FALL 2024 DIRECTOR'S CORNER

Letter from our Associate Director of Research

Circular Headshot of Addie Weaver

Hello Curtis Center Community!


Can you all believe that the Fall semester – and 2024 – is quickly coming to an end? Over the last couple of months, I spent a lot of time reflecting on the importance of community. I am extremely grateful to have joined the Curtis Center as the Associate Director for Research and deeply appreciate our community! I find that connecting with a community of scholars makes a profound difference in terms of advancing my research and its impact, overcoming challenges, and enhancing my overall quality of life and work/life balance.


Here at the Curtis Center, it is our goal to continue growing and supporting our community of students, staff, and faculty committed to advancing community-based, health equity-focused intervention and services research. We are excited to share some new, exciting ways that we are bringing health equity-focused scholars together!


We are excited to share that the Curtis Center and the Treatment Innovation and Dissemination Research Group (TIDR) at the UM School of Social Work came together this term, merging our two collectives. We identified strong synergy between the Curtis Center and TIDR, driven by 1) the overlap among faculty connected to the Curtis Center and TIDR, 2) a shared mission and goal to advance health equity through community-engaged health and mental health intervention and services research, and 3) the desire to provide intentional, strategic support and connection among faculty conducting research in this space. The Curtis Center is extremely happy to serve as a hub bringing together a robust, active group of health equity-focused intervention and services researchers! 


Additionally, this semester, the Curtis Center developed a health equity field placement for MSW students here at the University of Michigan. We welcomed three field students, Yijin Wang, Hengxiang (Wayne) Yu, and Rachel Savur, who gained skills and knowledge to engage in social work practice with a focus on program evaluation and applied research with support from field supervisors Associate Director for Training Dr. Anao Zhang and Program Manager Caroline Landry.


We also continued growing the Curtis Center pre-doctoral fellowship program started by Former Director Dr. Daphne Watkins. This semester, we brought together 10 doctoral students engaged in health equity research from the University of Michigan School of Social Work, Department of Psychology, Department of Sociology, and Department of Learning Health Sciences as well as Schools of Social Work across the country. We are developing programs and supports to directly address student-identified needs. We are excited to continue the Curtis Center’s tradition of building community among the next generation of health equity scholars!


Finally, in November, we had the honor of having Dr. Karen Tabb Dina present on “Perinatal Mental Health Equity: Research and Policies Relevant to Social Work” as part of our Curtis Center Health Equity Seminar Series. Dr. Tabb Dina’s presentation was inspiring and offered attendees concrete ways they could take action and further resources they could explore. The record number of attendees at Dr. Tabb Dina’s talk reinforces the urgency around advancing perinatal mental health equity. 


We appreciate your commitment to and support for the Curtis Center and our shared mission to advance health equity in Michigan and across the globe! We wish you a relaxing holiday season and look forward to continued connection in 2025!


Take care, 


Addie Weaver

Associate Professor

Assistant Director of PhD Programs

School of Social Work

Associate Director for Research

Curtis Center for Health Equity

University of Michigan

CONGRATULATIONS!

Faculty Affiliate Dr. Paul J. Fleming  received a 2024 Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Award for his commitment to anti-racist public health work and his significant contributions to public health practice through teaching, community-based research and mentorship.

Paul Fleming

WELCOME NEW TIDR FACULTY, STUDENTS, AND STAFF!

This month, the Curtis Center hosted an open house to welcome

new faculty, students, and staff.


Pictured are members of the new Curtis Center team who attended as we continue advancing our mission of promoting health equity

through research and collaboration.

Above, from left to right: Caroline Landry, Hannah Burgess, Julia McClellan Presgrove, Nick Brdar, Meghan Harrington, and Dr. Jennie Jester.

Above, from left to right: Cassie Turner, Dr. Jaclynn Hawkins, Dr. Lisa Wexler,

and Dr. Ashley Lacombe-Duncan.

THE CURTIS CENTER DOCTORAL FELLOWS 2024/25

Rachel Elizabeth Brandon,

School of Social Work & Department of Psychology

Brittany Ribeiro Brown, School of Social Work & Department of Psychology

Alana Ewen,

Behavioral &

Community Health, University of Maryland

Keion Harris,

School of Social Work & Department of Psychology

Elizabeth Harris,

School of Social Work & Department of Sociology

Sunghyun Hannah Hong,

School of Social Work & Department of Psychology

Brody Nicholas Mantha, School of Social Work & Department of Psychology

Neema Prakash,

Department of Psychology

Danae Ross,

School of Social Work & Department of Sociology


Cassie Turner,

Department of Learning Health Sciences


MSW FIELD STUDENTS

During the Fall 2024 semester, we welcomed new MSW Field Students Yijin Wang (right, above) and Hengxiang (Wayne) Yu (left, above)!


We are also saying goodbye to Rachel Savur (center, above) and Kelly Bozyk (not in photo). Thank you for all your contributions and best of luck!

UPCOMING EVENTS

School of Social Work Grand Rounds with Rocío Calvo


"Empowering Latine Communities: A Holistic Approach to Research, Training, and Capacity Building"



Wednesday, January 22, 2025

12:00 - 1:00 PM (ET)

Hybrid Format


This presentation shares a decade of work that embraces an epistemological shift from a deficit-based to an asset-based approach in working with Latine communities. It highlights innovative curricular approaches and community-embedded research as catalysts for sustainable interventions. Additionally, it showcases successful partnership agreements with health and educational systems, emphasizing collaborative efforts to enhance capacity building and sustainable development within these communities.


Social workers participating in this course can receive

continuing education contact hours.

RSVP Here! 

MLK Day 2025 Celebration at the University of Michigan

MLK Jr Statue Cropped

In celebration of MLK Day 2025, the University of Michigan is hosting, "2025

Restless Dissatisfaction: An Urgent Call for the Pursuit of Justice and Equality," an in-person and live-streamed event.


On January 20, 2025, at Hill Auditorium from 9:30 - 11 AM (ET), Erika Alexander will deliver the 39th Annual Keynote Memorial Lecture.


For more information, visit https://oami.umich.edu/mlk-symposium/

EDUCATIONAL IMPACT



Faculty Affiliate Dr. Gretchen A. Piatt has been appointed chair of the Department of Learning Health Sciences (DLHS) in the Medical School!


Congratulations, Dr. Piatt!


On November 14th, we hosted our 7th seminar in the Curtis Center Health Equity Seminar Series!


Dr. Karen Tabb Dina presented "Perinatal Mental Health Equity: Research and Policies Relevant to Social Work," which you can now view on our Training Opportunities page (here)!

Curtis Center Postdoctoral Research Associate and Medical School Research Fellow Dr. Nina Francis-Levin was interviewed by the Oncology Times ("Financial Barriers to Oncofertility Services for Adolescent & Young Adults”). She “explained the financial consequences of cancer on AYA patients and how these consequences affect their access to fertility preservation.”


As well, she and her spouse and fellow researcher Dr. Jess Francis-Levin were interviewed for a podcast hosted by the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center about the relationship between pets and overall cancer patient health outcomes within the LGBT community in, “Pets and Cancer Patient Outcomes in the LGBT Community.”

AWARDS


Pre-doctoral fellowship student Sunghyun Hannah Hong received the Henry J. Meyer Award for the Year 2024-2025 for a paper that makes an original contribution to empirical or theoretical literature by integrating social work and social science in the School of Social Work:


"Advancing Psychodynamic-Based Clinical Social Work Practice to Address Structural Trauma: Integrating Neuroscience and Attachment Theory"

(Forthcoming in Social Work. Co-authors: J. Ribaudo,

P. Safyer, I. Routte, & D. Watkins).

Curtis Center Pre-Doctoral Fellow Keion Harris was awarded the 2024 Vivian A. and James L. Curtis Endowed Scholarship for Doctoral Student Research.


This Scholarship was established by James L. and Vivian A. Curtis. It supports doctoral students whose research focuses on minority populations with low income and education, with a preference for research on issues faced by African American males.

Curtis Center Pre-Doctoral Fellow Rachel Brandon was awarded the W. K. Kellogg Family Endowed Fellowship.


This award is for students in the Joint Doctoral Program in Social Work and Social Science with a research interest in advancing the understanding of issues relevant to improving the well-being of children, youth and their families.

GRANTS

Curtis Center Faculty Affiliate Dr. Fernanda Cross received a K01 Career Development grant from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities for her project entitled “Enlace Familiar: Combating Mental Health Stigma, Improving Mental Health Literacy, Supporting Mental Health Discussions at Home, and Access to Care among Latinx Adolescents from Mixed Status Families.”


“This funding will allow me to both learn about intervention development and then develop and test an intervention to increase access to mental health treatment among Latinx adolescents from mixed-status families,” said Cross. “I am very excited because this will be one of the few interventions that specifically focus on mixed-status families and it will respond to an important community identified need.”

RECENT PUBLICATIONS


Abelson, J. M., Burgess, H., Limtiaco, F., Long, E., Brown, B. R., Hannawalt-Morales, D., Allen, E., & Watkins, D. C. (2024). State department of health’s equitable funding allocation methodology to address COVID-19 health disparities among high-risk and underserved populations. American Journal of Public Health.


Anderson, R. E., Johnson, N., Jones, S. C., Patterson, A., & Anyiwo, N. (2024). Racial socialization and black adolescent mental health and developmental outcomes: A critical review and future directions. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology.


Boyd, D. T., Jones, K. V., Quinn, C. R., Hill, M., Nelson, L. E., Beauchamp, G., Emel, L., Hightow-Weidman, L., Shoptaw, S., Magnus, M., Piwowar-Manning, E., Mayer, K. H., Fields, S. D., Wheeler, D. P., Dyer, T. V., & Wilton, L. (2024). Ethnic identity and social support as mediators between childhood sexual abuse and depression among black men who have sex with men. Child Abuse & Neglect.


Boyd, D. T., Martinez, O., Mammadli, T., Shamrock, O. W., Abu-Ba’are, G. R., & Dyer, T. V. (2024). Intersecting epidemics: Examining the impact of internalized homophobia and depression symptoms on HIV testing through a suicide syndemic among young Black men who have sex with men. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.


Brandon, R., & Zhang, A. (2024). Strategies to mitigate young cancer survivors with depression. In Handbook of the Behavior and Psychology of Disease (pp. 1-17). Cham: Springer International Publishing.


Cheung, C. K., Lee, H., Francis-Levin, N. J., Choi, E., Geng, Y., Thomas, B. N., Roman, V. A., & Roth, M. E. (2024). Provider preparedness to care for sexual and gender minority adolescent and young adult cancer patients: A scoping review. PEC Innovation.


Creary, M., Fleming, P., Thatcher, L., Peoples, W., Kraut, R., Loveluck, J., VanDeventer, C., Paberzs, A., Wilson, C., & Garcia, A. (2024). The anti-racist cities & counties (ARCC) towards justice project: The co-creation and piloting of a racial justice impact assessment tool. In APHA 2024 Annual Meeting and Expo. APHA.


Cross, F. L., Bares, C. B., Lucio, J., & Chartier, K. G. (2024). Adverse childhood experiences and tobacco use among Latinx parents in the USA. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.


Cross, F. L., Esqueda, A. P., Ku, C. P., Hunt, R., Lucio, J., Williams II, C. E., Bailey, S., Williamson, S., Marsh, E. E., & Resnicow, K. (2024). “Life as We Knew It”: Continued challenges in getting up-to-date COVID-19 vaccinations amongst Black and Latinx Michigan residents. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.


Cross, F. L., Hunt, R., Buyuktur, A. G., Woolford, S. J., Reyes, A. G., Ledón, C., Israel, B. A., Marsh, E. E., & Platt, J. (2024). Factors that impact effective public health communication with Michigan’s Latinx population in the context of COVID-19. Health Education & Behavior.


Cross, F. L., Hunt, R., Buyuktur, A., Woolford, S., Reyes, A. G., Ledon, C., Israel, B. A., Marsh, E., & Platt, J. (2024). Facilitating and hindering factors for effective public health communication with Michigan's latinx population in the context of COVID-19. In APHA 2024 Annual Meeting and Expo. APHA.


Cureton, A., Cross, F. L., & Polk, S. (2024). An exploration of the impact of racism and discrimination on the mental health of Latinx youth. Academic Pediatrics.


Ellis, J., Williams, A. N., Strange, E., & Richards-Schuster, K. E. (2024). Promoting microaffirmations within a social work undergraduate program: Promises and challenges. The Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research.


Ellis, K. R., Koechlin, H., Rudaz, M., Gerido, L. H., Hecht, H. K., Jones, C., Raji, D., Northouse, L., & Katapodi, M. (2024). Predictors and interdependence of quality of life in a random sample of long‐term young breast cancer survivors and their biological relatives. Cancer Medicine.


Felsman, P. G., Weaver, A., Segal, J., Jacobson, M., Landry, C., Crampton, K., Abdur-Rahman, J., DeKam, A., Doss-Simmons, T., & Himle, J. (2024). Doing better on dialysis: Open pilot outcomes of a technology-assisted, entertaining, CBT-based depression treatment for people with end stage kidney disease at a dialysis clinic. Journal of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy.


Fong, A. J., Llanos, A. A., Hudson, S. V., Schmitz, K., Lu, S. E., Phillips, S. M., & Manne, S. L. (2024). Online-delivered resistance exercise intervention among racially diverse breast cancer survivors: Feasibility, acceptability, and exploratory outcomes of B-REP. Supportive Care in Cancer.


Gale, A., Lateef, H., Boyd, D. T., & Williams, E. D. (2024). A review of school-based interventions for Black boys’ school success. The Urban Review.


Gearhart, M. C., Maguire-Jack, K., Yoon, S., & Barnhart, S. (2024). The emotional and behavioral impact of social connections and observant adults in the neighborhood, school, and family on youth. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal.


Goodwill, J. R., & Ajibewa, T. A. (2024). A mixed methods analysis of long COVID symptoms in Black Americans: Examining physical and mental health outcomes. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.


Goodwill, J. R., & Yasui, M. (2024). Mental health service utilization, school experiences, and religious involvement among a national sample of Black adolescents who attempted suicide: examining within and cross-race group differences. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal.


Goodwill, J. R., Aguilar, A., & Yasui, M. (2024). Piloting a culturally adapted school-based suicide prevention intervention for black students in Chicago: Dyadic interviews with black parents and youth. In APHA 2024 Annual Meeting and Expo. APHA.


Hall, S., Schroeders, A., & Zivin, K. (2024). Diagnosed behavioral health conditions during the perinatal period among a commercially insured population by race/ethnicity, 2008–2020. Women in Psychiatry 2023: Perinatal Psychiatry.


Hawkins, J., Sengupta, S., Kloss, K. A., Schwenzer, C., Smith, F. N., Jones, L. M., Mitchell, J., Nwankwo, R., & Piatt, G. A. (2024). Applying the theoretical domains framework to identify determinants to mental healthcare use among older African Americans with type 2 diabetes: A qualitative study. BMJ Open.


Hong, S. H., Hardi, F. A., Tillem, S., Goetschius, L. G., Brooks-Gunn, J., McLoyd, V., Lopez-Duran, N. L., Mitchell, C., Hyde, L. W., & Monk, C. S. (2024). Mother-child closeness and adolescent structural neural networks: A prospective longitudinal study of low-income families. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.


Hong, S. H., Yu, C. L., Rousson, A. N., Bender, A. E., Fedina, L., & Herrenkohl, T. I. (2024). Examining the association between trauma characteristics and adult depression and anxiety: analysis of types, variety, repetition, and timing of past trauma. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.


Lacombe‐Duncan, A., Tseng, A., Scarsi, K. K., Senneker, T., Kluger, H., Persad, Y., Underhill, A., Kennedy, V. L., Armstrong, I., Fung, R., Bourns, A., Nguyen, Q., Hranilovic, S., Weisdorf, T., Chan, L., Kia, H., Halpenny, R., Iyer, H., Jeyarajah, N., Kovchazov, G., Tharao, W., & Loutfy, M. (2024). Protocol of a drug–drug interaction study between bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide and feminizing hormones in trans women living with HIV. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.


Lim, J. W., Zhang, A., & Zebrack, B. (2024). Technology-based cancer survivorship care interventions: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Research on Social Work Practice.


Marçal, K. E., Showalter, K., & Maguire-Jack, K. (2024). The impact of state workplace protections on socioeconomic outcomes of IPV survivors. Journal of Family Violence.


Marçal, K., Maguire-Jack, K., & Showalter, K. (2024). Longitudinal impacts of housing cost burden on physical and psychological aggression of children from age 3 to 15. Child Maltreatment.


Petroff, R. L., Jester, J., Riggs, J., Alfafara, E., Springer, K., Kerr, N., Issa, M., Hall, A., Rosenblum, K., Goodrich, J. M., Muzik, M., & Michigan Collaborative for Infant Mental Health Research. (2024). Longitudinal DNA methylation in parent–infant pairs impacted by intergenerational social adversity: An RCT of the Michigan Model of Infant Mental Health Home Visiting. Brain and Behavior.


Rosland, A. M., Piatt, G., Kieffer, E., Valbuena, F., Palmisano, G., Deverts, D., Robles-Hernandez, D., Yabes, J., Lalama, C., & Heisler, M. (2024). Comparative effectiveness of CHW-delivered family support for diabetes action (FAMACT) vs. traditional diabetes management education and support. In APHA 2024 Annual Meeting and Expo. APHA.


Salerno, J. P., Lea, C. H., Johnson, N., Anyiwo, N., & Alcantara, C. (2024). At the intersection of Latinx & LGBTQ identities: How do racist microaggressions & LGBTQ minority stressors affect mental distress among young adults? Drug and Alcohol Dependence.


Senger-Carpenter, T., Zhang, A., Ordway, M., Stoddard, S. A., & Voepel-Lewis, T. (2024). Anxiety and depression symptoms, adverse childhood experiences, and persistent/recurrent pain across early adolescence. Academic Pediatrics.


Smith, M. J., Merle, J. L., Baker-Ericzén, M., Sherwood, K., Bornheimer, L. A., Ross, B., Harrington, M., Sharma, A., Brown, C., Gordon, T., Telfer, D., Reese, J., Hirst., J., Oulvey, E. A., Dignadice, V., Williams, E. D., Magana, S., Hume, K., Sung, C., Burke-Miller, J. K., & Smith, J. D. (2024). A type 1 hybrid multi-site randomized controlled trial protocol for evaluating virtual interview training among autistic transition-age youth. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications.


Sun, S., Fears, N. E., & Miller, H. L. (2024). Functional upper-extremity movements in autism: A narrative literature review. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders.


Thibodeau, E. L., Klika, J. B., Maguire-Jack, K., Park, Y., Murphy, C., & Merrick, M. T. (2024). Child care subsidy generosity and child maltreatment: The moderating effects of administrative burden. Journal of Family Violence.


Turner, C. D., Thomas, T. W., Sedgwick, T., Yassin, M., Stoll, S. C., Lindsay, R., Heisler, M., & Schmittdiel, J. A. (2024). Dyadic concordance and other considerations for matching pairs for peer support diabetes prevention interventions: A mixed methods assessment. Patient Education and Counseling.


Ward, K. P., Grogan‐Kaylor, A. C., Ma, J., Pace, G. T., Lee, S. J., & Davis‐Kean, P. E. (2024). Interactions of gender inequality and parental discipline predicting child aggression in low‐and middle‐income countries. Child Development.


Weaver, A., LeBeau, R., Brydon, D., Rubyan, M., Santiago, J., Willis, J., Kilbourne, A. M., Craske, M. G., & Himle, J. A. (2024). Multiple stakeholder perspectives of implementing work-related cognitive behavioral therapy (WCBT) in vocational service settings: A qualitative exploration of intervention acceptability and sustainability. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research.


Wexler, L., & Eglinton, K. A. (2024). Reconsidering youth well-being as fluid and relational: a dynamic process at the intersection of their physical and social geographies. In Handbook of Children and Youth Studies (pp. 117-127). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.


Williams, E. D. G., & Smith, M. J. (2024). Virtual interview training among BIPOC autistic transition-age youth: A secondary analysis of an initial effectiveness RCT. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.


Wu, K. C.*, Hong, S. H.*, Cross, F. L., Sypher, I., McLoyd, V. C., Huntley, E. D., Hyde, L. W., Mitchell, C., & Monk, C. S. (2024). Increasing diversity in neuroimaging research: Participant-driven recommendations from a qualitative study of an under-represented sample. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. [*shared first author]


Xiang, X., Kayser, J., Turner, S., & Zheng, C. (2024). Layperson-supported internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for depression among older adults. Research on Social Work Practice.


Xiang, X., Turner, S., Ruiz-Sierra, S., Zheng, C., Ash, S., Kodkany, N., Dimoji, A., Gosdzinski, C., & Kubicek, G. (2024). Older adults experience with a layperson-supported digital mental health intervention for depression: Qualitative insights on engagement. Clinical Gerontologist.


Zivin, K., & Courant, A. (2024). Relationship of cryptocurrency trading to quality of life, sleep and stress levels in academics. The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics.


Zivin, K., Zhang, X., Tilea, A., Hall, S. V., Admon, L. K., Vance, A. J., & Dalton, V. K. (2024). Perinatal psychotherapy use and costs before and after federally mandated health insurance coverage. JAMA Network Open.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Do you have questions about health equity? Click the button below to ask us your question(s)! We will provide answers in our next newsletter!

Click here to access our Health Equity Question Form!

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

"We acknowledge that The University of Michigan, named for Michigami, the world’s largest freshwater system and located in the Huron River watershed, was formed and has grown through connections with the land stewarded by Niswi Ishkodewan Anishinaabeg: The Three Fires People who are the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi along with their neighbors the Seneca, Delaware, Shawnee and Wyandot nations.”

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https://ssw.umich.edu/offices/curtis-center