School of Social Work News

Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Howard V. Brabson Collegiate Professor Joseph Himle and Marion Elizabeth Blue Professor of Children and Families Todd Herrenkohl were named fellows of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare. They will be inducted into the academy during a ceremony at the Society for Social Work and Research’s annual conference in January.  Fellow status is among the highest professional accolades bestowed to social work scholars; Michigan Social Work now has 11 academy members.

Professor William Elliott III weighs in on the student debt debate with Morning Consult. The ballooning U.S. student debt is more than two times what Americans owed a decade ago, and borrowers are delaying life milestones like home buying. “It’s not just about getting a degree; it’s also about what position you’re in when you get that degree,” said Elliott.

Luke Shaefer, professor, and director of the University of Michigan Poverty Center talks with the Detroit Free Press about poverty in rural Michigan. "Coming up with money to pay utilities is a matter of having money. Having money means a job — and not just any job, but a decent paying one," said Shaefer.

October 24–27, 2019
Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel
Denver, CO

• Map & Directions
• Event Details & Program
• U-M School of Social Work Presenters
• Michigan Graduate Programs in Social Work Joint Reception

Associate Professor Terri Friedline was appointed by Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Kathleen L. Kraninger to the Academic Research Council. Friedline’s important research on fair banking and financial practices will impact the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the nation.

“The Bureau is able to protect consumers in the financial marketplace better when it receives input from a wide range of experts and stakeholders,” said Kraninger. “I am confident these groups will be able to hit the ground running in their efforts to provide meaningful feedback on Bureau policy and regulations.”

"I am honored to receive this appointment and to serve and protect consumers by advising the Bureau's research agenda. I look forward to working alongside the Director and fellow council members," Friedline said.

Professor Emerita Edie Kieffer’s latest research “Diagnosis and Care of Chronic Health Conditions Among Medicaid Expansion Enrollees: A Mixed-Methods Observational Study, was included in a front page Washington Post story. The study finds people with chronic conditions are significantly more likely to report improved physical and mental health since enrolling in the Healthy Michigan Plan, the state’s expanded Medicaid program. Ann-Marie Rosland, now an associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, is the first author of the study. Originally published in published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the research has also inspired an article on U-M’s Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation (IHPI) website. Kieffer has been a member of IHPI’s Healthy Michigan Plan evaluation team since its beginning in 2014.

Kieffer led the qualitative interview component of the evaluation and is also survey team member. “This was a mixed methods study, which uses both survey and interview data, and integrates the results” she explains. She was responsible for analyzing the interview data and integrating key interview themes and quotations with the survey results in the manuscript. 

“Why do we include interview data?  It is used as part of the evaluation because personal stories are important,” says Kieffer. “Policymakers are often most moved by the stories – these bring the numbers alive.  The interviewees told truly important stories about the impact of having the Healthy Michigan Plan on getting diagnosed, getting needed care to help them to manage their conditions, and on the functional impact on their lives.”   

Clinical Associate Professor Julie Ribaudo has been invited by the Erikson Institute and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) to serve on the Infancy and Early Childhood Mental Health Steering Committee. The steering committee is comprised of social work and other discipline experts who will work to develop the Curricular Guide for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and Developmental Neuroscience.  The guides are accessible to CSWE program and individual members for free and can be found at the CSWE website.