The Helen Bader School of Social Welfare at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has an extensive cross-disciplinary research program. The school serves students with interests in social work and criminal justice.
Research conducted by faculty often involves multidisciplinary collaboration through partnerships with researchers on campus and nationwide. The Department of Social Work includes 12 faculty and nine clinical faculty members. The Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology includes eight faculty, one visiting faculty, and two full-time teaching faculty.
Extramural funding at the school is close to $8 million annually; the school brings in the most research dollars among professional schools at UW-Milwaukee. All faculty have access to the Office of Research Administration. ORA assists faculty with applying for and managing sponsored funding. This administrative infrastructure supports faculty in their pursuit of interdisciplinary, scientifically rigorous social and behavioral research.
Active Funded Projects
| Investigators | Project Title | Funding Agency | Project Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ai Bo, Co-Investigator Trenette Clark Goings, Principal Investigator | Substance Use among Biracial Adolescents and Emerging Adults: The Double Jeopardy Hypothesis | National Institute on Drug Abuse | Aug. 1, 2021 to July 31, 2025 |
| Lisa Berger (Co-Principal Investigator), James Topitzes (Co-PI), Ai Bo, Linda Britz, Amy Kirby, Jeanne Wagner | The Youth-Oriented Substance Abuse and Trauma Counseling Program (YOSAT Counseling II) | Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) | July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2025 |
| Colleen Galambos, Co-Investigator | Integrating Advocates Within a Healthcare Setting to Strengthen Intimate Partner Violence Screening | Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment | July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024 |
| Melinda S. Kavanaugh | The Latino Dementia Health Regional Consortium | Wisconsin Partnership Program | Jan. 1, 2022 to Dec. 31, 2026 |
| Joshua Mersky (PI) | Hope and Healing for Children Who Experience Family Violence | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration | Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2027 |
| Joshua Mersky (PI) | Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Grant Program | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration | Sept. 30, 2021 to Sept. 29, 2025 |
| Joshua Mersky (PI) and James Topitzes (Co-PI) | Developing an Evidence-Informed Postnatal Home Visiting Program | Racine County Public Health Division and Walworth County Department of Health and Human Services | Oct. 1, 2022 to March 31, 2025 |
| David J. Pate Jr. | Sullivan Spaights Endowment Fund | UWM Foundation | Sept. 1, 2014 to present |
| Alyssa Sheeran | An Evaluation of the Milwaukee County Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) Program | Wisconsin Department of Justice | June 2024 to December 2024 |
| Andrew Steward, Principal Investigator; Yura Lee, Co-Investigator | A Feasibility and Quasi-Experimental Study of the “Aging Together” Peer Support Program | Bader Philanthropies | Jan. 15, 2024 to Jan. 14, 2026 |
| James Topitzes | Healing Adversity and Trauma Through Conversation and Hope | Marquette University President and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Chancellor Challenge | Jan. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2024 |