Research and Faculty News

Assistant Professor, Dr. Callie Freitag, became interested in Supplemental Security Income  (SSI) while working as a policy analyst in California. She explained that SSI is a cash assistance program in the form…

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,…

Assistant Professor LB Klein was recently named a finalist for The Linda Saltzman New Investigator Award, which honors an “outstanding new investigator working in the field of the prevention of intimate partner…

Did you know that roughly one-third of children and families receiving Head Start services live in the Big Ten states? Associate Professor Alejandra Ros Pilarz contributes to a new brief on the…

Professor Emerita Dr. Mary Ann Test, whose work helped create what became known as Program of Assertive Community (PACT), passed away on January 31, 2025. This biography was written by Professor Emeritus,…

Wisconsin child care costs soar, but thousands miss out on state aid “If you’re eligible for a subsidy and there’s just no child care in your community, or no providers that accept…

Associate Professor Alejandra Ros Pilarz gave a talk recently as part of the “Big Ideas” series for the Work and Family Research Network. In the talk, “Work-Family Balance Begins Before Childbirth —…

Congratulations to Associate Professor, Lauren Bishop, who was one of 13 faculty honored with the H.I. Romnes Fellowship which recognizes “exceptional research contributions within [the faculty member’s] first six years from promotion…

Congratulations to PhD Student Evelyn Coker who was selected as a Graduate Education Diversity Internship (GEDI) Scholar of the American Evaluation Association (AEA). The GEDI program “provides paid internship and training opportunities…

Congratulations to PhD students Laura Zimmerman who was recently accepted into the Advancing Diversity and Equity in Pre-Doctoral Trainees (ADEPT) Program. This program is a “mentored professional development program that supports PhD…

Audrey Conn, Clinical Professor and Director of Field Education, was celebrated on April 17th as a recipient of an Academic Staff Mid-Career Award from the UW-Madison College of Letters and Science. Audrey‘s…

PhD student Caro Cruys has received the Hyde Dissertation Research Award from the Center for Research on Gender and Women. This competitive award supports social science dissertation research on gender and women’s…

New article discusses barriers to accessing inclusive healthcare for autistic adults. Read the full article here

Clinical Assistant Professor Jaime Goldberg‘s research on caregivers was highlighted recently in a couple of venues. The PBS publication, Next Avenue, which focuses on the needs of older adults, ran a story…

PhD Student Seungmi Cho,  MSW ‘07, BSW ’06 received a 2023-2024 Capstone Teaching Award for her outstanding teaching record at UW-Madison. This campus-wide TA Award speaks to Seungmi’s contribution to students and…

Congratulations to PhD student Evelyn Coker who was recognized with the Initiative for Cross-Institutional Student Collaboration award by the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education (GADE) in Social Work. The project, Count on…

Assistant Professor Jessica Pac and colleagues, including Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor Lonnie Berger, received the Frank R. Breul Memorial Prize for their paper “The Effects of Child Poverty Reductions on Child Protective Services Involvement.” Along with Sophie Collyer, Kirk O’Brien,…

New research by two social work faculty demonstrates that 2021 Child Tax Credit (CTC) expansion did not have a major negative impact on the employment rate of caregivers who were eligible to…

Assistant Professor Lara Gerassi received a Chancellor’s Inclusive Excellence Award from the UW-Madison Distinguished Teaching Awards Committee in recognition of her outstanding teaching, mentorship, and strong attention to inclusive practices. The Chancellor’s…

Note: The book, New Models of Higher Education: Unbundled, Rebundled, Customized, and DIY is open access and can be read or downloaded thanks to support from the Lumina Foundation and Walmart. In…

Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor and Vice Chancellor for Research in the Social Sciences Lawrence (Lonnie) Berger was listed as one of the top 100 global contributors to social work journal scholarship —…

During an online ceremony last week, Assistant Professor Lara Gerassi was recognized with the Influential Scholar Award at the International Human Trafficking & Social Justice Conference. The conference convenes “researchers, practitioners, and…

Investigator and Associate Professor Lauren Bishop and colleagues to begin new Autism Center of Excellence Network project and critical new research focused on aging for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders funded by…

Assistant Professor Lara Gerassi was appointed to the executive board of the Global Association of Human Trafficking Scholars (GAHTS), an international organization focused on responding to human trafficking through research-based approaches to informing…

A new grant received by Dr. Aaron Brower on behalf of the University of Wisconsin Extended (UWEX) Campus seeks to create better ways to generate customized education for statewide and regional businesses…

In honor of March being Social Work Month, ACE Senior Care Navigators is proud to showcase the incredible work that social workers do for older adults. This month we are highlighting a…

School workers play a vital role in the lives of American school children. A new book, The Art of Becoming Indispensable: What School Social Workers Need to Know in Their First Three…

With the omicron variant forcing hospitals to make difficult decisions once again about what care to provide, Covid-19 must not again defer postpartum care. Postpartum follow-up care is essential health care, and…

What role do poverty and economic hardship play in child maltreatment and neglect? And how can child welfare systems prevent them? UW Professor of Social Work Kristen Slack will hare her research…

Dr. Dr. Lawrence (Lonnie) Berger, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Social Work, was recognized as the 2022 recipient of the Social Policy Researcher Award by the Society for Social Work and Research…

Will support and diversity the corps of poverty researchers working on questions related to equity, inclusion, diversity, and access in economic mobility and human services policy Vilas Distinguished Professor of Social Work…

Congratulations to Professor and Director Stephanie Robert whose dedication to mentoring was recognized by the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science. Starting in 2022, the Stephanie Robert Mentoring Award will be “given…

Multi-year funding will aid research on mothers’ work schedules and children’s health and development The number of hours moms work outside the home increased dramatically over the past 50 years and in…

Assistant Professor Jessica Pac is a Principal Investigator on a new project aimed at understanding how the pandemic impacted labor, health, and safety outcomes for families with young children as well as…

The Russell Sage Foundation, in partnership with the Economic Mobility and Opportunity program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, awarded a Pipeline Grant to Assistant Professor Alejandra Ros Pilarz and Laura…

Measuring stress hormones in hair, says study first author Luke Muentner, a PhD candidate in the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work, “moves us beyond outwardly observable and parent-reported metrics for understanding…

Professors Lonnie Berger and Kristi Slack guest edited a special issue of The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science: Toward a Better Approach to Preventing, Identifying, and Addressing Child Maltreatment.…

Dr. Kristi Slack has been selected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW) for “distinguished accomplishments as a scholar and practice and policy leader dedicated…

Assistant Prof. Pajarita Charles’ continued work on parenting and family relationships for individuals involved in the criminal justice system was highlighted in The Capital Times. “In particular for fathers that are in…

A new study of 3,000 people in Wisconsin aged 21 and older with Down syndrome, published in JAMA Neurology by Assistant Professor of Social Work Lauren Bishop and colleagues, shows that by…

Associate Prof. Marah Curtis (co-principal investigator) and colleagues received a “Contemporary Social Problems Initiative” grant to explore the relationship between housing stability during pregnancy and short and intermediate health outcomes of families…

Jason Lee SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS TAKE PART IN SIMULATION TO UNDERSTAND DIFFICULTY OF REENTRY The United States is the most prison-dependent country in the world. There are over two million prisoners in…