MSW Program

Joint PhD student Yun Chen and Kathleen Pottick, visiting scholar and professor of social work at Rutgers University, are both recipients of an honorable mention for the 2019 Society for Social Work and Research Excellence in Research Award. The award recognizes the article “Conceptualizing Culturally Infused Engagement and Its Measurement for Ethnic Minority and Immigrant Children and Families, Clinical Children and Family Psychology.” In conferring the honorable mention, the Society recognized outstanding social work research that represents the highest of scientific standards and advances

The University of Michigan LSA National Center for Institutional Diversity recently published a scholar story showcasing Assistant Professor Shanna Kattari. Her scholarship focuses on three main areas:

• disability, ableism and microaggressions around disability;
• sexuality and gender;
• healthcare access, culturally responsive healthcare and sexual and reproductive healthcare.

Kattari enjoys using mixed methods, PhotoVoice, digital storytelling, arts-based methodologies and phenomenology from the qualitative perspective to depict her research.

Professor William Elliot received funding from the Friedman Family Foundation to support the Center on Assets, Education, and Inclusion. The center creates and studies innovations related to asset development, education and financial inclusion that result in opportunities across the life course for low-income children and families.

Kristina Agbebiyi, MSW'18 was awarded the 2018 University of Michigan NASW Student of the Year. The award selection is based on the following criteria:

• Demonstrated leadership qualities
• Contribution to the positive image of a social work program
• Commitment to political and community activities
• Success in academic performance
• Degree to which the student represents the professional ethics of social work as defined in the NASW Code of Ethics

Susannah Feinstein, MSW ‘18, was selected as a 2018 Dow Sustainability Fellow. 

Dow Fellows focus on interdisciplinary approaches to a broad array of sustainability challenges related to water, energy, transportation, built environment, climate change, food, health, human behavior, and others. In addition to co-curricular activities and interactions with the Dow Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellows, each Masters/Professional Fellow will complete an interdisciplinary team project focused on developing collaborative and practical sustainability solutions in the real world.

Daniel Kaplan (MSW student) wrote a Jewschool article about Birthright Israel. 

Madel Leal (MSW‘17) was featured in the Michigan News video, “Research, education, service: How we spent our summer vacation.”

Shelby Andersen-Holt and Breanna Ostrander (MSW students) along with mentor Professor Larry Gant received a grant from the Graham Sustainability Institute for The Belding Community Youth Food Collaborative project. The project uses youth empowerment and community engagement models to develop knowledge of and infrastructure for sustainable horticultural practices and nutritious eating in a rural setting.

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.

Avery Drongowski (MSW'17) wrote a piece for eJewish Philanthropy about her experiences with the Jewish Communal Leadership Program at the U-M SSW.