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faculty & program strengths
Aging
The SSW has maintained close ties with the University’s Aging Studies Program for many years. A current faculty member is a former director of the Aging Studies Program, and two faculty members hold joint appointments in both social work and aging studies. Students who choose a focal area in aging may earn an Aging Studies Certificate by taking courses in several nationally ranked programs, including nursing. Nursing was ranked number two in the country for their specialization in gerontology in 2003. Faculty at the School have received the prestigious Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholar Award, and doctoral students have received predoctoral and dissertation awards from the Hartford Foundation. The Hartford Geriatric Social Work Initiative is directed by one of our faculty members. Students interested in developing expertise in aging can expect to have contact with several faculty members whose research includes care-giving, end-of-life, nursing homes, rural aging, dementia, retirement, cross-cultural studies in aging, and gerontology education.
Child Welfare and Domestic Violence
Several faculty members have published widely on important issues related to the delivery of child welfare services, child welfare decision-making, the causes and consequences of child abuse and neglect, maternal failure to protect from exposure to domestic violence and child sexual abuse, therapeutic jurisprudence, and the co-occurrence of child maltreatment, substance abuse and domestic violence. Faculty at the School have a strong working relationship with the Iowa Department of Human Services, which has resulted in research and employment opportunities for our students. The National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice (NRCFCP) is a project of the School and has worked with all 50 states to promote culturally responsive practice across human service systems through research and evaluation, training, and technical assistance. One of its major child welfare initiatives involves improving recruitment and retention in public child welfare and understanding the overrepresentation of minority children in the system. The NRCFCP will continue to provide exciting research and training opportunities for our doctoral students.
Diversity, Inequality and Social Justice
The SSW has achieved special distinction in the area of diversity, inequality and social justice. Faculty members conduct research on poverty, race, gender, aging, spirituality and sexual orientation and are committed to preparing practitioners and scholars who are highly sensitive to issues related to human diversity and inequality. Promoting social justice is a primary goal of the faculty’s research and training efforts. Currently, the NRCFCP has several projects that address social justice issues, such as the state of Iowa
Disproportionate Minority Confinement Resource Center. The NRCFCP and the School are national leaders in helping human service and education organizations build capacity for working effectively with diverse groups, especially Latinos. For example, each year we sponsor the Strengthening and Valuing Latino Families and Communities Conference, The Latino Institute and the Travel Study Tour in Mexico. Students can look forward to taking courses on diversity, inequality and social justice in several top ranked departments at The University of Iowa (sociology: 3rd, law: 7th, economics: 16th, and political science: 12th) and interact with several SSW faculty members working on practice and policy research in this area. During the summer, you can write about important social justice issues at our Annual National Summer Creative Writing Workshop for Social Workers. And, between classes, you can take a break at Wild Bill’s Coffee Shop, which is run by people who are differently abled.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Faculty at the SSW are among the top contributors to research and scholarship in the area of mental health and substance abuse. Students have opportunities to work closely with faculty who have expertise in adolescent substance abuse, substance abuse case management in rural communities, and mental health issues among the aging and child welfare populations. For example, in the past several doctoral students have worked with a faculty member at the Iowa Case Management Project for Rural Drug Abuse and at the Center for Addictions Research. Students who choose a focal area in substance abuse or mental health will develop a broad systemic understanding of the causes and consequences of substance abuse and mental health challenges and may take courses in several nationally ranked programs, including sociology (social psychology specialty : 2nd) and psychology (clinical psychology: 15th).
Ph.D. Faculty & Research Interests
Mercedes Bern-Klug
(MSW, University of Iowa; PhD, University of Kansas)
Gerontology, demography, nursing home social work, end-of-life issues, funeral arrangements, creative writing for social workers, aging in Mexico, social policy: social security and Medicare.
Amy Butler
(MA-Sociology, MSW, PhD-Social Work & Sociology, University of Michigan)
Effects of social policy, economic conditions and culture on family structure and well-being.
Carol Coohey
(MSW, University of Michigan; PhD, University of Chicago)
Domestic violence; child abuse and neglect, especially parental supervisory neglect and substance abuse; child welfare practice and decision making; the effect of child sexual abuse on children and adolescent behavior.
Lorraine T. Dorfman
(MA, University of Michigan; PhD-Education, University of Iowa)
Gerontology focusing on work and retirement, rural aging, family care-giving, gerontology education.
James A. Hall
(MA, University of Chicago; PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral skills training and case management with drug abusing clients, adolescent and family conflict and communication, perinatal substance abuse and family violence, evaluation of drug treatment programs, effectiveness of social work practice in medical settings.
Carolyn Copps Hartley
(MA, PhD, University of Chicago)
Child maltreatment and interpersonal violence, child sexual abuse, therapeutic jurisprudence.
Patricia L. Kelley
(MSW, University of Minnesota; PhD, University of Iowa)
Family assessment, family functioning, step-family functioning, marriage and family therapy, use of narrative approaches with vulnerable populations.
Miriam Landsman
(MSW, PhD, University of Iowa-Sociology)
Organizational and occupational commitment in the child care workforce, permanency for children and youth in the context of child welfare services, evaluation of family centered service programs.
Susan A. Murty
(MSW, University of California-Berkeley; PhD, Washington University)
Regional and rural service delivery, aging, domestic violence, social networks, interorganizational networks.
Sara Sanders
(MSW, Washington University; PhD, University of Maryland)
Care-giving for aging individuals, Alzheimer’s disease, mental health, grief and loss, death and dying, social work education, poverty.
Edward J. Saunders
(MPH, University of Pittsburgh; MSW, St. Louis University; PhD, University of Pittsburgh)
Adolescent health, program evaluation, public health social work, disabilities, human sexuality.
Jeanne Saunders
(MSW, PhD, Washington University)
Adolescence, teen parenting, mental health among African-American youth, poverty, research methods, maternal and child health.