Featured Experts

• 

  Paul Florsheim

  Community & Behavioral Health Promotion, Zilber School of Public Healthpaulf@uwm.edu

  Paul Florsheim can discuss what can help keep young fathers involved in the lives of their children when parents are not married and live apart.

  

  Paul Florsheim

  Community & Behavioral Health Promotion, Zilber School of Public Healthpaulf@uwm.edu

  Forty percent of babies in the United States are born to unwed parents, a family situation that increases the likelihood that young fathers will not have a positive presence in their children’s lives. Most young fathers want to become good partners and parents. But many young dads need institutional support to prepare for the challenges that come with raising a child, similar to the needs of young mothers. Paul Florsheim can provide insight into the experiences and struggles of young fathers. He can also discuss an innovative prenatal care model involving the expectant father that can help with the transition.

  Lost and Found: Young Fathers in the Age of Unwed Parenthood
• 

  Elana Levine

  English, College of Letters & Scienceehlevine@uwm.edu

  What kind of influence has the daytime soap opera had on television and portrayals of femininity? Elana Levine can guide you through the history of soaps.

  

  Elana Levine

  English, College of Letters & Scienceehlevine@uwm.edu

  Binge-watching is more popular than ever as people stay home to help limit the spread of the coronavirus. For many viewers, that means catching up on their favorite daytime soap operas. Professor Elana Levine can guide you through the history of soaps, especially as it relates to ideas about femininity and women’s identity. She is the author of the new book, Her Stories: Daytime Soap Opera and US Television History, which also looks at the influence of soaps on television as a business and storytelling medium. Levine also can talk about Wisconsin’s ties to soap opera history.

   

  Her Stories: Daytime Soap Opera and US Television History
• 

  Josh Mersky

  Social Work, Helen Bader School of Social Welfaremersky@uwm.edu

  Josh Mersky can talk about how the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the child welfare system.

  

  Josh Mersky

  Social Work, Helen Bader School of Social Welfaremersky@uwm.edu

  The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions in the child welfare system that are likely to disproportionately affect low-income communities of color, which tend to be overrepresented in child protective service agencies. In-person visits of parent-child interactions have been put on hold, while staffing shortages and court closures have led to delays in placement decisions. Josh Mersky can talk about the urgent need to address these challenges, as well as the opportunity that the crisis provides to envision a new and improved child welfare system.

• 

  Arijit Sen

  Architecture, School of Architecture and Urban Planningarijit.h.sen@gmail.com

  Arijit Sen can discuss how public health concerns might shape architecture and urban planning of public spaces.

  

  Arijit Sen

  Architecture, School of Architecture and Urban Planningarijit.h.sen@gmail.com

  Public health concerns might shape the fields of architecture and urban planning for the foreseeable future, especially when it comes to public spaces. Arijit Sen led an architecture class that looked at such issues. He can talk about new ways of thinking about the architecture of public spaces and the importance of social infrastructures in creating resilient communities. Sen can discuss some of the ideas from his students living through a “new normal,” as well as topics like how accessibility and inclusive design might be addressed in new ways. Sen is involved in community engagement projects including the BLC Field School and the Milwaukee Environmental Justice Lab.