Students News

PhD students Matt Hiller, Anna Wood and Irene Routté have been awarded Rackham Predoctoral Fellowships, one of the most prestigious awards granted to U-M graduate doctoral students.

MSW student Josh Campbell has received the 2025 Furstenberg Award for Excellence in Pre-graduate Education from the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. Campbell was selected from over 1,600 health profession trainees and recognizes his excellence in clinical and educational pursuits. The award is named in honor of Albert Furstenberg, who served as dean of the U-M Medical School for 25 years and championed medical education.

MSW student Jordyn Coury has been selected as U-M’s 2025 National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Student of the Year. Coury was nominated for this award based on her exceptional leadership, passion for community engagement, and commitment to academic and ethical excellence. “I’m truly honored and grateful to have been selected,” said Coury, “especially considering the incredible contributions my peers are making to the community!”

PhD student Charles Wiliams was featured in a Washington Post article about how consumers are boycotting companies as they roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Williams helped coordinate a “good-buy” at a Detroit-area Target. “We sent a clear message to Target that our voices and our dollars matter,” he said.

PhD student Olivia Chang was quoted in a recent MSN article about her research on the connection between veterans with PTSD and their use of corporal punishment in their parenting practices. “Understanding a child’s emotions and behavior is essential for effective parenting. This study reveals the challenges parents face in deciphering emotional cues, particularly when shaped by factors like racial background and the effects of traumatic stress,” said Chang. The story also was published in Medical Xpress.

MSW students Jacob Inosencio and Sabrina Lanker have been named 2025 Dow Sustainability Program Fellows by U-M’s Graham Sustainability Institute. Fellows are chosen through a competitive nomination and application process designed to attract and recognize top talent from across U-M’s academic disciplines. Each fellow will receive a $25,000 stipend along with supplementary project funding, professional development opportunities, and hands-on experience collaborating with external organizational partners.

"I am honored to represent the School of Social Work in the Dow Sustainability Program. By infusing social work values into these critical discussions, I hope to help drive meaningful, sustainable change in collaboration with our various community programs while always keeping equity and environmental justice at the heart of our efforts,” said Inosencio. “I’m also eager to learn from the incredible team of graduate students, whose diverse perspectives will undoubtedly enrich my current and future work in community development."

“Critical mineral production is in increasing demand as clean energy and electric vehicle production soars,” said Lanker. “I will be working on a project titled "Pathways for Sustainable Critical Minerals Extraction on U.S. Private Lands" with the National Wildlife Federation. Through this project, my team will explore best practices for minimizing the environmental, wildlife, Indigenous and cultural, and human health impacts of new critical mineral mining on private lands in the U.S. This project brings together two of my biggest passions, environmental science and social work. I am excited to provide my unique perspectives on environmental advocacy and environmental justice while exploring sustainable methods for mineral extraction!”

Associate Professor Anao Zhang and PhD student Rachel Brandon are part of a team that recently received a grant from the Children's Cancer Research Fund. Their project evaluates the virtual delivery of a strength-based psychological treatment to young adults with cancer.   

“We are excited to receive this grant and conduct a pilot clinical trial at Michigan Medicine's Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program,” said Zhang. “It is also very exciting to involve Rachel Brandon, a joint social work and psychological doctoral student, as a study co-investigator and project coordinator to further boost the implementation of the trial.”

PhD Student Irene Routté has received the 2024 Outstanding Doctoral Student Award from the Association for Community Organizing & Social Action (ACOSA). This award honors meritorious scholarship in the field of community practice.