School of Social Work News

Claudette Grinnell-Davis successfully defended her dissertation, entitled "Toward an Etiology of Child Maltreatment: An Ecological Study of Primary Caregivers At Risk of Child Welfare System Involvement" and thus obtained her PhD in Social Work and Psychology.

Dr. Grinnell-Davis has accepted an Assistant Professor of Child Welfare and Social Work position at the University of Nebraska, Omaha.

Her committee included Berit Ingersoll-Dayton, Robert Ortega, Lorraine Gutierrez and Andrew Grogan-Kaylor.

Marianne Yoshioka, MSW ’86, has been named Dean of the School for Social Work at Smith College. She is stepping down from her position as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Columbia University School of Social Work. 

Dean Laura Lein and assistant professor Luke Shaefer received an award from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation via the University of Detroit - Mercy to continue their exploration of an advanced dental hygienist certification.

Professor Robert Taylor organized the U-M Program for Research on Black Americans Reunion last week which celebrated 35+ years of research based on the National Survey of Black Americans and the National Survey of American Life. The event brought together former graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and faculty for the 2-day gathering and panel presentations on research accomplishments of the PRBA. Speakers at the event included founding members: James S. Jackson, Gerald Gurin and Belinda Tucker, as well as scholars from across the country.  Read about the research reunion in the University Record.

Grace Adofoli’s (MSW student) article, “An Exploratory Study of Trauma and Religious Factors in Predicting Drinking Outcomes in African American Sexual Assault Survivors” was published in SAGE journal.

Professor Robert Taylor organized the Council on Social Work Education Minority Doctoral Fellows Summer Workshop held at the School of Social Work and Institute for Social Research on June 11-13th. CSWE Doctoral Fellows and UM-SSW Joint Program doctoral students and other doctoral students from around the country attended the event. Daphne Watkins and Desmond Patton were co-facilitators of the event. Laura Lein, Linda Chatters, Brian Perron and David Cordova spoke at the event.

Andrew Grogan-Kaylor received an award from the Curtis Center to develop and test a program for Latina/o teenagers living in families with domestic abuse.

Professor Daniel Saunders was awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to do research comparing intimate partner violence intervention practices and policies in New Zealand and the United States.

He will be hosted by the Te Awatea Violence Research Centre, University of Canterbury, New Zealand from February through May 2015. He will also give lectures on his latest research at several New Zealand universities.