School of Social Work News

MSW student Cassie Elder is a mother and U.S. Marine Corp veteran. In a webinar this week for mothers serving in the armed forces, Elder shared her experiences to help female veterans searching for resources and support. “I hope that more folks will begin to acknowledge, recognize, and understand the complexities of being a veteran and service member while also being a mom,” she said. “I also hope to bring more visibility to women in the military and our unique experiences.”

PhD student and Reverend Charles Williams of Detroit’s King Solomon Baptist Church is featured in a HuffPost article about closing the COVID-19 vaccine race gap. Citing accessibility and hesitancy, Williams thinks it could be a year or more before citywide vaccination rates in Detroit catch up to the rest of the country. “There’s a sincere concern about the care that many of us get when we go to the doctor’s office, end up in the hospital,” Williams said. “You talk to any Black family, we all have the same strategy ― somebody is going to have to be there around the clock, in the room, to stay on top of these nurses and to make sure the doctor comes by, because if we don’t practice that strategy, the system will let our loved one down.”

A team of Michigan Social Work researchers’ new paper, “Computerized Clinical Training Simulations with Virtual Clients Abusing Alcohol: Initial Feasibility, Acceptability, and Effectiveness,” used computer simulations to teach clinical skills to MSW students. Students reported that the clinical skills learned from the simulations translated into successful interactions with real-world clients during their field placements.  Associate Professor Matthew Smith is the lead author; co-authors include Postdoctoral Research Fellow Shannon Blajeski, Assistant Professor Lindsay Bornheimer, TIDR Lab Manager Kathryn Check, Clinical Assistant Professor Daniel Fischer, Clinical Assistant Professor Barbara Hiltz and Professor Mary Ruffolo.

PhD students Joonyoung Cho and Rita Hu have been selected as Karl Ma Endowed Scholars for 2021. The Karl Ma award supports students from Asia who wish to pursue careers in public service, particularly those in the schools of social work, education and nursing. 

“As an international student studying social work, which requires me to not only do research on campus but also commit to social work practices in our local communities, I face many unique challenges when wanting to engage with communities outside of U-M (i.e. limits on work hours and additional applications and justifications for off-campus work),” says Hu. “The Karl Ma Award will provide me the opportunities to focus on research and social work fieldwork. I plan to use the scholarship to participate in intervention and program evaluation projects, headed by our social work faculty, to further explore how to best serve older adults. 

“I am immensely grateful for the scholarship,” adds Cho. “For the first time, I will be able to focus exclusively on my research, and I will do my best to spend my time wisely and productively.”

Assistant Professor Katie Schultz’ research project, Tribal Reservations Adolescent Connections Study, has been funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This mixed methods study will explore peer and family relationships of American Indian (AI) youth, and how they factor in substance use, exposure to violence and suicide among youth living on a Northern Plains reservation. "This is my first foray into prevention research,” said Schultz, “so I’m excited about developing a line of research to prevent substance use and associated outcomes among AI youth and using the data to design a culturally grounded intervention.”

Katie Schulz’ research project, Tribal Reservations Adolescent Connections Study, has been funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This study will explore peer and family relationships of American Indian youth, and how they factor in substance use, exposure to violence and suicide among youth living on a Northern Plains reservation.

Joyce Lee, PhD ’21, co-authored the book "Young, Proud, and Sung-jee: A Children's Book on Fighting Anti-Asian Racism During COVID-19." It is featured by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in their Educator|Resource of the Month and generate meaningful discussions between adults and children about anti-Asian racism.

Hi SSW,

I hope everyone is feeling excited for the beginning of a new semester, or for the beginning of a  summer break!

[TW: transphobia, anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments]

This email comes with great sadness because as of last week, 2021 officially became the worst year in recent history for anti-LGBTQ bills that have been passed into law according to the Human Rights Campaign. As the Queer Advocacy Coalition, we wanted to send out some information about some of the bills being considered that could be signed into law at any moment, and offer advocacy opportunities and resources for you all to voice opposition to this harmful legislation. (Linked here is an email template that can easily be edited for multiple communications.)

Arkansas has two bills sitting on the desk of Governor Hutchinson right now. Senate Bill (SB) 389 will undermine access to sex education, and Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 14 would allow discrimination under the guise of religious refusal. Contact Governor Hutchinson by email at [email protected] or by phone at (501) 682-2345 to voice opposition to these bills.

Florida has three bills waiting for Governor DeSantis to sign into law at any time. SB 1028 is an education bill that includes an anti-trans sports ban. House Bill (HB) 545 is an anti-LGBTQ sexual educaiton bill, and HB 241 is along the exact same lines. Contact Governor DeSantis by email at [email protected] or by phone at (850) 488-7146.

Tennessee has three bills awaiting a signature from Governor Lee. HB 1233 is an anti-trans bathroom bill for schools, HB 1182 is an anti-trans bathroom bill targeting businesses, and HB1027 will regulate medical care for trans youth. Contact Governor Lee by phone at (615) 741-2001.

To follow more imminent bills standing in state legislatures in states, visit and follow Human Rights Campaign for weekly updates. An additional resource to stay up to date on the anti-transgender legislation in other states can be found at the following link: Legislative Tracker: Anti-Transgender Legislation.

Finally, if you or a loved one are in need of resources, several are included below:

In Solidarity,

Clinical Assistant Professor Abigail Eiler represented U-M in a series of Big Ten Mental Health Awareness Roundtables. The panel discusses how widening the range of interventions have provided student-athletes with more options — a trend that was happening before the pandemic but has accelerated in the last year.