School of Social Work News

Clinical Assistant Professor Daicia Price shared her personal and professional experiences with law enforcement agencies in the University Record. Price is currently partnering with Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network to provide weeklong crisis intervention training for law enforcement agencies.

“Five times, myself and my family have been incarcerated for reasons we should not have been, but I still don’t place that on an individual officer. I think about where the gaps were in those different pieces, and helping them understand ways they can do policing in a trauma-informed way,” said Price.

Finn Bell, Joint PhD student in Social Work and Sociology, has been named a Social Work Health Futures Lab Fellow. He joins a national cohort of 26 social work experts from around the U.S. and Canada, who will work together on topics ranging from social media to climate justice. Sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), this initiative aspires to help prepare a new generation of the profession.

"For the past seven years, my community-engaged research has been motivated by trying to understand how communities can build the emotional, spiritual, and cultural sustenance necessary to effectively confront the climate crisis,” said Bell. “I am honored to have been selected as a RWJF Social Work Health Futures Lab Fellow, as it will give me the opportunity to receive specialized training in futures thinking and connect me with a cohort of social work leaders similarly committed to addressing the ‘wicked problems’ of the 21st century from an intersectional anti-racist lens."

View the list of upcoming events and action items related to Showing Up for Racial Justice’s mission to motivate and share transformative education opportunities that sharpen the analysis, organizing skillsand  leadership of white anti-racist organizers and the broader University of Michigan community.

Associate Professor Sandra Momper has been appointed by Provost Susan Collins to the U-M’s Anti-Racism Faculty Hiring Initiative. The initiative, a component of the university’s multifaceted approach to addressing systemic racism, will bring over 20 new scholars with expertise in racial inequality and structural racism to schools and colleges across campus over three years. Members will review hiring proposals and make selections for funding for the first round of tenure track hires in January 2021.

In addition, she recently was appointed by Dilip Das, Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, U-M Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion to the Indigenous Leadership Group.

Ahead (Issue 5) - In-depth views of social work research at the University of Michigan. This issue includes:

• "We Will Find Ways to Come Together" Overcoming Barriers to Conducting Research During Covid-19
• COVID-Specific Faculty Research

The SSW administration has answered the questions presented at the Town Hall on October 20. The document details activities and planning completed by faculty, students and staff at SSW.

It is with humility that I invite you to commemorate World AIDS Day 2020, “Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Resilience and Impact.” Each year on December 1, organizations and individuals across the world bring attention to the HIV epidemic, endeavor to increase HIV awareness and knowledge, speak out against HIV stigma and call for an increased response to move toward ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

What is World AIDS Day and Why Does It Still Matter?

World AIDS Day began in 1988, immediately inspiring people around the world to unite in order to fight the spread of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and to promote awareness about the plight of those who with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Today, World AIDS Day continues to give us opportunities to demonstrate love and support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died from AIDS-related complications.

HIV is transmitted through direct contact with infected blood, semen and/or vaginal fluids. Within a few weeks of infection, those infected may experience flu-like symptoms – fever, sore throat, and fatigue. HIV infection is typically asymptomatic until it progresses to AIDS – weight loss, fever or night sweats, fatigue and recurrent infections. For more information on transmission and symptoms, please go to Centers For Disease Control and Preventions HIV/AIDS Facts and Brochures. There is no cure or vaccine for HIV/AIDS. However, adherence to antiretroviral therapies (ART) can considerably slow the progress of the disease and prolong the individual’s life.

Two Pandemics Interconnect: HIV and COVID-19

Globally, an estimated 38 million people live with HIV and more than 35 million have died of AIDS complications in the past thirty years. As of December 1, 2020, there are approximately 63 million cases of COVID-19 and there have been nearly 1.5 million deaths worldwide. The geographic spread and the toll taken on vulnerable populations make HIV and COVID-19 two of the most devastating pandemics in history.

In the United States, HIV/AIDS disproportionately impacts Black communities. Black people account for about 13% of the U.S. population, but they represented 42% of new HIV diagnoses in 2018. COVID-19 also disproportionately affects Blacks people in the U.S. and abroad. Understanding the connection between these two pandemics is essential, as both clearly show us the need to remove structural barriers affecting the widespread transmission of disease across underserved communities.

These pandemics highlight the effects of anti-Blackness, racism, homophobia and transphobia, poverty and other forms of abuse and oppression that lead to a lack of access to prevention and care. Long-standing inequities have put oppressed groups at increased risk of COVID-19 infection and death. Those living with chronic conditions, such as HIV, are more vulnerable to COVID-19, due to recent disruptions in access to HIV treatments and preventive medications.

World AIDS Day reminds us that HIV is still with us. There is still a vital need to increase awareness, to fight HIV stigma and prejudice against vulnerable populations, and to improve the plight of those who are living with HIV/AIDS while confronting COVID-19.

What Can I do on World AIDS Day?

On World AIDS Day we can all show solidarity with the millions living with HIV. You may choose to wear a red HIV-awareness ribbon today or on any other day of the year. You may also ask yourself, “What can I do, with my capabilities, to help end the HIV/AIDS epidemic and to support those already suffering or at risk?”

Rogério Meireles Pinto
Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Social Work

Lecturer Tony Alvarez’s new book, "Adventure Group Psychotherapy an Experiential Approach to Treatment" explores what is necessary for an experiential therapy group to function effectively, and the practical skills needed to inspire success.

"This inspiring and essential resource provides powerful tools and techniques for adventure therapy practitioners and students," said Will White, co-founder, Summit Achievement, and author of "Stories from the Field: A History of Wilderness Therapy".