School of Social Work News

Jorge Delva, Professor and Director of the Communities Engagement Program at the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research, was named Professor and Dean at the Boston University School of Social Work, effective January 2018. This new appointment is a great honor for Dr. Delva, who has served many leadership roles at the University of Michigan and in the social work profession. He is an outstanding scholar who has, over the years, taken on challenging assignments for the good of our community and has always been student-centered in his vision and work.

Assistant Professor Mathieu Despard was honored with the 2017 Slavin-Patti Award for Outstanding Article of the Year from the Human Services Organizations: Management, Leadership, and Governance journal published by Taylor and Francis Group. His article, "Strengthening evaluation in nonprofit human service organizations: Results of a capacity-building experiment" was recognized on June 15, 2017 at the Network for Social Work Management's 28th Annual Management Conference in New York City.

Associate Professor Sherrie Kossoudji was featured in The University Record Faculty Spotlight article, “Social work professor brings classroom to Mexican border” regarding her annual class trip to the Tucson/Nogales area at the U.S./Mexico border.

Ed-Dee Williams (PhD student) along with mentor Jamie Mitchell received a grant from Rackham Graduate School to conduct analyses on data related to the mental health communication patterns of African American boys and men. Findings will contribute to improving mental health services, clinical practice and social support for African American adolescent males.

Kunal Namballa, Gabrielle Fitzsimmons, and Joshua Horning (MSW students) along with mentor Julie Cushman (LEO lecturer) and the Critical Intersectionality Learning Community received an Innovation Grant from the U-M Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to create an experiential learning game, “Power: A Game of Positionality and Intersectionality” which can be used in courses and other settings.

The Technical Assistance Center was awarded a Knight Cities Challenge Grant. “Better Buildings, Better Blocks” which will implement a community-based education program to empower residents of Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park to execute small-scale, residential and commercial real estate projects in their neighborhoods. The Center will provide the team with technical assistance and program evaluation support.

Joint Doctoral Program Director and Associate Professor Daphne Watkins’ article, “A qualitative comparison of DSM depression criteria to language used by older church-going African-Americans” was published in Aging and Mental Health.

Associate Dean for Research and Professor Joe Himle’s article, “A long-term follow-up of group behavioral therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder in a general outpatient clinic in Norway” was published in the Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders.