School of Social Work News

Andrew Grogan-Kaylor has been appointed the Sandra K. Danziger Collegiate Professor of Social Work. His research focuses on scientific knowledge development and intervention research on children and families with the aim of reducing violence against children and improving family and child well-being. He also examines the dynamic interplay of parenting behaviors and their effects on child health and mental health outcomes across socioeconomic contexts, neighborhoods and cultures.  A collegiate professorship is a University of Michigan advanced professorial title, which recognizes: a national, or preferably international, reputation in research; a record of exceptional teaching quality and of innovation; and a history of service to the School, the university and the community.

Lorraine Gutiérrez has been appointed the Edith A. Lewis Collegiate Professor of Social Work. Gutiérrez is an internationally renowned scholar in empowerment theory and anti-oppressive practice.  Her teaching and scholarship focus on multicultural praxis in communities, organizations and higher education.  Her current projects include identifying strategies for multicultural community-based research and practice, multicultural education for social work practice, and identifying effective methods for learning about social justice.  A collegiate professorship is a University of Michigan advanced professorial title, which recognizes: a national, or preferably international, reputation in research; a record of exceptional teaching quality and of innovation; and a history of service to the School, the university and the community.

Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs Joseph Himle will serve as interim dean of the School of Social Work beginning on January 1, 2022.

“It is an honor to serve as interim dean of the School of Social Work. The School has thrived under the stellar leadership of Dean Lynn Videka and I look forward to leading the school until a permanent dean is appointed,” Himle said. “The School of Social Work has tremendous faculty, students and staff who will all join together to guide the school during this transition period.”

Dean Lynn Videka will step down from the deanship at the end of the year. An advisory committee is conducting a search for the next dean of the School.

William Elliott was the keynote for the Alice P. Lin Memorial Lecture at Columbia University. Elliott’s talk, "We Also Have to Give Children Something to Live For: Children's Savings, Student Debt, and Wealth Inequality,” argued that the drive Americans have demonstrated throughout their history comes not just from having enough money to pay their bills each week or enough to live on, but from the promise of a better future and that Children’s Savings Accounts can play a role in realizing that future.

Elliott is a social work professor, director of the Joint PhD program in social work and social science and the founding director of the Center on Assets, Education, and Inclusion.

Trina Shanks was named a Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare. The Academy is an honorific society of distinguished scholars and practitioners dedicated to achieving excellence in the field of social work and social welfare through high-impact work that advances social good. Fellow status is among the highest professional accolades bestowed to social work scholars; Michigan Social Work now has 12 academy members. Shanks is the School of Social Work Community Engagement Director and Harold R. Johnson Collegiate Professor of Social Work.

Register for the 6-7 PM, January 19, 2022

AASWSW Fellows Induction

Registrants will receive  the Zoom link one week prior to the event.

Berenice Castillo, Joint Doctoral Program in Social Work and Psychology, has successfully defended her dissertation entitled "Three Studies Examining Externalizing Behavior and Substance Use Among Diverse Youth."  Her committee consisted of Andrew Grogan-Kaylor, and John Schulenberg (co-chairs), Cristina Bares and Matt Diemer.

Castillo will join Florida International University as an assistant professor of social work in January.

Joint PhD student Charles Williams II is the subject of a new “This is Michigan” video, which chronicles the emergency response program Williams spearheaded during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The School of Social Work partnered with the Historic King Solomon Baptist Church in Detroit, where Williams is the pastor, to care for those in the community who were hit hard by the shutdown. School of Social Work students worked emergency hotlines, manned food banks and conducted wellness checks. Entitled “Caring Throughout Crisis,” the video also features Professor Trina Shanks.

Assistant Professor Shanna Kattari and Lecturer Leonardo Kattari were awarded the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression Scholarship Award at the Council on Social Work Education annual meeting, as co-authors on the paper “Differential Experiences of Dating Violence and Sexual Violence Among Trans/Gender Diverse Youths.” The award recognizes scholarship that contributes to knowledge about sexual orientation and gender identity and expression; the individual and systemic issues associated with these topics; the development of social work curriculum materials and faculty growth opportunities relevant to sexual orientation and gender identity and expression; and the experiences of individuals who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and/or two-spirit.