School of Social Work News

Adjunct Professor and Research Scientist James Blackburn, PhD, received a Community Engagement Grant from the Ginsberg Center for Community and Service Learning for Phase 1 of a three-phase city-wide study of Detroit’s older adults.

Pinghui Wu, PhD candidate, Professor Luke Shaefer and Michael Evangelist, PhD Candidate, received an award from Rackham Graduate School for their project on state Unemployment Insurance (UI) policies and the mental health unemployed workers.

Professor William Elliott and the Center on Assets, Education, and Inclusion recently contributed a paper, “Making Education Work for the Poor: The Potential of Children’s Savings Accounts” to the U.S. Child Poverty Action Group compendium. They have also been asked to speak at a Child Poverty Action Group Congressional briefing, Our Kids, Our Future.

Laura Yakas successfully defended her dissertation "Love in a Time of Madness: The Importance of Purpose and Belonging in Healing and Harnessing Madness". Her committee consisted of Karen Staller, Damani Partridge (co-chairs), Richard Tolman and Holly Peters-Golden. Yakas has accepted a summer position at a Global Leadership Forum for high school students.

Assistant Clinical Professor Sue Ann Savas was selected as the 2017 Student Union Teacher of the Year. She was nominated by a member of the student body and was selected based on a submitted essay detailing some of the remarkable ways she influences the students in her classes.

Every year the SSW Student Union puts out a call for nominations to the students regarding the teacher of the year. This is an award asking students to submit the name of a teacher they feel has been particularly powerful in their learning and who they hold as the model for an educator in the SSW.

Kristina Agbebiyi, MSW'18 was awarded the 2018 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

Assocaite Professors Brian Perron and Joe Ryan received an award from the Casey Family Programs for their Data Lab, which will use existing data sources provided by the state of Michigan to generate actionable insights and provide ongoing consultation for quality initiatives.

Daphne Watkins was appointed to the Editorial Board for the new International Journal of Men's Social and Community Health.