The School of Social Work welcomes two new full-time faculty to the ranks in Fall 2017. Assistant Professor J. Lloyd Allen received his PhD from the University of Georgia, his MSW from Florida International University, and his Bachelors from Hampden-Sydney College.  His research interests, over the years, include the exploration of issues associated with gender and sexuality, HIV policy and advocacy, mental health and Black/African American gay men, community mobilization, program evaluation, masculinity, mental health, depression, substance abuse, and gender inequality.  Over the years, he has amassed a vast amount of social work clinical experiences as well as helped to coordinate, oversee, and evaluate several public health, mental health, HIV/AIDS, and STI infection programs that affected LGBT individuals. 

Licensed clincial social worker, Lisa O'Donnell, has joined the Social Work faculty as an Assistant Professor. O'Donnell received her PhD from the University of Michigan's Joint PhD program in Social Work and Clinical Psychology in 2016.  Overall, her research examines the nature of functional and quality of life deficits such as employment impairments found among individuals with bipolar disorder and other severe mental illnesses and the impact of current psychosocial interventions on remediating these deficits. She has been trained in various evidence-based treatments and has years of experience providing individual and group psychotherapy to adults, adolescents, and families.

Debra Patterson will serve as coordinator of the B.S.W. Program for the 2017-18 academic year, while Susan Lebold is on leave. Dr. Patterson, whose practice and research explores sexual assault survivors' experiences with formal service systems, joined the Wayne State School of Social Work faculty in 2008. She has taught in the B.S.W., M.S.W., and Ph.D. programs, where she has utilized her expertise in qualitative research methods, interviewing vulnerable populations, and program evaluation to a variety of courses in both practice and research methods. The School of Social Work welcomes Dr. Patterson to this new position and extends a heart-felt thank-you to Susan for her excellent work with the B.S.W. Program over the past year. We look forward to seeing Susan return to this role in the 2018-19 academic year.

Christina Dennis, MPA, MDiv, became director of the School of Social Work's Office of Admissions and Student Services on Aug. 28. A native of Michigan, Christina most recently worked as director of the Pennsylvania's System of Higher Education Philadelphia Center. She has had a variety of leadership roles in enrollment management, admissions, student advising, and financial aid, and also has worked in social work education. The School of Social Work welcomes Christina and offers its heartfelt thanks to Shantalea Johns, who has served as interim director of admissions since February.  Under her leadership, OASS sponsored the first annual Social Justice Symposium and offered summer programming for new and returning social work students, among many other things.

Three members of the full-time faculty will not be returning to the School of Social Work this fall. Angelique Day, who spent the last year as a Congressional Fellow in Washington, has accepted a position at University of Washington - Seattle School of Social Work.  Delores Dungee-Anderson, who had served previously as our school's associate dean for academic affairs, will be returning to her home in Richmond, Va.  Finally, Norma Schropshire, who was a full-time lecturer in the 2016-17 academic year, is beginning a program of doctoral study at St. Kate's - St. Thomas, in St. Paul, Minn. The School of Social Work thanks them for their service and wishes them well as they embark on new chapters in their lives.

Debra Patterson was bestowed the title of Distinguished Fellow by the Michigan Great Lakes Chapter of the International Association of Forensic Nurses. This designation is in recognition of the significant accomplishments and contributions that she has made in advancing the science and practice of forensic nursing.

Black Family Development, Inc. is working with Richard Smith to evaluate and improve its partnerships with schools in Clark Park and the Osborn neighborhoods. BFDI is seeking designation as a U.S. Department of Education Promise Neighborhood.

Meanwhile, Dr. Smith has started his appointment as editor of the Journal of Community Practice with Editor in Chief Anna Santiago of Michigan State University. They also serve as ex-officio board members of the journal's sponsor, the Association for Community Organization and Social Administration.  

Also, on Aug. 27, Dr.  Smith volunteered with Global Detroit to do a participatory youth community mapping exercise in the Halal neighborhood of NoHaM (North of Hamtramck). His expertise in advanced methodology and use of sophisticated scientific instruments added value to a sunny day of intensive community engagement (below). 

Shantalea Johns was selected for the 2017-19 University Council for Educational Administration's Jackson Scholars Program. She is one of only two doctoral students from Wayne State to be selected for this program. The Jackson Scholars program develops future faculty of color for the field of educational leadership and policy. The Jackson Scholars Network is an exceptional opportunity for graduate students of color to take advantage of formal networking, mentoring, and professional development opportunities to enhance their pathway as professors of educational leadership. Shantalea will be recognized for this accomplishment in Denver in November.

Laurel Hicks, who recently earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Social Work and Infant Mental Health at the School of Social Work, has begun a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Denver Department of Psychology in the Neurodevelopment Research Program. She will mainly contribute to a large randomized control trial funded by the NIMH examining the effects of depression and stress in pregnancy on infant behavior and development. The prenatal period represents a time of extremely rapid change in brain development. The rapid neurological advances render the fetus susceptible to various influences with life-long implications for mental health, known as fetal programming. Maternal signals of distress are a dominant early-life influence contributing to the organization of the central nervous system. Observational, longitudinal naturalistic studies illustrate that fetal exposure to maternal depressive symptoms predicts risk for child psychopathology and multiple risk mechanisms that contribute to later child anxiety and depression. Specifically, the study will examine if reducing depression symptoms during pregnancy, via Interpersonal Therapy, will also reduce infant negative emotional reactivity, diminish cortisol reactivity, and improve regulation of brain circuitry linked to negative emotionality and cognitive control. Dr. Hicks will be administering the Interpersonal Therapy as well as leading other research efforts. 

The School of Social Work is sad to announce that Carla Widman, a senior in our B.S.W. Program, died in early August from injuries sustained in a tragic accident. Carla will be missed by her classmates, professors, staff, and all of those in the School of Social Work with whom she had contact.

The Wayne State University Baroudeur named the School of Social Work Team as one of the top fundraisers for First Lady Wilson's HIGH program. Riders from the school included Tam Perry, Richard Smith, Marijo Upshaw and her husband.

Don't try this at home: J. Lloyd Allen and Takisha Lashore (below) share a pair of eclipse-viewing glasses outside the School of Social Work during the "Great American Eclipse" that occurred on Aug. 21. The next total solar eclipse visible from North America will be in 2024. That leaves plenty of time to order glasses!