School of Social Work News

Professor Matthew Smith is the recipient of the 2024 MICHR Distinguished Clinical and Translational Research Mentor Award. Sponsored by the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR), this award recognizes the value of mentoring at U-M in helping early career investigators to reach across disciplinary boundaries in pursuit of science. 

Smith is one of seven faculty and staff members who will be honored at the 2024 Mentoring Forum, co-sponsored by the MICHR and the Medical School Office of Faculty Development, in September. All are invited — in person or online — to celebrate our awardees and the spirit of mentorship.

Joonyoung Cho successfully defended his dissertation entitled “Aging in the Right Place: Effects from Relocation and Homebound Status.” His committee included Ruth Dunkle (co-chair) and Xiaoling Xiang. 

Cho has accepted an assistant professor position at the Center on Aging in the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health at the University of Hawai’i, Mānoa.

Michelangelo Trujillo has successfully defended his dissertation entitled "Identity-Based Processes and Clinical Social Work Education." His committee included Joseph Himle (co-chair) and Richard Tolman.

Professor Daphne Watkins has received the Pynn-Silverman Lifetime Achievement Award from the Textbook & Academic Authors Association. The award was established to honor individuals whose achievements over a career demonstrate the highest degree of commitment to excellence in authoring works to advance their discipline, encouraging and supporting the work of colleagues, and educating students in the field.

Watkins is the Letha A. Chadiah Collegiate Professor of Social Work and a University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor.

Lecturer Terri Gilbert has received the Youth Justice Lifetime Achievement Award from the Michigan Center for Youth Justice. “This work is not done by one person alone, this award is more than a personal accolade; it is a testament to the collective efforts of many,” said Gilbert. “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to countless dedicated colleagues, advocates and mentors who have been a part of this journey and, most importantly, the young people and families whose lives we strive to impact every day.”

“My guiding philosophy has always been to spend my life working on something that will outlast it. Reflecting on my journey, it’s hard to believe that I have spent almost 45 years in child welfare and youth justice. This path has been fraught with challenges yet filled with moments of profound impact and hope.”

Congratulations to the following faculty members whose promotions were approved this month by the U-M Board of Regents. Katrina Ellis, Lisa Fedina, Odessa Benson Gonzalez and Anao Zhang were promoted to associate professor with tenure. David Córdova and Terri Friedline were promoted to professor. 

In addition, Lindsay Bornheimer was promoted to Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, without tenure, School of Medicine. Katrina Ellis was also promoted to Associate Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education, without tenure, School of Public Health.

Congratulations also to our faculty members who were promoted during the most recent lecturer promotion cycle. Zaynab Boussi was promoted to Lecturer IV, and Priscilla Cortez, Linda Edwards-Brown, Aliyah Masudi, Benjamin Moe, Jennifer Towns and Roland Zullo were promoted to Lecturer II.

Professor William Elliot III provided testimony as an expert witness at the United States Senate Committee on Finance hearing on child savings accounts and other tax-advantaged accounts benefiting American children.

“Children’s asset investments are more than just financial benefits for higher education: they have demonstrated the potential to transform the opportunity landscape—and in the process, to reset young people’s confidence in U.S. institutions and their ability to deliver equitable returns,” said Elliott.  “CSAs help create an environment for forming tangible hopes. What makes them tangible is that they give children a stake in the future—their own, and ours. They give them the power to purchase a piece of their future today.”

Read CNBC's coverage of Elliott's testimony.

Professor Lisa Wexler was awarded an NIMH R01 grant for her project “Efficacy-Implementation Study for PC CARES in Rural Alaska” through the NIH Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health.  The trial evaluates the impact of Promoting Community Conversations About Research to End Suicide (PC CARES) on adult participants and the adults and youth they are close to, and who could benefit from the intervention. This project contributes to the long-term goal of translating suicide prevention research into culturally responsive community practice to reduce suicide risk and promote youth well-being in Alaska Native communities.

“I am excited about our new project, which trains and supports local leaders in sharing suicide prevention best practices within their communities in order to spark community-led actions,” said Wexler. “We believe that the project builds a sustainable way to offer community members tools through PC CARES that they can use to promote positive community change that promotes mental wellness and reduces suicide risk.”

PhD student Lauren White will be leading a project aim. “The implementation aim on this grant is among the first NIH funded studies that use Implementation Science frameworks to assess the contextual determinants of implementation in a rural Tribal community. By studying how PC CARES is carried out with our partners, we will also build general knowledge of what Tribes and interventionists need to know about using newly developed evidence-based interventions to drive healthy change in Native communities,” said White.