School of Social Work News

Professor Rogério M. Pinto is the Council on Social Work Education Diversity Center’s Educator of the Month. The accompanying article discusses his scholarly approach to incorporating arts into his research as well as his work advancing intersectionality and championing diversity. The profile also covers  the online COVID and Racial Inequalities Forum series Pinto hosted last summer, and links to his presentation “Diversity Matters: What About Equity & Inclusion?”

Joe Ryan is a member of a new task force created by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) charged with preventing and eliminating systemic racism in the state's child protection system. He will chair the data subcommittee.

Clinical Associate Professor Debra Mattison has been named an Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) 2021 Fellow. The fellowship honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the science and practice of psychosocial oncology.

Associate Professor Karen Staller, Joint PhD Social Work and Sociology Student Briana Starks and Visiting Scholar Håvard Aaslund co-edited the recent special double issue of Qualitative Social Work: Research and Practice, “Reflections on a Pandemic: Disruptions, Distractions, and Discoveries.” The double issue contains 86 reflexive essays submitted by authors from 35 different countries (and every continent except Antarctica).  Taken together, the essays paint a portrait of the breadth and depth of social work during the earliest months of the historic pandemic from every corner of the globe. Other U-M contributors to the issue include Assistant Professor Odessa Gonzalez Benson, and current doctoral students in Joint PhD Social Work and Sociology Finn Bell and Angela Perone.

Congratulations to Lisa Larance, Joint Doctoral Program in Social Work and Sociology, for successfully defending her dissertation,”Talking Back to the Web of Power: Women's Legal, Child Protection, and Antiviolence Intervention Entanglement and Resistance.” Her committee consisted of Richard Tolman (co-chair), Elizabeth Armstrong (co-chair), Paige Sweet, Karen Staller and Alexandra Murphy.

In a time of unprecedented crisis and loss, we have seen members of our community rise to the challenge. Social work practitioners, educators, researchers and leaders are serving on the front lines, developing solutions and reaching out to ensure the most vulnerable voices are heard. Social workers are essential. We stand up, we speak out, we promote advocacy and legislation to improve lives.

Associate Professor Matt Smith’s research on how virtual training can help young people with autism is featured in Disability Scoop. “Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth appears to be effective at teaching job interview skills that are associated with accessing competitive jobs,” he says.

The School of Social Work invites grant applications from MSW and PhD students to support individual student projects for anti-racism work, with a specific focus on confronting anti-Blackness, racism against Indigenous peoples and confronting white supremacy. The goal is to inclusively support students working within SSW or in communities seeking to confront racism to the greatest degree possible.