Profile
Kim Jaffee
Associate Professor Kim Jaffee has conducted research in the areas of health policy, mental health, maternal and child health, intimate partner violence, and racial segregation. She is currently the M.S.W. Program Coordinator for the School of Social Work. Dr. Jaffee has taught courses in social welfare policy, health policy, mental health policy, human behavior and the social environment, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) health and well-being. Much of her work has focused on the impact of neighborhood environment on health and mental health outcomes. She received the Distinguished Dissertation Award from the State University of New York at Albany for her research that examined the relationship between residential segregation, neighborhood poverty, and birth outcomes. Prior to receiving her Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Albany, she practiced social work policy and research for many years in substance abuse and maternal and child health at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the New York State Department of Health.
- Ph.D., State University of New York at Albany
- M.S.W., Ohio State University
- Theories for practice and research with communities and organizations
- Social welfare policy
- Social research methods
- Human behavior and the social environment
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender health and well being
SUBSTANTIVE AREA EXPERTISE
- Maternal and child health
- Intimate partner violence screening in health care
- Racial residential segregation
- Social work and health
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) health
METHODS EXPERTISE
- Quantitative research methods
- Multi-level analyses
Asthma During Pregnancy: Racial Disparities in Birth Outcome
The disparity in birth outcomes among different racial groups in the US has not dissipated. In 2003, Black infants were twice as likely to die during the first year compared to White infants. Asthma during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of poor maternal and neonatal outcomes. This study interrogates the relationship between race/ethnicity and birth outcomes, asthma diagnosis, and asthma medication use by utilizing a secondary dataset of mother-infant dyads for approximately 3,000 deliveries in a large hospital between 2000 and 2002. Bivariate analyses were used to: 1) explore the relationship between low birthweight, preterm birth, Small for Gestational Age (SGA), full-term Intrauterine Growth Restriction (FT-IUGR), and race/ethnicity; 2) explore the association between asthma diagnosis and asthma medication use by race/ethnicity; and 3) examine the association between asthma diagnosis and birth outcome by race/ethnicity. Preliminary findings indicate the Hispanics had the highest asthma rate, the lowest asthma medication use, and the highest preterm rate. Health care providers and social workers must work together to ensure that asthmatic women who lack health insurance obtain early, quality prenatal care.
The Impact of Religiosity, Political Affiliation, and Race on Social Work Student Attitudes Toward LGBT Individuals
This study will explore the attitudes and beliefs that graduate social work students hold toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) people. There are multiple factors that influence attitudes toward LGBT individuals. In particular, we will explore the effects of religiosity, race/ethnicity, and political affiliation on graduate social work students’ attitudes and beliefs about LGBT individuals. Students at a large, urban, public university (Wayne State University, Detroit, Mich.) will comprise the sample. Understanding the climate for sexual minorities within Schools of Social Work is critical to the development of LGBT curriculum that is relevant and can address the ethical and ideological barriers that students may face in working with the LGBT population.
For further details on other research Center for Social Work Research, see: research.socialwork.wayne.edu