Helen Bader School of Social Welfare faculty and staff have always immersed themselves in the prevailing issues of the time and of the community.

Today, the school’s faculty and staff are an exceptional group in terms of research, teaching, community service, and engagement.

In the community, they are taking the lead with partnering agencies to address issues that include trauma-informed care, the aging population, drug courts, human trafficking, homeless veterans, children as caregivers, prisoner reintegration, and more.

Behind the scenes, they are building the knowledge used to address major social issues – helping individuals, families, and communities to thrive.

Aging
    • Colleen Galambos
      Aging in place
      Healthy aging
      Intergenerational family work
      Gerontechnology
      Long-term care
      Care transitions
      Cognitive and functional issues
      Training and education
      Development of educational competencies
      Abuse in later life
      Family caregiving
    • Yura Lee
      Risk factors for dementia
      Cognitive decline
      Life transitions
      Dementia caregivers
      Assistive technology for dementia care
    • Jerry Rousseau*
      Aging mindfully
      Caring for older family members
      Self-care for the caregiver
      Getting to know who you are becoming as you grow older
    • *Emeritus Faculty

Child Welfare
    • Linda Britz
      Child abuse and neglect
      Traumatic grief and loss
      Resilience
    • Colleen Janczewski
      Child welfare practice and policy
      Differential response
      Agency decision making
      Family engagement
    • Thomasina Jenkins
      Child Protective Services
      Foster care case management
      employee self-care
    • Livy Malle
      Child welfare policy and practice
      Child maltreatment
      Family preservation
      Foster care
      Adoption
      Placement stability
      Childhood trauma
    • Steven McMurtry*
      Child Protective Services
      Foster care
    • Joshua Mersky
      Adversity and trauma
      Resilience
      Child and family well-being
    • David J. Pate Jr.
      Father involvement
      Non-custodial parents
    • Dion Racks
      Child welfare practice and policy
      Children and families’ issues with trauma
      Adverse childhood experiences
      Supervision in child welfare
      Case management in child welfare
    • Susan Rose*
      Child neglect
      Cross-cultural perspectives
      Child welfare policy and practice
    • Dimitri Topitzes
      Consequences and prevention of child maltreatment
    • Quinn Wilder
      Foster/adoptive parent training
      Out-of-home youth worker
      Competency development
    • *Emeritus Faculty
Community Practice
  • Colleen Galambos
    Neighborhood responsiveness to aging-in-place
    Disability accommodation (ADA Standards for Accessible Design)
    Integrated approach to advance care planning
  • Thomasina Jenkins
    Community education and outreach services
    Mental health private practice
  • Rebecca Headley Konkel
    Neighborhood characteristics and local non-economic institutions on crime outcomes
  • Katie Mangan*
    Multi-systems
    Family therapy
    Home-based outreach
  • Susan Rose*
    Local political organizing
  • Devin Thomas
    Sexual assault and domestic violence services
    Aging out of foster care
  • Jeanne Wagner
    Foster care
    Family preservation
    Child abuse and neglect
    Adoption
    Case management
    Safety in the field
  • Trina Salm Ward
    Community-engaged research
  • *Emeritus Faculty
Conflict Resolution and Social Work Practice
  • Roberta Hanus*
    Process-oriented leadership and conflict resolution
  • Jane Hereth
    Restorative and transformative justice
  • Jerry Rousseau*
    Learning the skills of successful conflict engagement
    Appreciating those who disturb us as necessary allies
  • *Emeritus Faculty
Corrections
  • Jane Hereth
    LGBTQ+ youth & young adults involved in the criminal legal system
  • Rebecca Headley Konkel
    Parole
    Prisoner re-entry
  • Thomas LeBel
    Intervention strategies with correctional clients
    Parole
    Prisoner reintegration
    Rehabilitation
    Women in jail
    Alternatives to incarceration
  • David J. Pate Jr.
    Child support
    Welfare and males
  • Susan Rose*
    Women in jail
    Addiction and child welfare needs
  • Alyssa Sheeran
    Individual and neighborhood-level influences of recidivism
  • Stan Stojkovic
    Prisons and jails
    Prison administration
    Prisoner re-entry
Crime
Criminal Justice Policy and Administration
Criminal Justice Process
Cultural Diversity Issues
  • Ai Bo
    Racial and ethnic disparities in adolescent substance abuse
    Racial and ethnic discrimination
    Ethnic and racial socialization
  • Ruben Burgos
    Cultural sensitivity training
    in law enforcement
  • Tina Freiburger
     Race/ethnicity in the juvenile
    and adult criminal justice systems
  • Colleen Galambos
    Older adults
    Access to health care and mental health care
  • Kimberly D. Hassell
    Race/ethnicity
    and the criminal justice system
  • Thomasina Jenkins
    Culturally responsive social work practice
  • Melinda S. Kavanaugh
    Latino families and caregiving
  • Thomas LeBel
    Formerly incarcerated persons’ simultaneous stigmas
  • Yura Lee
    Race/ethnicity in dementia care; older immigrants
  • Ted Lentz
    Disparities in the criminal justice system
  • Gwat-Yong Lie*
    Diversity and its implications for social work education
    Social work with Asian Americans
  • Katie Mangan*
    Multi-systems family therapy in an urban setting
  • Deborah Padgett*
    Diversity and organizations
  • Patricia Parker
    Cultural humility
    Cultural intelligence (CQ)
    Culturally competent social work practice
    Cultural inclusiveness in organizational culture
    Generational diversity
  • David J. Pate Jr.
    Black families
  • Devin Thomas
    Celebrating LGBTQ identities in social services settings
  • *Emeritus Faculty
Death and Dying
  • Linda Britz
    Developmental and lifespan processes related to death, dying and grief
  • Colleen Galambos
    End-of-life decision making
  • Roberta Hanus*
    The intersection of spirituality and social work
  • Katie Mangan*
    Death in family systems
  • *Emeritus Faculty
Disabilities
Economic and Social Policy Issues
  • Colleen Galambos
    Healthcare policy access
    Medicare and Medicaid
    Retirement policies including Social Security
    Supplemental Security Income
    Americans with Disabilities Act
  • Colleen Janczewski
    Federal and state policy development
    Organizational theory
    Social workers as change agents
    Vulnerable families inside public systems
  • Thomas LeBel
     Civil disabilities of formerly incarcerated persons
    Prisoner reintegration
  • Steven McMurtry*
     Human service organizations and non-profit agencies
  • Laura Otto-Salaj*
    Working with human service organizations and non-profit agencies
    Organizational theory
    Social power
  • Deborah Padgett*
    Management and organization theory
  • David J. Pate Jr.
    Social welfare policy
    Non-custodial fathers
  • Amy Watson
    Mental health policy
  • *Emeritus Faculty
Health and Medical
  • Lisa Berger
    Alcohol interventions in general medical settings
    Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)
  • Ai Bo
    Social determinants of health and health disparities
    Behavioral decision-making for health behaviors
  • Steven G. Brandl*
    Health and safety issues in policing
  • Colleen Galambos
    Healthcare service access and delivery
    Long-term care
    Care transitions
    Palliative care
  • Roberta Hanus*
    Chronic symptoms and community processes
  • Jane Hereth
    HIV prevention and harm reduction
  • Thomasina Jenkins
    Medical social work
    Integrated care
    SBIRT
  • Melinda S. Kavanaugh
     Health and social work
    Child caregivers
    Chronic illness and families
  • Yura Lee
    Multiple chronic conditions
    Mild cognitive impairment and dementia
    Cognitive function
  • Katie Mangan*
    Medical social work
    Chronic and acute management in families
  • Joshua Mersky
    Population health
    Home visiting
  • Laura Otto-Salaj*
    HIV/AIDS
    Alcohol and drug addiction
  • Jerry Rousseau*
    Exploring the psychological aspects of physical symptoms
  • Julie Schuppie
    Social and economic determinants of racial disparities in health
  • Dimitri Topitzes
    Health disparities
    Educational predictors of adult health
  • Trina Salm Ward
    Maternal and infant health
    Public health and social work
  • *Emeritus Faculty
Homelessness
  • Gwat-Yong Lie*
    Chronicity
    Treatment of co-occurring disorders
    SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery (SOAR)
    Targeted Case Management (TCM)
    Supportive permanent housing
    Housing First
  • Devin Thomas
    Supportive permanent housing
    Harm reduction housing first models
International Social Development
Juvenile Justice
  • Tina Freiburger
     Processing juveniles in the system
    Juvenile justice interventions
  • Jane Hereth
    LGBTQ+ youth and young adults and policing
Law Enforcement
  • Police decision making and behavior
    Police policy
    Criminal investigation
    Police management
  • Criminal investigation
    Police management
    Gang crimes intel
  • Police decision making and behavior
    Police policy
    Police management

    Data-driven policing
    Women and policing

  • Ted Lentz
    Crime mapping and spatial analysis
    Social network analysis
    Data-driven policing
    Gun violence reduction
  • Amy Watson
    Police response to people experiencing mental health crisis
LGBTQ+
  • Colleen Galambos
    LGBTQ+ issues and older adults
  • Jane Hereth
    Social and structural exclusion among LGBTQ+ youth and young adults
    Victimization among LGBTQ+ individuals
    LGBTQ+ youth and young adults involved in the criminal legal system
    Queer theory and social work practice
  • Devin Thomas
    LGBTQ+ anti-violence work
    Sexual violence and intimate partner violence in LGBTQ+ identities
    Helping clients explore coming out process
    Exploring gender and sexuality
    Healthy relationships and sexuality
Marriage and Family
    • Colleen Galambos
      Intergenerational treatment involving older adults and families
    • Roberta Hanus*
      Individual and couples/group process work
    • Gwat-Yong Lie*
      Coping skills and survival strategies of battered partners and rape survivors
    • Katie Mangan*
      Individual, marriage and family therapy
    • Deborah Padgett*
      Working with groups
      Managing health organizations
    • Trina Salm Ward
      Family adjustments to caring for a newborn

Mental Health/Mental Illness
  • Colleen Galambos
    Mental health in older adult populations
  • Thomasina Jenkins
    Direct practice skills
    Screening and assessment tools
    Stigma
    African/Black psychology
    Mental health and theology
  • Melinda S. Kavanaugh
    Family caregiving across the life span
    Impact of illness on family
  • Gwat-Yong Lie*
    Family preservation and the home-building model
    Family violence and its impact on children
  • Yura Lee
    Mental health in dementia caregivers and older immigrants
  • Laura Otto-Salaj*
    Health intervention models
    Health behaviors
    Dual diagnosis
  • Patricia Parker
    Family-centered practice
    Strength-based practice with families and community development
    Strength-based interventions
    Empowerment and family development practice
    Solution-focused interviewing
  • David J. Pate Jr.
    Fatherhood and domestic violence
  • Dion Racks
    Working with families affected by mental illness in child welfare
    Understanding the effects of mental health within family systems
  • Susan Rose*
    Mental health practice issues
    Managed behavioral health care
    Incarcerated mothers and pregnant women
    Training for adoption competent practice
  • Jerry Rousseau*
    Holiday stress reduction
    Practicing self-acceptance
    Individual, couple, and group psychotherapy
    Learning to live compassionately with a family member with mental illness
    Getting to know the shadow side of who we are
  • Jenny Taylor-McBride
    Infant and early childhood mental health
  • Dimitri Topitzes
    Family system interventions
  • Amy Watson
    Mental health services research
    Mental illness stigma
  • *Emeritus Faculty
Prevention and Intervention
  • Ai Bo
    Adolescent development and substance use prevention
    Culturally sensitive programs for youth of color
    Parent-based prevention programs
    Prevention science
  • Colleen Galambos
    Early illness detection and intervention
  • Ted Lentz
    Crime prevention
  • Joshua Mersky
    Prevention science
    Translational research
  • Jenny Taylor-McBride
    Home visiting
    Child care programming
  • Trina Salm Ward
    Preventing infant deaths
    Interventions to reduce risks in infant sleep environment
  • Quinn Wilder
    After school/community
    Youth program quality
Racial Equity and Inclusion
  • David J. Pate Jr.
    Black families
    Social determinacies of health and economic security
Research Methods and Data Analysis
  • Lisa Berger
    Ethics in intervention research
  • Ai Bo
    Systemic review and meta-analysis
    Structural equation modeling
    Elicitation study
    Mixed methods research
    Survey methodology
    Program evaluation
  • Mike Brondino*
    Multivariate analysis
    Research design
    Questionnaire readability
  • Danielle Romain Dagenhardt
    Qualitative research methods
    Critical discourse analysis
    Mixed methods
    Program evaluation
  • Colleen Galambos
    Intervention research
    Health systems research
    Quality improvement research
    Quantitative and qualitative methods
  • Jane Hereth
    Latent class analysis
    Qualitative research methods
    Mixed methods research
  • Colleen Janczewski
    Applied evaluation study design
    Mixed methods
    Survey design and implementation
    Secondary analysis of administrative data
    Multivariate analyses and advanced statistical modeling
  • Rebecca Headley Konkel
    Geospatial analysis of neighborhood effects on crime outcomes
  • Yura Lee
    Secondary analysis
    Path analysis
    Longitudinal analysis
    Quantitative methods
  • Ted Lentz
    Spatial analysis/mapping: advanced statistical modeling
    Simulation modeling
    Social network analysis
  • Joshua Mersky
    Program evaluation
    Longitudinal research
    Screening and assessment
    Randomized trials in community settings
  • Brief standardized scales
    Surveys
    Cohort studies
  • Quantitative and qualitative study design
    Program evaluation
    Randomized clinical trials
    Ethics in human subjects research
  • David J. Pate Jr.
    Qualitative research methods/focus groups
  • Use of rapid assessment instruments in clinical practice
  • Alyssa Sheeran
    General methods of social welfare research
  • Trina Salm Ward
    Qualitative research methods
    Program evaluation
    Surveys
  • Amy Watson
    Quantitative & qualitative study design
    Community engaged research
    Survey design
    Randomized trials in community settings
Social Work Ethics and Boundaries
  • Deborah Padgett*:
    Workers and human service professionals
    Advanced ethics and boundaries for social workers
  • Jeanne Wagner
    Advanced ethics and boundaries workshop
    Ethics and boundaries in a world of technology
    In-home services
    Hospice and palliative care
    Social work ethics in supervision
    Administration and macro practice
Substance Abuse
  • Treatment of alcohol use disorders – brief interventions
    and motivational interviewing
    Screening and assessment
  • Ai Bo
    Adolescent alcohol use decision making
    Race, ethnic, and gender disparities in alcohol use
    Structural and behavioral determinants of youth alcohol use
    Substance use prevention
  • Treatment issues for prisoners
    Recovery processes in addictions
    Drug courts
  • Co-occurring addictions
    Women’s treatment issues
    and risk factors
    Dual diagnosis
  • Alyssa Sheeran
    Adult drug treatment courts
  • Dion Racks
    Substance abuse and its impact on families in child welfare
    Substance abuse and trauma
  • Screening and assessment
  • Working with substance affected families in child welfare
Supervision
  • Thomasina Jenkins
    Clinical supervision of mental health and substance abuse providers
  • Deborah Padgett*
    Leadership
    Management
  • Jeanne Wagner
    Effective leadership in human service organizations
  • Quinn Wilder
    After school/community, youth program supervision skills & strategies
  • *Emeritus Faculty
Technology in Social Welfare Education
Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care
  • Lisa Berger
    Integrated substances use disorder and trauma treatment for women
  • Linda Britz
    Interpersonal violence and trauma
  • Crystal Carter
    Health disparities in underserved communities
    Trauma/community trauma
    Women’s issues
    African Americans and mental health
  • Colleen Galambos
    Older adult population
  • Jane Hereth
    Improving supportive and legal services for LGBTQ+ survivors of victimization
  • Thomasina Jenkins
    Organizational trauma-informed and trauma responsive services
    Vicarious trauma
    Trauma counseling techniques
    PTSD screening, assessment, and treatment
  • Joshua Mersky
    Trauma theory and research
    Trauma responsive practices
  • Devin Thomas
    LGBTQ individuals impacted by trauma
  • Dimitri Topitzes
    Basic and applied research into early trauma exposure
    Teaching and training in trauma-based interventions and practice principles
    Trauma resolution
Welfare Reform
  • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
    Child support
    Fathers