School of Social Work News

Assistant Professor Mathieu Despard’s dissertation, “Challenges in Implementing Evidence-Based Practices and Programs in Nonprofit Human Service Organizations" was published in the Journal of Evidence-Informed Social Work. 

His article, "Strengthening Evaluation in Nonprofit Human Service Organizations: Results of a Capacity-Building Experiment" was also published in Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance.

Professor and Associate Dean Jorge Delva is a member of a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee (Health and Medicine Division), involved with developing a global framework for educating health professionals. The committee's model demonstrates ways in which organizations, education, and communities can come together to address health inequalities. The committee is presenting the framework to the World Health Organization.

Robert Joesph Taylor was installed as the Harold R. Johnson Professor of Social Work on March 6. Taylor delivered an installation address "Family and Church Support Networks of Older African Americans" highlighting his research. He is one of the nation’s foremost experts in the informal social support networks (i.e., family, friends and church members) of adult and elderly Black Americans as well as religious participation among African Americans. 

He is the founding editor of African American Research Perspectives and is currently on the editorial boards of the Journal of Marriage and the Family and Race and Social Problems. Taylor was ranked number one in the top 20 most cited African American scholars in social work.

Associate Professor Luke Shaefer's book, “$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America” is referenced in The Washington Post article, “Bernie Sanders is right: Bill Clinton’s welfare law doubled extreme poverty”.  

Alex Gould-Werth (PhD '15) has been selected to receive a ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award for 2015. This award recognizes the most exceptional scholarly work produced by doctoral students at the University of Michigan who completed their dissertations in 2015. 

Caitlin Morath (temporary researcher and MSW'15 graduate) was selected as a 2016 Presidential Management Fellows Finalist. The Presidential Management Fellows Program is administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Selected Finalists are eligible for appointment as Fellows who strive to claim ownership for their learning, career development, and advancement. 

Associate Professors Brian Perron and Joe Ryan's Child and Adolescent Data Lab was featured in the U-M Research article, "Policy Numbers". 

Associate Professor Luke Shaefer's book, "$2.00 A Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America" is on the short list for the 2016 J. Anthony Lukas Prize. The J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize recognizes superb examples of nonfiction writing that exemplify the literary grace, the commitment to serious research, and the social concern that characterized the distinguished work of J. Anthony Lukas.