School of Social Work News

Professor Barry Checkoway, Adjunct Lecturer Joe Galura, Professor Larry Gant, Postdoctoral fellow Odessa Gonzalez-Benson, Professor Lorraine Gutierrez, Postdoctoral fellow Shanna K. Kattari, Associate Professor Beth Reed, Assistant Professor Katie Richards-Schuster,  Lecturer William Vanderwill and Lecturer Amber Williams received a grant from the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching - Gilbert Whitaker Fund for piloting an online platform for strengthening community organization courses at SSW via a Michigan Organizers Video Archive.

Marion Elizabeth Blue Endowed Professor Emerita of Children and Families Kathleen Faller was appointed to the Blue Ribbon Commission to investigate Larry Nassar.

Sara Stein, PhD student in SSW and Psychology, was awarded a fellowship from the Institute for Research on Women and Gender and the Rackham Graduate School for her dissertation work "Unpacking Women's Involvement with Multiple Violent Intimate Partners."

The Child and Adolescent Data Lab's juvenile justice Youth Advisory Board received a grant from the Michigan Department of Community Health. The Board serves as a voice for young adults (age 16-24) in the public sphere around juvenile justice policy and reform in the Southeast Michigan area. With 2017 as its inaugural year, the focus is on building a youth-driven and interactive space where the young adults decide on the top priorities of concern to then inform local- and state-level decision-makers. Simultaneously, the group engages in training in research, critical thinking, leadership development and professional skills.

Associate Dean for Educational Programs and Professor Mary Ruffolo and her team: Assistant Professor David Córdova, Professor Jorge Delva, Assistant Dean of Field Education and Clinical Assistant Professor Dan Fischer, Associate Dean for Research and Professor Joe Himle, LEO Adjunct Lecturer Adrienne Lapidos, Clinical Assistant Professor Deb Mattison, Assistant Professor Jamie Mitchell, Associate Professor Sandra Momper, LEO Lecturer Daicia Price and Associate Professor Trina Shanks were awarded a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration to provide inter-professional training opportunities for MSW students with the Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority (DWMHA). This project expands field placements that link behavioral health and primary care systems within the DWMHA network. The DWMHA field placements prepare MSW students to work with low resourced racial and ethnic minority children, adolescents, and transitional age youth living with behavioral health conditions and adults with psychiatric disabilities in the Detroit community. 

U-M President Mark Schlissel announced a new multidisciplinary program, Poverty Solutions headed by Associate Professor Luke Shaefer. Poverty Solutions aims to become a leader in informing, identifying and testing new strategies for the prevention and alleviation of poverty in Michigan, the nation and the world.

Schlissel stated, "One out of eight Americans live in poverty, and some Michigan cities are sometimes three times higher than that. The aim is to translate research into actionable interventions and rigorously assess their effectiveness."

View the video interview with Trina Shanks, Luke Shaefer, Kristin Seefeldt and Reuben Miller. Read the complete announcement in the URecord.

Each year the Office of Global Activities works with and supports students who complete global social work experiences around the globe. The Global Social Work Poster Fair is an opportunity for students who recently returned from abroad to share their global experience with the larger School of Social Work community.

During the summer of 2016, 60 students participated in a global experience in more than 30 different countries. Student experiences included global field placements, global independent studies, attending an international social work conference and serving in the Peace Corps as a part of the School's Peace Corps Master's International program.

At the Global Social Work Poster Fair I presented my work in India with classmates and faculty and demonstrated the impact I had on the children at Kamal Loachan Society.  Just today, I got a Facebook post from one of the children asking for homework help.

Arlene Chandra, MSW ‘18

See Arlene Chandra’s Poster

Join Kelsey Tajer (MSW ‘16) in the Student Ambassador Program. You will be able to be directly involved in policy by communicating with members of Congress to advocate for change. You will also be given the opportunity to increase your understanding of advocacy through annual training and networking events on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C.