School of Social Work News

Associate Professor Daphne Watkins received the “Thought Leader Award for Peer-Reviewed Publications” at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Connections Capstone Symposium last month. Watkins was the recipient of a New Connections Initiative Award in 2007 for her project “Examining the Influence of Psychosocial Factors on the Mental Health of Black Men.” This recent accolade is in recognition of the impact she’s made in her field as well as the quantity and quality of the work she’s produced since receiving her initial award.

Assistant Professor Xiaoling Xiang's new study tracks the behavior of older adults whose needs were not handled properly, leading to elevated anxiety symptoms. “Our findings reinforce the notion that needs for mental health services and community-based long-term services and supports are interconnected,” Xiang said.

Associate Professor Luke Shaefer’s research on child allowances was included in Nicholas Kristof's column, "A Dummy's Guide to Democratic Policy Proposals" in the New York Times.

Clinical Assistant Professor Daicia Price was selected as the 2019 Student Union Teacher of the Year. 
She was nominated by a member of the Michigan Social Work student body and was selected based on a submitted essay detailing some of the remarkable ways she influences students in her classes.

Associate Professor Kristin Seefeldt gave the keynote address at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work’s symposium “Poverty is a Human Rights Issue: Social Work and Economic Justice". Her talk focused on poverty and inequality, economic well being and family coping strategies.

Assistant Professor Shanna Kattari and Postdoctoral Research Fellow Ashley Lacombe-Duncan talk about their studies on transgender experiences with health professionals on Michigan Minds. They discuss their goal of creating easily accessible information for healthcare providers to help better care for transgender patients.

Rogério Meireles Pinto was invited to lead a training at The Guidance Center/Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority on best practices for clinical staff working with a client and interpreter during the course of mental health treatment. Pinto's training was part of the Children's Mental Health Lecture Series.

Mitch Paradise, MSW'19 was awarded the 2019 University of Michigan NASW Student of the Year. The award selection is based on the following criteria:

• Demonstrated leadership qualities
• Contribution to the positive image of a social work program
• Commitment to political and community activities
• Success in academic performance
• Degree to which the student represents the professional ethics of social work as defined in the NASW Code of Ethics