School of Social Work News

The Child Welfare Student Association visited the Michigan state capitol on April 25 to mark National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The students listened to inspirational speakers, networked with legislators and took a tour of the capitol building.

PhD student (Social Work & Psychology) Andrea Mora was awarded a scholarship from the Association of Latina/o Social Work Educators. The scholarship supports the advancement of social work education especially among the Latino population.

PhD student (Social Work & Anthropology) Yun Chen was awarded a Barbour Scholarship from Rackham Graduate School for the 2022-23 academic year. Barbour established a U-M scholarship for women of the highest academic and professional caliber from the area extending from Turkey in the west to Japan and the Philippines in the east. Barbour scholars study science, medicine, mathematics and other academic disciplines.

Assistant Professor Katrina Ellis has been named an inaugural Rogel Scholar in Cancer Health Equity. The award recognizes exceptional faculty dedicated to achieving impact on cancer prevention, patient outcomes and quality of life.

“It's truly an honor to be selected as an inaugural Rogel Scholar in Cancer Health Equity. I am very passionate about improving the support we provide to families after a cancer diagnosis as part of larger efforts to address the disproportionate burden of cancer we see among certain racial and ethnic groups in the United States. This award provides valuable support for my ongoing work in this area, particularly projects that will work in a participatory manner with African Americans families to better understand and address their cancer-related health needs while building on the strengths and resources that already exist within these family systems.” said Ellis.

The work and achievements of Clinical Assistant Professor Daicia Price will be recognized at the 2022 WCC Foundation Women's Council Celebration of Women's Leadership—a virtual event on Wednesday, May 25 at 5 PM. The award honors women who have made significant contributions to the Washtenaw County community.

Professor Trina Shanks is an editor on the latest edition of the Grand Challenges for Social Work and Society. This second edition outlines bold innovation and collective action powered by proven and evolving scientific interventions to address critical social issues facing society. The chapters tackle problems such as homelessness, social isolation, mass incarceration, family violence and economic inequality.

Professor Andy Grogan-Kaylor’s corporal punishment research was cited in the Guardian. Wales and Scotland have recently banned hitting, smacking and slapping children – and the children’s commissioner for England wants to introduce the same ban in England.

The 2016 meta-analysis of more than 160,000 children found that hitting as a form of discipline is ineffective at positively changing a child’s behavior, in the short and the long term. The analysis also found that children who were disciplined with physical punishment were more​​ likely to become aggressive, display antisocial behavior and exhibit mental health problems.

Associate Professor Terri Friedline’s op-ed in The Emancipator on how reviving post office banking could advance racial equity. “More than 60 million Americans – one-fifth of the population – live in communities without a bank. They’re left either to travel long distances to handle their money or use more expensive nearby options like check-cashing companies, payday lenders and currency exchanges,” writes Friedline. Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research and The Boston Globe’s Opinion team are collaborating to resurrect and reimagine The Emancipator, the first abolitionist newspaper in the United States, founded more than 200 years ago.