in recognition of the impact she’s made in her field as well as the quantity and quality of the work she’s produced since receiving her initial award.

Assistant Professor Xiaoling Xiang's new study tracks the behavior of older adults whose needs were not handled properly, leading to elevated anxiety symptoms. “Our findings reinforce the notion that needs for mental health services and community-based long-term services and supports are interconnected,” Xiang said.