Rita Hu has successfully defended her dissertation, “The Role of Social Relationships in the Development and Consequences of Self-Perceptions of Aging across the Lifespan.” Her committee included Lydia Li (co-chair) and Ruth Dunkle.  Hu has accepted a Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship and will transition to a tenure-track assistant professor position in 2026 at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice, University of Chicago ..read more

Associate Professor Robert Ortega has joined the editorial board of Child Welfare. The peer-reviewed journal keeps readers abreast of the special problems facing millions of children, families, parents, caregivers and the child welfare professionals who serve them. As an editorial board member, Ortega will help guide the trajectory of the journal, review article submissions and share his related knowledge of the discipline ..read more

Daphne Watkins was appointed as the Letha A. Chadiha Collegiate Professor of Social Work. Watkins is the founding director of the Gender and Health Research (GendHR) Lab, the Certificate Program in Mixed Methods Research, and the award-winning Young Black Men, Masculinities, and Mental Health (YBMen) Project, which leverages technology to provide mental health education and social support for young Black men. Watkins’ research focuses on how gender differences and health disparities influence the mental health of Black Americans, with the aim of increasing what we know abo ..read more

Professor Emeritus Barry Checkoway’s new book, “Youth Dialogues on Race and Ethnicity: Challenging Segregation, Strengthening Diversity,” has been published by Oxford University Press. The book illustrates how young people can collaborate across boundaries and actively participate in the decisions that affect their lives and transform their communities ..read more

MSW Student Kevin Nguyen has been selected as the 2024 U-M National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Student of the Year. In bestowing this award, NASW looks at criteria including demonstrated leadership qualities, contribution to the positive image of a social work program, commitment to political and community activities, success in academic performance and representation of the NASW Code of Ethics. The award ceremony will be held Friday, April 12, 2024, 6-8:30 PM in Lansing, Michigan ..read more

Associate Professor Shanna Kattari spoke with The San Diego Union-Tribune about sexuality and disability. “I think, even something as simple as bringing up conversations around sexuality and desire with disabled folks is huge because it’s often something that’s not talked about at all,” said Kattari. “When people don’t see themselves in media, they don’t see themselves in the sex ed conversations that are happening (if they’re lucky enough to even be included in sex ed because a lot of young, disabled people are trekked out of classrooms during the sex education portion), then they don’t have ..read more

Assistant Professor Anao Zhang has received the 2024 Avery D. Weisman & J. William Worden Award for New Investigators from the American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) for 2024. This award is presented to a junior scientist who makes outstanding research contributions in the field of psychosocial oncology.  “I am humbled and honored to receive this year's new investigator award. I appreciate APOS supporting me in attending this year's annual conference. I look forward to continuing my research to advance health equity for adolescent and young adult cancer survivors, especially t ..read more

Assistant Professor Ashley Cureton was recently selected to be a fellow for the LEAD Global Training Program of Washington University in St. Louis. This training program is funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Training Program. She will undergo an intensive 10-week summer training in the U.S. and Uganda to develop skills and experiences needed to lead multi-disciplinary, collaborative research teams focused on health disparities in low-resource communities. "I am thrilled to be selected for this prestigious program which will enable me to gain mo ..read more

Professor Daphne Watkins’ book "Secondary Data in Mixed Methods Research" has won a 2024 Most Promising New Textbook Award from the Textbook & Academic Authors Association. The award recognizes excellence in first edition textbooks and learning materials. Works are judged by textbook authors and subject matter experts for their merits in four areas: pedagogy, content/scholarship, writing, and appearance and design ..read more

Clinical Professor Julie Ribaudo was elected to a four-year term on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH), a nonprofit organization for scientific and educational professionals. WAIMH's central aim is to promote the mental well-being and healthy development of infants worldwide, taking into account cultural, regional and environmental variations, and to generate and disseminate scientific knowledge ..read more