Doctoral Student Profiles

Jean Balestrery - Anthropology
  • B.A., 1991, Brown University, Providence, RI;
  • M.S.W., 1997, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Youth suicide, Native American communities; language of the social work profession; use of film and other media; effective cross-cultural practice
 
Mary Ellen Block - Anthropology
  • BA, 2002, University of Notre Dame
AIDS orphans; Lesotho/Africa; HIV/AIDS; gender; qualitative methods; kinship and social organization; medical anthropology
 
Emily Bosk - Sociology
  • B.A., 2003, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY
Long term health care, health disparities, disabilites, evidence based practice
 
Elana Buch - Anthropology
  • BA, 2000, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor;
  • MSW, 2004, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor;
  • MA, 2005, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Primary research interests include: intersections of gender, ethnicity and class in service labor; aging; long term care policy; home and community based care; cultural understandings of caregiving; kinship; qualitative and ethnographic methods
 
Rosalyn Campbell - Sociology
  • B.A., 2001, University of Texas at Austin
Mental health and illness in general and among subsets of the African
American community and within systems of education; depression and anxiety;
suicide and self-injury; the stigma attached to mental illness and how to
combat the issue; mental health and illness awareness.

 
Jenell Clarke - Psychology - Developmental
  • B.A., 2002, Brandeis University;
  • M.S.W., 2004, University of Michigan
Adolescent mental health/emotional well-being; family structure and psychological well-being; relation between race identity and mental health; protective factors against psychological stressors among ehtnic minority youths; parental involvement and their psychological impact on child outcomes, especially concerning absence of fathers.
 
Sara Crider - Sociology
  • B.A., 2005, University of Michigan
Social psychology; social identities; social inequalities; efficacy of different techniques for sensitivity training; sexualized violence; survivor status as a social identity
 
Haijing Dai - Sociology
  • B.A., 2002, Peking University, China;
  • B.A., 2002, Peking University, China;
  • M.S.W., 2004, University of Michigan
Child welfare; criminal justice; youth culture; mass culture; social conflicts; survey and methodology;interpreting and solving social problems in China.
 
Mary Dennis - Sociology
  • BA, 2000, University of Illinois;
  • MA, 2001, University of Chicago;
  • MSW, 2004, Washington University
Issues of race, gender, ethnicity and ability found within American Indian people and tribes; quality of life and health of Native American elders, both in urban areas and on reservations; urban Native elder culture and well-being

 
David Dobbie - Sociology
  • BA, 1999, Kalamazoo College;
  • MSW, 2003, University of Michigan
Community and labor organizing, popular education, social justice movements, education in movements, multicultural and youth organizing, creating solidarity across difference, feminism, participatory democracy, developing critical consciousness, the interconnection of sexuality, class, race, gender and other forms of oppression, nonprofit organizational development, critical geography - particularly urban areas shaped by advanced capitalism, and utopias
 
Cathryn Fabian - Psychology
  • BA, 2004, San Francisco State University
Asian-American community mental health; acculturation and experiences of immigrants; ethnic identity; family dynamics; perceived social support; culture stress and coping; effects of racism; personal empowerment and community activism; formation of identity within a group context; socio-cultural influences on individual behavior; multicultural community organizing; disparities in the delivery and utilization of mental health services among minority communities.
 
Alice Gates - Sociology
  • B.A., 1997, Grinnell College;
  • Certificate, 2004, Portland Community College;
  • M.S.W., 2007, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Social movements, labor and unions, immigration, multiracial organizing
 
Megan Gilster - Sociology
  • BA, 1999, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI;
  • MSW, 2003, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Demography of inequality, race, and ethnicity, and urban communities. Other interests are child and adolescent well-being and program evaluation. Her research has focused on the effects of neighborhoods on individual and community well-being, particularly how policy and practices in neighborhoods act to exacerbate social inequality; practice experience has been mainly in the area of program evaluation and community organizing
 
Peter Gluck - American Culture
  • BA, 1975, Northwestern University;
  • M.A.H.L., 1995, Hebrew Union College;
  • M.S.W., 1995, University of Michigan;
  • MA, 1998, University of Michigan
Primary research interests: religion and community formation, interfaith and bi-cultural marriages and families, Jews and Judaism as a minority culture, values and spirituality in social work domain, the church and synagogue as human service organizations.
 
M. Teresa Granillo - Psychology - Social
  • B.A., 2004, University of Arizona;
  • M.S.W., 2006, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Eating disorders; substance abuse; cultural influences; multiculturalism; mental health issues among adolescents; correlation between risky behaviors, relationships, and cultrual environmental influences; motivation and self-regulation
 
Shayla Griffin - Anthropology
  • B.A., 2005, Spelman College;
  • M.S.W., 2007, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
sociocultural anthropology; qualitative and ethnographical research; popular culture, racial social movements, race, class, and gender effects on youth; empowerment through learning inside and outside the classroom
 
Claudette Grinnell-Davis - Psychology - Personality
  • B.S., 1992, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor;
  • M.T.S., 1995, Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, MI;
  • M.S.W., 2003, Western Michigan University, Grand Rapids
Child welfare, faith based services; family support services, program evaluation, community and organizational leadership
 
Amy Hammock - Sociology
  • BA, 1995, Swarthmore College;
  • MSW, 2002, University of Michigan
Individual and community transformation through arts and cultural programming, particularly theater; domestic violence, especially partner violence against women, and social support systems for battered women; hierarchy and power in feminist organizations; structure of social service organizations.
 
Yoonsun Han - Economics
  • 2002, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut;
  • 2006, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Designing social policies for countries that have advanced economically, but not socially; relationships between macroeconomic shocks and family structure, and it's impact on poverty mobility for borderline families; finding the link between educational opportunities and socioeconomic advancement for urban high school students; health and class mobility
 
Elizabeth Harbison - Sociology
  • B.A., 2005, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY
Child welfare, families in poverty; ethnographic methods; family sociology
 
Laura Heinemann - Anthropology
  • B.A., 1998, Creighton University;
  • M.S.W., 2004, University of Michigan
Health care; hospital social work; social networks in health and illness; Science & Technology Studies and social work; illness experience and narrative; qualitative methodologies; organ transplantation; Social Work and genetic diagnoses; alcohol/drug use.
 
Pilar Horner - Sociology
  • A.B., 1995, University of Michigan;
  • MSW, 2003, University of Michigan
Social Welfare Policy, Women and Work, Sexuality, Labor Control, Qualitative Methods, Race, Ethnicity, Women in Prison, Disciplinary Boundary Making
 
Leah James - Psychology - Developmental
  • B.A., 2004, University of California, Los Angeles
Development and treatment of adolescent psychopathology in urban settings; preventive intervention measures and skills training paradigms for disadvantaged parents
 
Christopher Jarman - Psychology - Developmental
  • B.S., 1999, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY;
  • B.A., 2005, University of Arkansas, Little Rock;
  • M.S.W., 2007, University of Arkansas, Little Rock
Infant mental health, personality disorders; community mental health
 
Rebecca Karb - Sociology
  • B.A., 2002, Hailton College;
  • M.S.W., 2006, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Dynamics between individuals, communities, social service and social policy; social psychology; examining the relationship between care providers and clients; economic sociology and organization; interpretation of economic actions as a reflection of culture.
 
Hyun Jee Kim - Economics
  • B.B.A., 2004, Ewha Womans University;
  • M.S.W., 2006, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Long term care for aging populations; ethnic minority issues; gerontology
 
Isok Kim - Psychology - Social
  • B.S., 1996, University of Washington, Seattle;
  • M.S.W., 2000, University of Washington, Seattle
Minority mental health and substance use disorder; culturally and linguistically competent counseleing; integration of mental health and substance use disorder treatment; motivational interviewing
 
Ju Min Kim - Sociology - Social
  • B.A., 2000, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia;
  • M.S.W., 2006, Columbia University, New York, NY
Poverty, wealth and inequality and how poverty is perpetuated by racism and other systems of oppression
 
Antonette King - Psychology - Personality
  • B.A., 2006, San Francisco State University, CA
Strategies of prevention, intervention, and remidiations to assist underrepresented minorities develop effective coping skills and responses to their environment; mental health disparities that affect the African American population and how these discrepancies may be eliminated by research strategems for program development and evaluation
 
Min Young Kwak - Sociology
  • B.A., 2004, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea;
  • M.A., 2007, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
Developmental disabilities; interpersonal violence; family care giving; long term care
 
Na Na Lee - Sociology
  • BA, 2000, Yonsei University;
  • MSW, 2002, Yonsei University
Comparative welfare states; labor market policy and social welfare policy; public assistance; social policy focusing on the issues of family and women; social welfare system in which women's participation work activities and child caring can be compatible; improving well-being of children with working parents; approaching these issues with an international perspective.
 
Na Youn Lee - Political Science
  • B.S.W., 2004, Yonsei University, Seoul, SOUTH KOREA;
  • M.A., 2007, Columbia University, New York, NY;
  • M.S.W., 2007, Columbia University, New York, NY
Child welfare policy; human rights; poverty and family well-being
 
Dana Levin - Psychology - Developmental
  • B.A., 1995, Rutgers College;
  • M.A., 2000, New York University;
  • M.S.W., 2005, University of Michigan
Adolescent gender and sexual socialization, including messages young people receive about sexuality and abstinence, how these messages affect attitudes and behaviors, communication about sexuality, and unwanted sexual experiences; promoting healthy relationships and prevention/intervention implications; arts interventions, particularly theatre and drama; cross-cultural work (specifically in Israel.)
 
Katherine Luke - Sociology
  • B.A., 1997, Macalester College;
  • M.A., 2001, University of Minnesota;
  • M.S.W., 2001, University of Minnesota
Interpersonal Violence; Substance Use & Abuse; Criminal & Juvenile Justice; Childhood & Adolescence; Sexuality and Sexual Health; Privilege and Social Change; Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality; Social Justice Education
 
John Mathias - Anthropology
  • B.A., 2002, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Construction and employment of notions of altruism in advocacy for and against neoliberal reform in Kerala, India; participatory research on the strategy of activists from Kerala's new social movements, documentary filmmaking
 
Laura Maurizi - Psychology - Developmental
  • B.A., 2002, University of Pennsylvania
Developmental and social psychology; community and cultural influence on emotional and intellectual development, disposition, and beliefs about self
 
Elizabeth Meier - Psychology - BioPsych
  • BA, 1999, Fort Lewis College;
  • MSW, 2003, University of Michigan
Video research; intergroup dialogue; engaged learning; communication processes
 
Tova Neugut - Psychology - Clinical
  • B.A., 2001, Brandeis University, Waltham, M
Families living in poverty; interpersonal violence; trauma
 
Kerri Nicoll - Political Science
  • B.A., 1998, Connecticut College, New London;
  • M.Div., 2001, Princeton Theological Seminary;
  • M.S.W., 2007, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Anti-poverty policy; connections between economic, education and poverty policies
 
Jessuina Perez-Teran - Political Science
  • ASSOC., 1989, Skyline College, San Bruno, CA;
  • B.S.W., 1992, San Francisco State University, CA;
  • B.A., 1997, San Francisco State University, CA;
  • M.S.W., 2001, San Francisco State University, CA
Community building, empowerment and systematic change through mulitcultural organization
 
Tam Perry - Anthropology
  • BA, 1993, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN;
  • MSW, 1998, University of Texas, Austin;
  • MA, 2007, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Older persons, Discursive practices in nursing homes between residents and caregivers, Financial well-being of older persons, Housing transitions faced by older persons
 
Stephen Rassi - Psychology - General
  • BA, 1995, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor;
  • MSW, 1997, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor;
  • MA, 2004, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Primary research interests include operational definitions and theory of gender, gender identity and sexual orientation; inclusion and accuracy of course content on gender identity, in clinical social work courses; and gender identity development. Other interests include outcome measures on the effectiveness of interventions to reduce the unwanted effects of trauma, in particular the treatment of P.T.S.D. using the "Power Therapies" (Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR), EMDR, TFT and V/KD), and the intersection of poverty/minority/oppressed status with trauma symptomatology.
 
Elizabeth Rhodes - Political Science
  • 2003, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Col
Social policy, international social welfare, community development; policies affecting women and their effects on children, families, communities and social development indicators
 
Violet Saad - Psychology - Social
  • BA, 1985, University of Michigan;
  • MSW, 1986, University of Michigan
Primary research interests: youth and violence and the effect religion and culture may play. Also interested in issues relating to culture, religion and women, self-esteem and coping strategies, issues relating to assimilation and coping strategies.
 
Kristin Scherrer - Sociology
  • B.A., 2002, University of Colorado,;
  • M.S.W., 2006, Unviersity of Michigan, Ann Arbor;
  • M.A., 2007, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Sexualities; Gender; the Lifecourse; Aging; Childhood and Adolescence; Families; Qualitative Methods
 
Katharine Sheets - Anthropology
  • B.A., 2004, University of California, Berkeley;
  • M.S.W., 2007, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Medical anthropology; U.S. health insurance policies; Maternal and child health; Political movements surrounding health; Reproductive choices and work; Engaged ethnography
 
Huei-Wern Shen - Political Science
  • B.A., 1997, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan;
  • M.S.W., 2001, Washington University, St. Louis, MO;
  • I.M.S.W., 2002, Gothenburg University, Sweden;
Welfare policy and welfare reform; poverty reduction, income redistribution, and asset accumlation through Individual Development Accounts; empowerment of the poorest of the poor; interaction of social, economic, and political systems, especially regarding social needs and human dignity, service delivery, social dynamics, and social structure.
 
Joanne Smith-Darden - Psychology
  • BS, 1976, University of Oregon;
  • MHS, 1980, Governer's State University;
  • MSW, 1999, University of Michigan
causality of sexual aggressivity, including attachment, victimization, educational history, learning disabilities, and language processing; intergration of mental processes and life course experience; developmental cognitive theory.
 
Elizabeth Thomason - Psychology - Developmental
  • B.A., 1999, University of Michigan, Dearborn;
  • M.S.W., 2006, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI;
  • Certificate, 2007, Merrill-Palmer Institute
Women and depression; infant mental health
 
Heather Tidrick - Anthropology
  • M.A., 2005, University of Texas at Austin;
  • B.A., 1998, UC Santa Cruz
Influence on shifting state policies on individuals and ethnic communities; Romani education and assimilation/integration issues in Hungary; Hungarian child welfare policy and the development of Romani children in state institutions
 
Amanda Tillotson - Political Science
  • A.A., 1977, Jamestown Community College, NY;
  • B.A., 1977, SUNY Fredonia, New York, NY;
  • M.A. , 1985, University of California, Los Angeles
Social construction of poverty, need and "homelessness," relationship between past sexual abuse, addiction, mental health issues, and family dysfunction and poverty and/or homelessness; international/comparitive perspectives poverty and need
 
Melita Vaz - Psychology - Social
  • B.A., 1991, St. Xavier's College, Bombay University, Bombay, I
  • M.A., 1993, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Bombay, India;
  • M.S.W., 2005, University of Michigan
Mental health and well-being of women and children, examination of the influence of people's cognitions over their emotions and their behavior. Examination of the interpersonal and intrapersonal dynamics of the grief process of women.
 
Laura Wernick - Political Science
  • BA, 1991, University of California, Berkeley;
  • MSW, MPA, 1998, Columbia University;
  • Certificate, 2002, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor;
  • M.A., 2003, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
My scholarly interests include examining effective roles can people with power and privilege can play in supporting movements that address the root causes of social and economic injustices; philanthropy, class, democracy & power; community organizing among people with power and privilege; cross-race, cross-class coalition building; collaboration among nonprofit organizations, government and community stakeholders; diversity, power and learning in organizations; and community-university research partnerships.
 
Jessica Wiederspan - Sociology - Social
  • 2001, Nebraska Wesleyan, Lincoln, Nebraska
Poverty and inequality in the U.S., social policy, perceptions and attitudes toward poverty and inequality and how they impact social policy, work and labor issues, social movements and collective action, social psychology, the "American Dream."
 
Jessica Worden - Anthropology
  • BA, 1996, University of Texas;
  • MSW, 1999, University of Michigan;
  • MA, 2002, University of Michigan
Primary research interest: concepts of childhood and trauma in Gulu and Kitgum, Uganda, with particular emphasis on how the ongoing conflict between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Ugandan government impacts children in the region, both those abducted to become soldiers and those who are internally displaced.
 
Liyun Wu - Economics
  • B.A., 1998, Renmin University of China;
  • M.A., 2002, Renmin University of China;
  • M.S., 2003, London School of Economics
Social work developent in transition economy, pension fund management, social security reform, non-profit foundation, volunteerism, bahavior response of tax policy and its impact at the community level, applied econometrics
 
Jiaan Zhang - Political Science
  • B.L., 2001, Fudan University;
  • M.S.W., 2004, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Comparative social welfare policy; service and support of elderly; aging; community-based research.