School of Social Work News

“A thoughtful wealth transfer equips all people with tools that can complement their own contributions; it’s as American as the plow, the automobile, and the iPhone.”  Professor William Elliott and Associate Professor Trina Shanks reframe the American wealth narrative in an essay in New America.

Anthony Abshire, MSW candidate, has been selected to serve this summer as a Foster Youth Intern in Washington, D.C. The Foster Youth Internship Program is a summer congressional internship for young adults who have spent time in the foster care system. The program is sponsored by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, which works with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Caucus. 
 

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.

Lauren Davis, Assistant Director of the School of Social Work DEI Program has been selected as a member of the U-M Voices of the Staff Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team.

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.