School of Social Work

Professor Joseph Himle has been awarded the 2025 Distinguished Faculty Award. This highly esteemed peer award recognizes governing faculty members who demonstrate excellence in domains including longevity of service to the School, national recognition in scholarship and service, excellence in teaching and mentoring, outstanding service to the School and the university, and contribution to the professional community.

Himle is the Howard V. Brabson Collegiate Professor of Social Work and a professor of psychiatry at the U-M Medical School.

Field Faculty and Lecturer Zaynab Boussi has received the 2025 Distinguished Lecturer Award. This highly esteemed peer award recognizes excellence in teaching and mentoring of students and the very highest ideal of a School of Social Work Lecturer.

Clinical Associate Professor Daicia Price has been named 2025 Teacher of the Year by the Student Government.  This award is given in recognition of a faculty member who has demonstrated a commitment to improving DEI, made outstanding and positive contributions to the School’s climate, and whose skills, dedication, understanding and caring have positively impacted students. Price is also the director of the School’s Flourish office.

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.

The IMPACT Awards honor outstanding students, faculty, staff, groups and student organizations who have demonstrated a strong commitment to enhancing our community and advancing the School’s mission.

IMPACT Awards 2025 Recipients

Student Impact Award: Daniella Acosta

Daniella Acosta is an MSW student on the Management and Leadership Pathway, a Flourish office student learner, the SSW Student Government Association In-Person Representative, a member of the Global Scholars Program and the Student Engagement Coordinator at the Center for Campus Involvement.

Acosta is dedicated to creating

Assistant Professor Rebeccah Sokol penned an op-ed in the Bridge Michigan advocating for the preservation of Pathways to Potential. Funded by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Pathways to Potential is a large student support program that the School of Social Work has been evaluating. Budget cuts call for replacing the program with family resource specialists within child welfare services. Sokol argues for a comprehensive strategy that addresses both prevention and intervention.

“Maintaining Pathways to Potential alongside new intervention programs would provide Michigan

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.

Professor Katie Edwards wrote a heartfelt op-ed for HuffPost on the effects of the Trump Administration's cuts to NIH funding. Edward’s research lab has lost six such grants in the last several weeks. “There is so much goodness, love and care that goes into our work — work that is making homes, schools and communities safe for people across the U.S., perhaps even for you and/or someone you care about — and if it is ended, the effects will be calamitous.”

Lecturer Susan Radzilowski spoke with WDET’s The Metro about the challenges as well as the services and supports available for transgender youth in Metro Detroit.

“The availability of school support is extremely important in my opinion. The most important supports here for young people are family, which of course is your home, and school and community,” Radzilowski said. “Oftentimes working with and identifying just one teacher or counselor or adult ally at school can go a really long way to making a transgender child feel safe at school. And so education, training — these are really

MSW student Josh Campbell has received the 2025 Furstenberg Award for Excellence in Pre-graduate Education from the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. Campbell was selected from over 1,600 health profession trainees and recognizes his excellence in clinical and educational pursuits. The award is named in honor of Albert Furstenberg, who served as dean of the U-M Medical School for 25 years and championed medical education.