School of Social Work

Associate Professor Cristina Bares will serve as a co-chair for the 2019 National Hispanic Science Network Conference. The network promotes interdisciplinary and translational research across a broad range of disciplines on a national and international front. Since its inception in 2001, the network – in partnership with the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Eye Institute – has made great strides to advance the field of Hispanic drug use research.  

The Faculty Allies for Diversity Committee hosted a networking event to celebrate diversity in our school and prepare students for the job market. The faculty shared networking tips, strategies for job talks and how to navigate barriers in academic spaces. Professor Rogério M. Pinto and Assitant Professor Addie Weaver chaired the event. More than 20 professors and PhD students attended.

Todd Herrenkohl, Marion Elizabeth Blue Professor of Children and Families is named a 2019 Society for Social Work and Research Fellow.

The Society for Social Work and Research Fellows are members who have served with distinction to advance the mission of the Society — to advance, disseminate, and translate research that addresses issues of social work practice and policy and promotes a diverse, equitable and just society.

The School of Social Work winter commencement at Hill Auditorium on Saturday, December 15, 2018, featured an inspirational keynote address from Assistant Professor and co-director of the Gender and Health Research Lab, Jamie Mitchell. Mitchell encouraged graduates to pursue continual growth through resistance, resilience, relationships and reflection; to give back and to be change agents in their local communities. Student speakers Kristina "K" Agbebiyi and Gabriela Santiago-Romero each gave stirring addresses. At the ceremony, 220 graduates received their MSW degrees (including 14 graduates

Kathryn Berringer, Joint PhD student in Social Work and Anthropology was named a Dow Sustainability Doctoral Fellow. Each new Fellow will receive up to $15,000 to help support their research in the coming year. Dow Sustainability Fellows Program at the University of Michigan supports full-time graduate students at the university who are committed to finding interdisciplinary, actionable and meaningful sustainability solutions on local-to-global scales. The program aspires to prepare future sustainability leaders to make a positive difference in organizations worldwide.

A new study by the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation (IHPI) finds that nearly half of people covered by Healthy Michigan Plan– the state’s expanded Medicaid program – felt their physical health improved within the first year or two after they enrolled in the program. Almost 40% reported that their mental or dental health had improved. See key findings below.

Edith Kieffer, Professor of Social Work, who serves as the study’s co-investigator on the evaluation team, led the qualitative and dental data analyses. Renuka Tipirneni, Assistant Professor of Internal

Lisa Young Larance, Joint PhD student Social Work and Sociology, article “Understanding and Addressing Women’s Use of Force in Intimate Relationships: A Retrospective” was published recently in Violence Against Women.

The SSW DEI Office established a new award to recognize individuals and groups in the School of Social Work who have made significant contributions to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the School or in the community. Congratulations to the following individuals and groups selected as the 2018 recipients of the Impact Award in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Staff Member, Randall Bilby; Student, Cuauhtemoc Salinas Martell; Faculty Member, Shanna Kattari and Organization, Association of Black Social Work Students. Awardees were recognized at an awards ceremony at the School on

The University of Michigan School of Social Work celebrated World AIDS Day with talks on science and policy, personal testimonials--including words from Jeanne White-Ginder, the mother of Ryan White--awards to prominent local AIDS activists, including members of the Michigan HIV/AIDS Council, a social justice exhibit drawn from the School's fine art collection, and an impromptu AIDS "quilt," created by attendees (out of paper, not cloth).

The event, sponsored by the office of the Associate Dean for Research, also featured Dawn Lukomski of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

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