Report Highlights New Barriers to Accessing Disability Benefits in 2025 Assistant professor, Dr. Callie Freitag, recently released a report which highlights how changes implemented by the second Trump administration have created significant barriers for those seeking to apply for and maintain disability benefits. Dr. Freitag, who researches social policies related to aging, disability, and …
PhD student Nahime Guadalupe Aguirre Mtanous, was recently featured as a guest on the LWC Studios podcast, “100 Latina Birthdays,” to discuss neurodivergence in the Latine community. Nahime shared her expertise based on extensive practice experience working with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and providing mental health therapy to neurodivergent adults as well as …
Assistant Professor Callie Freitag was recently featured on Marketplace discussing the impact of increasing the minimum wage in several states. “As for the impact on workers, Callie Freitag at the University of Wisconsin, Madison uses Seattle as an example. She said the effects there were modest. ‘The sky doesn’t fall and people don’t become rich,’ Freitag …
Jenny Braunginn, MSSW, CISW, Senior Teaching Faculty, has co-authored a second book for the Oxford Workshop Series with the School Social Work Association of America titled, Emerging Trends in School Social Work Practice: Responding to Rapid Change in Educational Ecosystems, with the chapter, “Harnessing Technology to Expand Access and Enhance Engagement.” Braunginn was asked by …
Associate Professor Jooyoung Kong received a 2025 Recent Alumni Award from her alma mater, the Boston College School of Social Work for her contributions to the social work profession. Dr. Kong will receive the award at a celebration on November 10th. Dr. Kong received a PhD from Boston College in 2016 with a dissertation titled, …
The Council on Social Work Education selected Assistant Professor Jessica Pac as the recipient of the Early Career Award in Child Welfare for her contributions to the field of child welfare and to social work. Since joining the faculty in 2019, Dr. Pac has had a profound impact on child welfare policy and education. She …
High Road Strategy Center released its State of Working Wisconsin report for Labor Day this week. Clinical Associate Professor Laura Dresser, who is also the Associate Director of High Roads Strategy Center, is the lead author. Key findings: Wisconsin’s 2024 median wage – $25.01 per hour – reached a record high. For the second year …
When Michael Hoffmeister arrived on campus as an undergraduate, he anticipated pursuing a degree in psychology. Instead, a social work class focusing on the formation of social welfare policies and the role of the social work professional, taught by Dr. Jan Greenberg, changed his trajectory. Three social work degrees later, Dr. Hoffmeister is now the Director …
PhD student Anna Walther received a Russell Sage Foundation research grant this year for her dissertation on the differences in financial security by race, ethnicity, and partnership status in the year preceding and following childbirth — examining how and whether the U.S. social safety net supports families’ economic security during the transition to parenthood. It …
Rick Ezell, 70, is an avid cyclist and dedicated weightlifter, yet when he experienced some episodes of tachycardia (increased heart rate) it was initially dismissed by a cardiologist. It wasn’t until he was referred to an electro-physiologist who was a triathlete and understood how active Ezell is that he got a heart rate monitor and …