MEET OUR TEAM
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Shawna J. Lee
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Olivia D. changOlivia D. Chang is a combined MSW and Joint PhD student in Social Work and Developmental Psychology at the University of Michigan. She holds a BS in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) and American Culture from the University of Michigan. She uses empirical methods to examine 1) how family relations and contexts shape children’s socioemotional adjustment and 2) the role of parents in the resilient development and flourishing of vulnerable youth. Drawing on psychological and social work frameworks, her work takes an interdisciplinary approach to transforming child welfare.
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collaborators
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Andy Grogan-KaylorAndy Grogan-Kaylor, PhD, is a Professor at the UM School of Social Work. He uses advanced statistical methods, and national and international data, to examine the way in which parenting behaviors, like the use of physical punishment, or parental emotional warmth, affect child outcomes like aggression, antisocial behavior, anxiety and depression, and how these dynamics play out across contexts, neighborhoods, and cultures.
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JOYCE Y. LEEDr. Lee is an assistant professor at the Ohio State University. Her research seeks to promote child welfare and family strengthening through preventing child maltreatment, promoting the health and wellbeing of foster children, and supporting positive parenting practices. Her current research focuses on the following four areas: (1) preventing child abuse and neglect in families with low income or other adverse family contexts; (2) promoting foster children’s physical, mental, and behavioral health and reducing disparities in such health outcomes; (3) examining the role and impact of legal tools and mechanisms in reforming child welfare systems; and (4) informing the development of culturally responsive approaches to serving child welfare systems involved children and families. She was a recipient of the Family Strengthening Scholar’s Grant from the Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, United States Department of Health and Human Services. She received her BASW from Rutgers University, MSW from Columbia University, and MS and joint PhD from the University of Michigan.
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JULIE MADr. Julie Ma is Associate Professor at the University of Michigan-Flint. She completed her doctoral degree in social work at Michigan State University in 2015. Dr. Ma's primary research interests center around the effects of neighborhood and family processes on the well-being of children. Her research builds on her experience with parents of young children in disadvantaged contexts. Dr. Ma's current research focuses on the risks of neighborhood disorganization, parental corporal punishment and substance abuse on behavior problems and maltreatment in early childhood.
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Garrett PaceGarrett Pace is a doctoral student at the Joint PhD Program in Social Work and Sociology. His primary aim as a scholar is to promote child and family well-being. His research examines the implications of harsh punishment in children's lives and the influence of fathers on children's socioemotional development.
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Tova WalshDr. Tova Walsh is Assistant Professor of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is also a BIRCWH (Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health) Scholar and a Faculty Affiliate at the Institute for Research on Poverty and Center for Child and Family Wellbeing. Dr. Walsh's research centers on the experiences and support needs of men across the transition to fatherhood, and the experiences and support needs of mothers of young children serving in the United States military. Through her research she aims to inform the provision of support that is responsive to the needs of young children, parents, and families.
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Kaitlin P. wardKaitlin P. Ward is a People Analytics Researcher at Google and a research affiliate at UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare. She is also a licensed mental health therapist in Michigan and Illinois. She completed her Joint PhD in Social Work and Developmental Psychology at the University of Michigan. Her dissertation research centered on child and family wellbeing across low- and middle-income countries. Her current research focuses on increasing equity among historically marginalized groups, and understanding how underrepresented users engage with socio-emotional learning and parenting education websites.
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Former team members
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SHARON ALVANDI
Sharon Alvandi is an MSW candidate studying Interpersonal Practice and a Jewish Communal Leadership Program Fellow at University of Michigan: Ann Arbor’s School of Social Work. From 2010 through 2015, Sharon worked with non-profits centered around developing innovative educational practices in New York City. She earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from Bard College and helped found a progressive school, called Bronx Park Middle School.
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RILEY BANKSRiley is a graduate student at the School of Social work, participating in Detroit Clinical Scholars. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Psychology. As a graduate student she has a concentration in mental health. She is interested in trauma-informed treatments for children and adolescents. Other research interests include parental involvement, mental health, and substance abuse in the African American demographic.
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BRIANNA BELCHERBrianna Belcher is a graduate student at the University of Michigan School of Social Work with a concentration in Interpersonal Practice and practice area in Mental Health. She received her MSW in Winter 2017. Brianna was a member of the Detroit Clinical Scholars and Vice President of the Association of Black Social Workers.
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Kasey DowningKasey Downing graduated with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Crime and Justice from The University of Michigan. She intends on earning her Masters in Social Work next fall. Her previous research included work with the Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center studying youth violence and community revitalization and engagement. She presented her own research project studying “Demographics of Community Engagement and Revitalization” at The University of Michigan’s Health and Social Sciences Symposium. Her area of focus is mental health in the criminal justice system and prison reform.
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Jamie FloridaJamie Florida is a graduate student at the School of Health Professions and Studies in the Public Health program with a concentration in Health Education. She will complete her MPH degree in Winter 2017. She holds Bachelor Degrees from University of Michigan-Flint in History and Central Michigan University in Biology and Environmental Studies.
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Rania HannanRania Hannan is a graduate student at the School of Social Work with a concentration in Community Organizing and a minor in Interpersonal Practice. She will complete her MSW degree in Winter 2016. She holds a Bachelors Degree from Oakland University, where she completed an honors thesis on theory of mind and aging. She currently works with Dr. Lee as the lead Research Assistant for the Genesee County Healthy Start Engaged Father program, developing and implementing father-focused activities in Genesee County which includes Flint, Michigan. Her research interests include parental involvement, second generation Americans, housing insecurity, and mental health. Rania previously completed internships with Groundcover News in Ann Arbor and MI Alliance of TimeBanks in Pontiac.
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jimmy ivyJimmy Ivy graduated from Wayne State University, with a B.S. in Elementary Education, and a minor in Social Studies. He is currently a MSW student at the University of Michigan School of Social Work with an emphasis on Children, Youth and Families, and a minor in Human Service Management. He is a Detroit Clinical Scholar and Vice President of Association of Black Social Workers. Jimmy has aspirations of developing a private practice, working with urban youth and families, and addressing mental health by providing therapy and access to resources.
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Jaehee KimJaehee Kim is a graduate student at the School of Social Work with a concentration in Mental Health and Interpersonal Practice. She is currently an intern psychotherapist at the Women’s Center of Southeastern Michigan. She is a member of Healthy Mind Network's writing laboratory as well as the stroke-protein study in the neuroscience department. She holds a BSW from ChungAng University, Seoul.
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Heather a. KnauerHeather A. Knauer is a former post-doctoral research fellow at the UM School of Social Work. She completed her PhD in Health Policy in 2016 at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health. Dr. Knauer also holds a Masters of Science in Public Health in Population, Family, and Reproductive Health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and an BA in Child Development from Tufts University.
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Muzi linMuzi Lin is a fourth-year undergraduate psychology major in LSA. She initially starting working in the Parenting in Context Research Lab as an junior when she was a student in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP). Now she is working with Dr. Shawna Lee and Dr. Brenda Volling on her honors thesis project. She is using qualitative data from low-income fathers to examine their experiences during the transition to parenthood.
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PARKER LOGUEParker Logue graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Psychology and is currently gaining research experience before attending graduate school. His interests include helping at-risk children and their parents achieve desirable life outcomes as well as examining how family dynamics relate to child outcomes.
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ALEX LUAlex Lu is a graduate student at the dual-degree program in Information Science and Social Work. He is passionate about applying data analysis into the field of child welfare-related policy and program evaluation. He is also interested in the influence of information technology on parenting. Prior to coming to Michigan, he worked as a consultant specialized in digitalization, user interface and user experience design for EY in Singapore.
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Amber McNamaraAmber McNamara is a graduate student at the school of social work with a concentration in social policy and evaluation, and a certificate in child welfare. She will complete her MSW degree in July 2017. She holds a bachelors in social work from Evangel University, where she completed research on the effectiveness of specialized wraparound services for children in foster care. Her research interests include implementation evaluation, preventative services, foster care and adoption services, and trauma informed practice. Amber is currently an intern in the Evaluation department at Wolverine Human Services and has perviously completed an internship with Missouri Alliance for Children and Families.
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Giselle Pérez-AguilarGiselle Pérez-Aguilar is a graduate student at the School of Social Work with a concentration in Mental Health. She holds a Bachelors Degree from the University of California, Berkeley, where she engaged in several research projects and a culminating senior thesis exploring obesity among low-income Latina women. Her research interests include trauma-informed substance abuse treatment for adolescents, U.S Latino health disparities and access, and college access for first-generation minority students. Giselle is a recipient of the School of Social Work Dean’s Scholarship and a Detroit Clinical Scholar.
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NOAH STRENGNoah Streng is an undergraduate student in the school of education studying history and political science. He is a member of the Michigan Research and Discovery Scholars (MRADS) program and is interested in researching how interpersonal relationships between family members affect the growth and development of communities..
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