School of Social Work News

Associate Professor Luke Shaefer and Poverty Solutions developed an online data map displaying poverty statistics throughout the state of Michigan. The map is highlighted in the following media:

• Michigan Daily
• Detroit Free Press
• Michigan Radio

Field Educator and LEO Lecturer Mary Eldredge and Postdoctoral Fellow and LEO Lecturer Shanna Kattari were announced as Interprofessional Leadership Fellows for the 2018-2019 year. 

The 2018-19 cohort represents innovation and growth in U-M’s heralded faculty development program.

A record 21 educators in the third cohort of the Interprofessional Leadership (IPL) Fellows program highlights the growing interest in and commitment to interprofessional education (IPE) at University of Michigan.

Associate Professor Sandra Momper's project, ''When We Work Together, Then We Are Wise "Pii Maamwinokiyaang, Miidash Nibwaakaayaang" was funded by American Indian Health and Family Services of Southeastern Michigan, Inc The project goals include increasing involvement of youth and family members in the System, making AIHFS behavioral health services fully sustainable through Medicaid Funding, and identifying and implementing system changes recommended by a Cultural and Linguistic Competency Assessment.

Associate Professor Trina Shanks, through the Technical Assistance Center, was awarded a Poverty Solutions grant to support Detroit-based Alternatives for Girls as they strengthen and evaluate their child savings account program. The program is designed to promote post-secondary education and degree attainment for girls of color and increased financial capability for families.

Vincent Fusaro, PhD'17 is the recipient of the 2018 Society for Social Work and Research Outstanding Social Work Doctoral Dissertation Award for his dissertation entitled "The Spirit of '96: States & the Implementation of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families."

Professor Brad Zebrack chaired the advocacy panel of adolescent and young adult cancer patients at the 2017 2nd Global Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Congress in Atlanta.

Assistant Professor of Social Work Kristin Seefeldt is recognized by the Society for Social Work and Research for her book, “Abandoned Families: Social Isolation in the Twenty-First Century.” The 2018 Society for Social Work and Research Outstanding Social Work Book Award recognizes outstanding scholarly contributions that advance social work knowledge. Through in-depth interviews over a six-year period with women in Detroit, Seefeldt charts the increasing social isolation of many low-income workers, particularly African Americans, and analyzes how economic and residential segregation keep them from achieving the American Dream of upward mobility.   

LEO Lecturer Tony Alvarez gave the 2017 Kurt Hahn Address at the Association for Experiential Education International Conference in Montreal. The Address is presented annually by a person designated by the Board of Directors who has contributed to the development and advancement of experiential education with the tenacity and conviction exemplified by Kurt Hahn.