Joint PhD Program

So’Phelia Morrow, Joint Doctoral Program in Social Work and Sociology, has successfully defended her dissertation entitled has successfully defended "Killing Us Softly: Intimate Partner Violence and The Forced Martyrdom of Black Women."  Her committee included Terri Friedline (co-chair) and Rich Tolman. Morrow has accepted an assistant professor of social work position at Wayne State University.

Professor Matthew Smith has received the 2025 DSO Faculty Award. Awarded by the Doctoral Student Organization, this award honors a faculty mentor who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to mentoring, developing and supporting doctoral students.

Smith is also the School's Associate Dean of Research.

PhD students Matt Hiller, Anna Wood and Irene Routté have been awarded Rackham Predoctoral Fellowships, one of the most prestigious awards granted to U-M graduate doctoral students.

PhD student Charles Wiliams was featured in a Washington Post article about how consumers are boycotting companies as they roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Williams helped coordinate a “good-buy” at a Detroit-area Target. “We sent a clear message to Target that our voices and our dollars matter,” he said.

PhD student Olivia Chang was quoted in a recent MSN article about her research on the connection between veterans with PTSD and their use of corporal punishment in their parenting practices. “Understanding a child’s emotions and behavior is essential for effective parenting. This study reveals the challenges parents face in deciphering emotional cues, particularly when shaped by factors like racial background and the effects of traumatic stress,” said Chang. The story also was published in Medical Xpress.

PhD Student Irene Routté has received the 2024 Outstanding Doctoral Student Award from the Association for Community Organizing & Social Action (ACOSA). This award honors meritorious scholarship in the field of community practice.

Joonyoung Cho successfully defended his dissertation entitled “Aging in the Right Place: Effects from Relocation and Homebound Status.” His committee included Ruth Dunkle (co-chair) and Xiaoling Xiang. 

Cho has accepted an assistant professor position at the Center on Aging in the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health at the University of Hawai’i, Mānoa.

Michelangelo Trujillo has successfully defended his dissertation entitled "Identity-Based Processes and Clinical Social Work Education." His committee included Joseph Himle (co-chair) and Richard Tolman.

Rita Hu has successfully defended her dissertation, “The Role of Social Relationships in the Development and Consequences of Self-Perceptions of Aging across the Lifespan.” Her committee included Lydia Li (co-chair) and Ruth Dunkle. 

Hu has accepted a Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship and will transition to a tenure-track assistant professor position in 2026 at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice, University of Chicago.

MSW Student Kevin Nguyen has been selected as the 2024 U-M National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Student of the Year. In bestowing this award, NASW looks at criteria including demonstrated leadership qualities, contribution to the positive image of a social work program, commitment to political and community activities, success in academic performance and representation of the NASW Code of Ethics. The award ceremony will be held Friday, April 12, 2024, 6-8:30 PM in Lansing, Michigan.