School of Social Work News

Joyce Lee (PhD student) and  Associate Professor Shawna Lee's article, "Caring is Masculine: Stay-at-Home Fathers and Masculine Identity" was published in Psychology of Men & Masculinity. The study examines stay-at-home fathers in the United States and their  experiences through the perspective of the theory of caring masculinities. 

LEO Lecturer Adrienne Lapidos and Associate Professor Luke Shaefer's op-ed, "Viewpoint: Dental therapists can improve oral health in Michigan." was published in the Lansing State Journal.

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.

Professor Brad Zebrack received a grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute for his project, ''Building a Patient-Centered Research Cooperative Group for Psychosocial Oncology''. This grant will support the development of a community of cancer patient advocates, oncology social workers, and social work researchers devoted to improving the quality of cancer care and eliminating cancer disparities in the United States. The project will be headquartered at SSW.

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

Kim Phillips-Knope's (LEO lecturer) leadership provided a key role (as a state consultant) in the State Board of Education's decision to approve a voluntary guidance document to assist all Michigan public schools create safe and supportive school environments for LGBT students. 

Professor Lorraine Gutierrez and Associate Professor Robert Ortega's chapter, "Developing Learning and Teaching about Diversity and Social Justice" was published in the International Handbook of Social Work Education.

Associate Professor Luke Shaefer is the recipient of the 2016 University of Chicago Elizabeth Butler award. The Elizabeth Butler Award honors one recent graduate of the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration who has shown exceptional promise in the field of social work.