School of Social Work News

Field Faculty Rosalva Osorio has been appointed to the Task Force on Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and Developmental Neuroscience, a collaborative project between the Council on Social Work Education and the Erickson Institute.

Ashley Hajski, Joint PhD student in social work and psychology, successfully defended her dissertation titled, "Young Families in the Community: An Exploratory Analysis of Child Welfare Contact Among Young Mothers and their Children." Her committee consisted of Barry Checkoway (co-chair), Lorraine Gutiérrez (co-chair), Joe Ryan and Monique Ward.

Assistant Professor Jamie Mitchell discussed the lack of diversity in the subjects of medical research studies and how diseases and treatment differ based on race and gender with Michigan Radio. “We don’t have a lot of confidence to be able to tell patients, yes we’ve actually tested this Alzheimer’s intervention, this depression intervention, with people who look like you, who may have a similar background and upbringing as you, who may have faced some of the same stressors — such as discrimination — as you,” Mitchell said.

Lecturer Ayesha Ghazi and the students in her Social Work 560 course immersed themselves in the Sugarbrook neighborhood for a semester to study engagement, policy and community organizing. The students led a number of activities and joined pre-existing neighborhood action teams to increase resident engagement. Ghazi says a number of studies have shown that participating in events where neighbors spend time with one another improves mental and physical health outcomes, as well as feelings of safety.  Their efforts were covered on WDIV and Concentrate.

Michigan Social Work's Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) celebrated and honored recipients of the DEI Impact Awards, recognizing individuals or groups in the School who have made significant contributions to advancing diversity, equity & inclusion in the School of Social Work and/or in the community. Lauren Davis, Assistant Director of SSW DEI Program, said about the awards: “While there is still much work to be done to advance the efforts of the DEI strategic plan, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate the incredible work that members of the SSW community have made to advance diversity, equity and inclusion, and to acknowledge the commitment and progress we have made as a School.”

The recipients of the 2019 Impact Awards are, from left to right: Justin Hodge, Clinical Assistant Professor; Todd Huynh, Joint PhD Program Coordinator; Dominique Crump, MSW Student; and the Undoing Racism Work Group: Daicia Price, Clinical Assistant Professor; Richard Tolman, Professor of Social Work; Lorraine Gutiérrez, Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program, and Professor of Social Work. Not pictured, but also award recipients: Sharon Almonte, MSW Student; and Undoing Racism Work Group member Lisa Fedina, Assistant Professor of Social Work.

Professor Luke Shaefer has been appointed special counselor to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on anti-poverty and economic mobility initiatives. His role is advising and facilitating discussion on anti-poverty policy. 

Clinical Associate Professor Beth Sherman is a member of the Standards Development Committee for the Michigan Department of Education. She worked on new recommendations for school social workers. Her efforts have resulted in two new standards encompassing diversity, inclusion, human rights and social justice. “These standards build on the School of Social Work’s commitment to DEI. Teaching and researching in this environment have taught me to be a strong advocate for social justice and informed my work on this committee.”

Clinical Assistant Professor Justin Hodge was elected to the board of directors for the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy (CRISP). CRISP is committed to expanding the participation of social workers in federal legislative and policy processes and acts as a bridge between social work researchers and federal policymakers.