School of Social Work News

Emily Bosk successfully defended her dissertation, "All Unhappy Families: Standardization and Child Welfare Decision-Making" and obtained her PhD in Social Work and Sociology. She has accepted an Assistant Professor position with the School of Social Work at Rutgers University.

The Curtis Center Program Evaluation Group is invested in finding ways to convene evaluators and evaluation consumers from across the campus and locally to advance evaluation practice.

This semester, Dr. Stephanie Evergreen, author of Presenting Data Effectively: Communicating Your Findings for Maximum Impact, delivered the Education Series’ Keynote lecture. Dr. Evergreen is known nationally for her data visualization work and is a highly sought after speaker and consultant. The event was held in conjunction with the School of Social Work mini-course, “Program Evaluation: From Theory to Practice” taught by Sue Ann Savas, Director of the Curtis Center Program Evaluation Group. 

Assistant Professor David Cordova’s article, "Storytelling for Empowerment for Latino Teens: Increasing HIV Prevention Knowledge & Attitudes" was accepted for publication in the Journal of Adolescent Research.

Associate Professor Leslie Hollingsworth, PhD student Ninive Sanchez, Professor Larry Gant, Associate Professor Trina Shanks and Professor Emerita Paula Allen-Meares co-authored a book, “Providing Technical Assistance to Urban Communities: A Guide of Case Studies and Advice for Community Members” which was published by Michigan Publishing. 

Clinical Associate Professor Elizabeth Voshel and SSW Curriculum Coordinator Alia Wesala’s article, “Social Media & Social Work Ethics: Determining Best Practices in an Ambiguous Reality” was published in the Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics.

Professor Richard Tolman and PhD students Lauren Reed and Paige Safyer’s article, "Too Close for Comfort: Attachment Insecurity and Electronic Intrusion in College Students' Dating Relationships” was accepted for publication in Computers in Human Behavior.

SSW is collaborating on a new course to break down the silos in the education of healthcare workers to optimize patient care. The schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Social Work, and College of Pharmacy are launching an innovative course titled Team-Based Clinical Decision Making. The winter 2015 course is the first of its kind at U-M and may be one of the largest semester-long inter-professional education course in the country. SSW's Associate Professor Brad Zebrack and lecturer Debra K. Mattison are participating in teaching the course, along with faculty from each of the participating schools.

Congratulations go out to Lloyd Shelton who has been selected as the 2015 University of Michigan NASW Student of the Year.

Student Social Workers of the Year are selected based on the following criteria:

• Demonstrated leadership qualities
• Contribution to the positive image of a social work program
• Commitment to political and community activities
• Success in academic performance
• Degree to which the student represents the professional ethics of social work as defined in the NASW Code of Ethics

An awards ceremony will be held honoring all of the southeastern Michigan BSW and MSW program recipients. It is scheduled for Monday, March 16, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. and will be held at Oakland University.

We would also like to congratulate fellow nominees, Grace Adofoli and Ashley Schwedt, all great candidates that were nominated this year.