Joshua Mersky, PhD

Dr. Joshua Mersky is a professor of social work and founding co-director of the Institute for Child and Family Well-Being, a community-university partnership between the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare and Children's Wisconsin. The mission of the Institute is to improve the lives of children and families with complex challenges by implementing effective programs, conducting cutting-edge research, engaging communities, and promoting systems change.

Dr. Mersky’s research interests include the study of adverse and traumatic experiences that undermine health and well-being over the life course. He applies his expertise to developing, testing, and disseminating effective strategies in community settings to promote resilience.

Education:

• Ph.D., Social Welfare, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2006
• MSW, Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2001
• B.A., History, University of Mary Washington, 1995

Professional Interests:

• Trauma and resilience
• Prevention and intervention
• Program evaluation
• Translational research

Current Funding:

• 10/1/24-9/30/26. MIECHV Coordinated State Evaluation of Family Engagement. Funding Source: U.S. DHHS, Health Resources and Services Administration. X10MC43618‐01‐00. Role: Principal Investigator
• 9/30/23-9/29/25. Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Grant Program Funding: U.S. DHHS, Health Resources and Services Administration. X10MC43618‐01‐00. Role: Principal Investigator
• 10/1/22-3/31/25. Developing an Evidence-Informed Postnatal Home Visiting Program. Racine County Public Health Division and Walworth County Department of Health and Human Services. Role: Principal Investigator
• 10/1/22-9/30/27. Hope and Healing for Children Who Experience Family Violence. Funding Source: U.S. DHHS, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Role: Principal Investigator
• 7/1/21-6-30/26. Family Resource Centers: A Universal Primary Prevention Strategy to Promote Health Equity Funding Sources (1): Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin, Community-Led Momentum Grants, Medical College of Wisconsin, and (2) Wisconsin Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Board. Role: Principal Site Investigator

Recent Publications:

• Mersky, J. P., Bacalso, E., & Plummer Lee, C. (in press). A validation study of the Evidence-based Practice Attitude Scale-36 (EBPAS-36) in a U.S. Sample of trauma-responsive treatment providers. Implementation Science Communications.
• Shlafer, R., Mohammed, Z., Hasan, A., Reardon, E. E., Mersky, J. P., Davis, L., West, A., & Jackson, D. B. (in press). Criminal justice experiences among families receiving home visiting services: A scoping review of the literature. Prevention Science.
• Mersky, J. P., Plummer Lee, C., Liu, X. (2025). Advancing the study of adverse adult experiences:  A validation study of the Adult Experiences Survey. Journal of Family Violence. Advance online publication.
• Cleek, E. A., Sheets, L. K., Mersky, J. P., Totka, J. P., & Haglund, K. L. (2025). Understanding interprofessional education for child physical abuse. Wisconsin Medical Journal. Advance online publication.
• Choi, C., & Mersky, J. P. (2025). Adverse childhood experiences and health-related outcomes in early adulthood: Evidence from the Korean Welfare Panel Study. Children and Youth Services Review, 108158.
• Plummer Lee, C., Mersky, J. P., & Liu, X. (2025). Screening for postpartum anger among low-income women with high rates of trauma exposure: A validation study of the Dimensions of Anger Reactions-5 Scale. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 38(1), 124-134.
• Mersky, J. P., Janczewski, C. E., & Hami, D. (2024). Addressing maternal and child health disparities through perinatal home visiting. Wisconsin Medical Journal, 123(6), 427-433.
• Mersky, J. P., Plummer Lee, C., & Hami, D. (2024). Adverse childhood experiences and sexual orientation: An intersectional analysis of nationally representative data. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 66(3), 483-491.
• Romain Dagenhardt, D., Richards, J., Liu, X., & Mersky, J. P. (2024). Family treatment courts and the COVID-19 pandemic: Barriers and facilitators to program implementation, client engagement, and recovery. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 159, 209278.
• Mersky, J. P., Jeffers, N. K., Plummer Lee, C., Shlafer, R. J., Jackson, D. B, & Gómez, A. (2024). Linking adverse experiences to pregnancy and birth outcomes: A life course analysis of racial and ethnic disparities among low-income women. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 11, 1741-1753.
• Mersky, J. P., Choi, C., Langlieb, J., Lee, C. P., & Chang, P. (2024). Increasing equitable access to home visiting: An independent implementation study of Family Connects. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 15(1), 145-163.
• Gómez, A., Mersky, J. P., Plummer Lee, C., Zhang, L., Shlafer, R. J., & Jackson, D. B. (2024). The long arm of maternal incarceration: Indirect associations with children’s social-emotional development. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 41(6), 963-975.
• Mersky, J. P., Lee, C. P., Liu, X., & Janczewski, C. E. (2023). Impact of a family treatment court on child permanency and safety. Child Abuse & Neglect, 146, 106512.
• Janczewski, C. E., Mersky, J. P., & Plummer Lee, C. (2023). Intergenerational transmission of child protective services involvement: Exploring the role of ACEs and domestic violence among families who receive home visiting services. Child Abuse & Neglect, 144, 106384.
• Mersky, J. P., Plummer Lee, C., & Jackson, D. B. (2023). Life course adversity and sleep disturbance among low-income women with young children. Sleep Health, 9(3), 264-267.
• Mersky, J. P., Plummer Lee, C., & Janczewski, C. E. (2023). Adverse adult experiences and health outcomes: Racial and ethnic differences in a low-income sample. Stress & Health, 39(3), 627-637.
• Chopp, S., Topitzes, J., & Mersky, J. P. (2023). Trauma-responsive vocational rehabilitation services. Behavioral Sciences, 13(6), 511.
• Zhang, L., Mersky, J. P., & Lee, C. P. (2023). Intergenerational pathways linking mothers’ adverse childhood experiences and children’s social-emotional problems. Child Maltreatment, 28(1), 107-118.
• Janczewski, C., & Mersky, J. P. (2023). Secondary traumatic stress among home visiting professionals. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 15(Suppl 2), S222–S230.
• Zhang, L., Mersky, J. P., Gruber, A. M. H., & Kim, J. Y. (2023). Intergenerational transmission of parental adverse childhood experiences and children’s outcomes: A scoping review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(5), 3251-3264.

Curriculum Vitae