Starting July 1, 2023, the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare, School of Education and School of Information Studies will be housed under the College of Community Engagement and Professions. Learn more.
Aerial view of buildings on the UWM campus

UWM is an R1 institution and faculty at the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare conduct research and evaluation projects relevant to applied gerontology, criminal justice, family and child welfare, and health and behavioral health.

Extramural funding at the school is close to $7 million annually; the school brings in the most research dollars among professional schools at UW-Milwaukee. All faculty have access to the Shared Office for the Administration of Research (SOAR). SOAR assists faculty with applying for and managing sponsored funding. The Helen Bader School of Social Welfare provides this administrative infrastructure to support faculty in their pursuit of interdisciplinary, scientifically rigorous social and behavioral research.

The Department of Social Work includes 13 faculty and eight clinical faculty members. The Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology includes eight faculty and one lecturer.

Dr. Kavanaugh’s translational research focuses on an isolated population of caregivers — children and teens. She developed the YCare program to support youth who provide care to a family member with an illness.

Current Research

Research conducted by faculty often involves multidisciplinary collaboration through partnerships with researchers on campus and nationwide.

Institutes and Offices

The Institute for Child and Family Well-Being is a collaboration between Children’s Wisconsin and the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare.
Learn more about the Institute for Child and Family Well-Being
The Shared Office for Administration of Research (SOAR) provides pre- and post-award research administration services to the College of Health Sciences, College of Nursing, Helen Bader School of Social Welfare, and the Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health.
Learn more about SOAR
The Helen Bader Office of Applied Gerontology promotes optimal aging and strengthens connections with community partners by advancing opportunities in gerontology education, research and training for students, faculty and the community.
Learn more about the Office of Applied Gerontology