Research Groups/Labs/Centers

In a dynamic, post-industrial multi-cultural society, it is easy for systems and policies to evolve in such a way that they become misaligned. Similarly, with a history of racism and growing class divides, some families and communities receive inadequate attention and investment and find themselves disconnected from the resources and opportunities of their surrounding economy. Successful responses are not easy or guaranteed, but there are occasions when policymakers make an appropriate fix or when grassroots leaders and local champions rally around a promising strategy. The goal of the Center for Equitable Family and Community Well-Being is to encourage and support such win-win efforts by connecting the resources and intellectual strength of the University of Michigan with the passion and social capital of community leaders.

The mission of AEDI is to create and study innovations related to asset development, education, and financial inclusion that result in opportunities across the life course for low-income children and families, in the U.S. and around the globe, for the purposes of climbing out of poverty and up the economic ladder.

The Child and Adolescent Data Lab of the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work is an applied research center focused on using a data­ driven approach to inform policy and practice decisions in child welfare and juvenile justice.

The Curtis Center's mission is to stimulate research, training, and outreach opportunities that promote health equity by supporting work that deepens our understanding of the factors that lead to inequities and the strategies that eliminate them.

The Gender and Health Research Lab strives to understand the mechanisms by which socio-demographic, psychosocial, and environmental agents influence the mental and physical health of racial and ethnic minorities, particularly as it pertains to gender differences and gender role socialization.

Interprofessional Collaboration Group's research examines how practitioners may better deliver evidence-based services to high-risk populations.

The Latinx Faculty and Staff Research and Practice Group is an affinity group of self-identified Latinx faculty and staff at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. Their aim is to provide a supportive space for discussing issues and challenges relative to Latinx identities in an academic environment. They also wish to provide mentorship and support for faculty, staff, and students through scholarship, academic preparation, and networking students while at the University of Michigan and beyond.

Employment Skills Simulation Lab, bridges the equity gap in employment opportunities for underserved groups by harnessing technology for social good, ensuring healthy development for all youth, promoting decarceration, and eradicating social isolation.

Parenting in Context Research Lab's research and community-based intervention work focuses on the role of fathers in promoting child and family wellbeing.

Poverty Solutions’ action-based research is focused on partnerships, pilots and even large-scale programs that determine what is most effective and brings new discoveries to policy makers and community stakeholders.

The goal of the Prevention Research and Health Equity Lab is to prevent problem behaviors, eliminate health disparities and work toward health equity.

The STaR Lab works to prevent suicide among individuals with serious mental illness, and particularly psychosis and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Scholarship within the lab aims to 1) advance understandings of factors driving suicide risk and protection; 2) develop, modify, and test suicide prevention-focused psychosocial interventions; and 3) strengthen and evaluate the implementation of suicide prevention efforts to increase their access, utility, and scalability in practice.

TIPPS translates research and shares strategies that help students realize their potential and become more resilient to the effects of trauma.

The Treatment, Innovation & Dissemination Research Group is a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional team of faculty members, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and community partners focused on improving psychosocial treatment for mental disorders and increasing access to evidence-based treatments for these conditions among traditionally underserved populations.