School of Social Work News

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.

PhD Student Charles Williams II spoke with the Detroit Free Press about the skepticism in Black communities about the COVID-19 vaccination.  As a clergy member who interacts with patients in hospital settings and in his church, Williams qualified to get an early vaccine.  He hopes to convince his church members that the vaccine is safe.  “As a leader, as a pastor… if I have to be the one to get my arm poked so folks can feel a little bit comfortable about them doing it, so be it,” said the Rev. Charles Williams II, current PhD student.

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. 

The Michigan Social Work community abhors the attempted insurrection, violence and violation of the law at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. We respect the constitution, Congress and the peaceful transition of power. The chaos in the Capitol building was an attack on our democracy and has no place in our government. We applaud the action of Congress in today's early morning hours to confirm Joe Biden as the next President of the United States of America. We encourage vigilance and swift action to stop any future acts of sedition or insurrection against our lawful government.

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.

It has been a year upended with the pandemic and by the racial injustice that is embedded in the fabric of our society.  At the same time the work of faculty, students and alumni continue to be dedicated and inspirational.  The world needs social work more than ever, and Michigan social workers have risen to the challenge.  

Read the annual report.

Assistant Professor Lindsay Bornheimer is presenting a "lightning talk" at the Department of Psychiatry's 31st Annual Albert J. Silverman Virtual Research Conference. She will be presenting her research on the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of a cognitive behavioral suicide prevention-focused intervention tailored to adults diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

“Suicide death estimates are eight times greater for individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders as compared to the general population and there is a paucity of evidence-based suicide-prevention approaches tailored for individuals with psychosis. This NIMH R34 study is gaining input from community stakeholders and experts in the field to modify a cognitive-behavioral suicide prevention treatment for individuals with psychosis. We will then test the preliminary effectiveness and implementation of this modified treatment in a randomized controlled trial with providers delivering mental health services and adult clients receiving care at Washtenaw County Community Mental Health,” said Bornheimer.

 After an extensive selection process, the Ann Arbor Human Rights Commission selected three groups from Ayesha Ghazi Edwin’s Introduction to Community Organization, Management and Policy/Evaluation Practice classes to present their projects at the commission’s December meeting. The classes spent the semester investigating their equity issues in Ann Arbor,  interviewing stakeholders and community members and making a recommendation. The groups that presented were:

• Health and Internet Access: Vincent Asta, Michael Holtzman, Sophie Langerman and Brooke Reiter
• Housing and Racial Equity: Abigail Hampton, Bryant Hepp, Shannon Jajko, Christian Smith and Rachel Vanderbush 
• Mental Health and Policing: Mansi Brahmbhatt, Heather Burke, Courtney Callahan and Kayla Harper

The commission works to protect the human and civil rights of the people of Ann Arbor. Its nine members are Ann Arbor residents appointed by the mayor and city council. In addition, Ann Arbor City Council members Elizabeth Nelson and Travis Radina were also present, as was Kathy Wyatt, assistant to the sheriff of Washtenaw County.   

The commission members requested that students' projects be shared with the rest of council and other city commissions. All of the groups have been invited to participate in ongoing subcommittee meetings. The projects are stored in an "issue bank" that can be accessed by city council and city commission members.