School of Social Work News

Professor Emerita Rosemary Sarri is a 2017 inductee of the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame. She is one of eight women selected from more than 100 nominations to be inducted into the 34th class of the hall of fame, which honors distinguished women, both historical and contemporary, who are associated with the state of Michigan.

Professor William Elliott III received a grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation via the University of Kansas to conduct research on Maine's Harold Alfond College Challenge, one of the oldest and most visible Children's Savings Account (CSA) programs in the country, in pursuit of a deeper and more broadly applicable knowledge base around CSAs.

Professor Brad Zebrack’s longitudinal study, “Cancer in adolescents and young adults: Who remains at risk of poor social functioning over time?” was featured in the ScienceDaily article, “Young adult cancer survivors struggle to get back to normal”.

Professor Barry Checkoway led the 15th annual Youth Dialogues program this week here at the University of Michigan. "Youth Dialogues on Race and Ethnicity in Metropolitan Detroit" challenges racial discrimination and segregation through the processes of intergroup dialogue and social action planning; the program creates community among metro Detroit high school students.

Professor Brad Zebrack was cited in the Doctors Lounge article, “Distress Screening Tied to Fewer ER Visits for Cancer Patients”.

Assistant Professor Mat Despard received a grant for his project, ''Employer-Based Financial Wellness Programs Project'' from the Kellogg Foundation via the Washington University in St. Louis. The project aims to assess financial security outcomes among low- and moderate-income workers who receive services such as financial coaching and short-term loans through their employers, and whether these outcomes vary based on the types of services received and levels of employee engagement in these services.

Professor Emerita Paula Allen-Meares, Associate Professor Trina Shanks, Professor Larry Gant, and Associate Professor Emerita Leslie Hollingsworth edited the book, A Twenty-First Century Approach to Community Change, which will be published by Oxford University Press in August 2017.

The following chapters are currently available to view on Google Books:

• “Community Change Process” - (Gant and Hollingsworth)
• “Theories of Change“ - (Gant and Hollingsworth)
• “Innovative Approaches in Field Instruction and Educational Practice Innovations for Training Social Work Student Interns” - (Gant)
• “Helping Communities Design Governance Structures“ - (Gant)
• “Community Development and Place-Based Neighborhood Change“ - (Gant)

Associate Professor Rogério Pinto, Chair of the Faculty Allies for Diversity Learning Community, led a series of manuscript writing workshops focusing on developing publishable academic journal articles. The Faculty Allies for Diversity Learning Community is providing professional development and financial support for PhD students while they work on manuscripts for publication over this summer.