School of Social Work

This decision is now approved and final.

The Joint Program in Social Work and Social Science at the University of Michigan has decided to not enroll a new doctoral class for 2021. This is a difficult decision but given the impact of COVID on our current diverse student body, it is needed to provide them the best chance for success. This would be for one year. Next year we would resume enrolling students as we previously have. We currently do not plan to offer deferments to prospective students this year.

 Lorraine Gutiérrez, associate dean for educational programs and professor of social work, is receiving the 2020 Career Achievement Award from the Association for Community Organization and Social Action (ACOSA).  The award honors the lifetime contribution of a person in the field who has made a major contribution to community practice.

ENGAGE Program Director and Lecturer Ayesha Ghazi-Edwin received a Certificate of Appreciation from the James T. Neubacher Awards Committee, a unit of the U-M Council for Disability Concerns.

Rose C. Gibson Collegiate Professor Emerita of Social Work Letha Chadiha is receiving the 2020 Career Achievement Award from the Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work. This award recognizes a faculty member who is an outstanding leader in social work education and aging with significant achievements including major research and publications, prominence in promoting education in gerontology, and mentoring faculty and students interested in aging.

ENGAGE Program Manager and Lecturer Ayesha Ghazi-Edwin is one of the 100 Detroit activists featured in "i.Detroit," a mixed media project by British artist Marcus Lyon. She was selected after a 6-month nomination process as an activist who is making a significant difference in Detroit. The project includes a book of portraits, a smartphone app and a 7-inch vinyl record; it also maps the DNA of its subjects to create what Lyon calls a “human atlas” of the city.

Assistant Professor Lisa Fedina was awarded a 2020 Young Investigator Grant from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. She will conduct a national survey with young adults ages 18-24 to identify protective factors for suicide that promote resilience among young adults, particularly those most at risk.

Michigan Social Work has archived resources and events from U-M and NASW connected to the upcoming election.

Assistant Professor Shanna Kattari and Lecturer Leo Kattari have edited a new book “Social Work and Health Care Practice with Transgender and Nonbinary Individuals.” Assistant Professor Ashley Lacombe-Duncan and Joint PhD student Matthew Bakko contributed chapters. 

Congratulations to Trina Shanks who was named the Harold R. Johnson Collegiate Professor of Social Work. Shanks is the director of the School of Social Work Community Engage Program as well as the newly launched Center for Equitable Family & Community Well-Being, which connects the university with community leaders in Detroit and in Washtenaw County.

Professor Lisa Wexler has received a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Grant for her project, Family Safety Net: Developing an Upstream Suicide Prevention Approach to Encourage Safe Firearm Storage in Rural and Remote Alaskan Homes. The study will support, encourage and assess safe firearm storage practices relevant to Alaska Native families. Alaska has suicide rates far above national averages, including a teen suicide rate among Alaska Natives 18 times higher than the rate for other American teens.