School of Social Work News

MSW students Wolfgang Bahr, Sarah Shimizu and L Tantay have all had projects selected for the Michigan Health Equity Challenge, which provides support for U-M grad students working with community-based organizations in developing multidisciplinary initiatives that address health care inequities.

Bahr and MPH student Irving Suarez are developing a program for Latin American immigrants to address heart disease through stress management and community health leadership initiatives.

Shimizu and Tantay’s project focuses on improving LGBTQIA+ communities through capacity building training and direct mental health funding for LGBTQA+ Detroiters of color.

Assistant Professor Anao Zhang has been named to the 2023 cohort of the Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program. Established by the Cambia Health Foundation in 2014, the program advances the next generation of palliative care leaders across a range of disciplines — including nursing, social work, pharmacy, communications, health systems, psychology and spirituality —with a goal of increasing palliative care access, awareness and quality across the nation. Zhang will receive a two-year, $180,000 grant for his project “Developing and implementing an inclusive and equitable framework to integrate palliative care services in adolescent and young adult (AYA) oncology programs.” 

The University of Michigan School of Social Work, in collaboration with the U-M Arts Initiative, proudly announces the selection of the Pan-African Creative Exchange (PACE) as the featured artist residency for 2024. This initiative, a part of the Arts Initiative’s Visiting Artist Integration Program (VAIP), is designed to infuse the University of Michigan’s engagement and learning processes with the dynamic creativity of artists. 

About Pan-African Creative Exchange (PACE)

PACE, founded at the prestigious Vrystaat Arts Festival at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa, serves as a biennial arts market and showcase for African and African-diaspora artists. The platform provides a gateway for presenting tour-ready work, showcasing excerpts, pitching new creations, facilitating producer exchanges, hosting workshops, and fostering critical debates—ultimately creating an invaluable network for artists and creatives. The 2024 U-M School of Social Work Artist Residency will feature a bi-coastal duo, Nike Jonah and Erwin Maas, who specialize in art consultancy across various creative sectors. Their residency, taking place during two weeks in February (Feb. 8-14) and April (April 10-15) will encompass masterclasses, workshops, and conversations aimed at enriching the U-M community and the Southeast Michigan region.

Nike Jonah and Erwin Maas

Jonah, a British Nigerian based in London, and Maas, a Dutch-American based in NYC, bring a wealth of international experience to U-M. Their diverse backgrounds and expertise promise a unique perspective on diversity, equity, and inclusion matters, as well as the sustainability of performing arts professions in Africa and its diaspora.

“We are excited to partner with the U-M Arts Initiative to host these two residencies, which will explore the diversity of cultural expression and how the arts can drive social change. The intersection of social work, social justice and the arts is a vibrant and impactful area of study. I look forward to engaging in compelling and thought provoking conversations,” said Beth Angell, Dean and Phillip Fellin Collegiate Professor at the U-M School of Social Work.

The February 8-14 artist residency will include: 

Feb. 8: Leading and Managing Global Majority Cultural Organizations (Class Visit)

Feb. 8: Theatre & Incarceration (Class Visit)

Feb. 8: ArtsEngine (Affiliate Event)

Feb. 9: Theatre Studies Forum

Feb. 9: Stamps School of Art & Design MFA program (Critique Salon)

Feb. 10: Prison Creative Arts (Workshop)

Feb. 11: PACE Luncheon of the Willing (Public event; U-M Detroit Center)
RSVP

Feb. 12: School of Social Work Art Collective (Dinner and Conversation)

Feb. 13: Essentials of Community & Organizational Practice (Class Visit)

Feb. 14: An Afrocentric Approach to Practice with African Amer/Black Indiv., Families & Communities (Class Visit)

Feb. 14: Unity Diversity Dinner hosted by DEI & Office of Global Activities 

Feb. 14: Art-centered Social Justice Practice & Self-healing (Class Visit)
 

Additional Events in April

April 12: Global Networking & Idea Pitching w/ Pan-African Creative Exchange
RSVP

April 15: PACE Speed-Networking Pitching Session

RSVP

Associate Professor Camille Quinn spoke with ABC affiliate KVUE in Austin, Texas, about a new state law designed to keep at-risk youth out of the juvenile justice system. “Once you touch that legal system, it's very difficult to get un-ensnared," she said.

Assistant Professor Rebeccah Sokol is quoted in the Detroit News on a new firearm storage requirement in Michigan that goes into effect next month. The new legislation will require gun owners to store their firearms in a locked box or unloaded with a locking device when there is a reasonable chance that a minor is or is likely to be on the premises. “We often assume that these safe storage laws encourage adults to store their firearms locked and unloaded,” Sokol said, “but these laws’ life-saving potential can only be realized if firearm owners know about them and public officials enforce them.”

Lecturer Erin Martinez-Gillard spoke with Crazy Wisdom Journal about sexual health education and effective ways to talk about sex and relationships with young people. “Creating an open door for questions and conversations is imperative. This is never, in any role, a one-time Q&A,” said Martinez-Gillard.

Assistant Professor Ashley Cureton was quoted in the Boston Globe about the struggles of Ukrainian refugee families. The article explores how multiple school transfers can uproot vulnerable kids and compound the trauma and loss they’ve already experienced as refugees. “It is imperative that they can stay in one place, that they can build those relationships, that they can build a sense of community, and really feel like they have a place here in the U.S.,” Cureton said.

MSW students Maryam Syed and Maretta DeWitt have been named as Dow Sustainability Fellow by the Graham Institute. Designed to support the next generation of sustainability leaders in business, government, and nonprofits, the Dow Sustainability Fellows Program is among the most prestigious and productive graduate programs at U-M. Fellows are selected through a competitive process from a pool of applicants nominated by their academic units.