MPSI Report 2019 & 2020
Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
The bi-annual report of the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute (MPSI) is now digital. The pandemic may have helped speed the decision, but we’ve had plans for this transition for a few years. The new format is designed to be easy to read, easy to share and easy to reference – while saving lots of trees. We hope you like it. 

The MPSI Report spans the past two fiscal years: a relatively normal 2019 and a disrupted 2020 that required agile pivoting of programs and research to accommodate Covid-19 restrictions.
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Happy 100! MPSI Celebrates Centennial Learn More
Purchase MPSI Commemorative Pewabic Tile Here
Infant Mental Health Program Celebrates 30 Years Read

IMH Video View

IMH Grants First Weatherston Scholarships Read
Research Faculty
Advancing Science while Staying Safe
Covid-19 cannot keep our good works and important research from moving forward. MPSI’s faculty members continue to submit grant proposals and have adapted research methods to keep participants safe. Several have contributed to important conversations in the media about how to maintain family ties and childhood development despite the pandemic’s restricted social interactions. 
Jennifer Gómez, PhD
Winner of several awards, Dr. Gomez also lent her voice and expertise to the national discussions of violence and racism.
Ann Stacks, PhD
Director Infant Mental Health Program
Participants Needed
Remote research at MPSI continues throughout the pandemic, despite restrictions on . . .
Grants
MPSI Growth Spurt
Thirty-two grants worth nearly $10 million were active across MPSI, the Early Childhood Center and the Freer House through 2019 and 2020. This is almost double the amount of our 2017/18 funding and illustrates the depth and breadth of our faculty’s expertise and hard work. Areas studied include the opioid crisis, resilience in maltreated children, decreasing drug and alcohol abuse in pregnancy, and the impact of violence on adolescent relationships.
Community Engagement
Reaching Even More
MPSI’s faculty and staff found creative new ways to engage with the community in 2020. They held more Zoom meetings and webinars, the Giant Step teen conference became a CE workshop, and court trainings went online. Faculty members increased virtual panels and lectures, tried podcasting and appeared in many more media outlets.

Dr. Jennifer Gomez reached millions of listeners in the UK when she appeared on the BBC’s Women’s Hour radio show to discuss why Black women struggle to talk about sexual violence. The chart shows the shift in outreach categories -- and increase in people reached -- over the past four years.
Healthier Urban Families launched Parenting Moments a free digital publication to assist parents during these challenging times. Each issue includes a parent giude about a current topic and links to local resources for basic needs and educational support.
The Explorations in Development 2020 Conference, co-hosted by MPSI’s Infant Mental Health program attracted a virtual crowd of 138 social workers, licensed counselors and other professionals. The two-day agenda focused on sensory processing disorders in infants and young children and earned six CEUs. 
MPSI's Carolyn Dayton, PhD (above) leads Detroit stakeholders in a discussion to define and remove barriers that prevent fathers from engaging with their children. The group meets regularly to consider policy changes and other solutions.
2019 Giant Step Teen Conference
2020 Giant Step
CE Workshops
We couldn’t hold our in-person conference in 2020, but we wanted to recognize the heroic work being done by our school professionals to educate and counsel students through the Covid-19 crisis. With funding support from PNC, we presented two free CE workshops via Zoom. More than 100 professionals attended each event:

2019 & 2020 Trainees
Students Adapt
Faculty meetings are now virtual and students report in from home. As MPSI Fellow Sarah Wilhoit (above left) gives an overview of student achievements, her mentor Dr. Aikins (right) spots sticky notes on Sarah's wall. Dr.Aikins joked about seeing proof that her suggestions for organizing information were truly embraced.
Our award-winning students come to MPSI from various departments at Wayne State to concentrate their studies on issues related to child and family development.
MPSI Fellows & Trainees
Anthropology & Social Work:
Kinesiology: Kathryn Knoff
Early Childhood Center (ECC)
Quality Education for Young Children
In 2019, our Early Childhood Center was filled to capacity with a hefty waiting list. After closing in the spring of 2020 due to Covid-19, the ECC re-opened in September at less than one-third capacity divided between in-person and online instruction. The facility is fortunate to have a large, secure outdoor play area for the children to enjoy at least twice a day; lots of windows to allow fresh air into the classrooms and space to distance children and teachers. Whether the classroom holds 30 children or 10, the quality of instruction remains stellar. The ECC has maintained accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children for nearly a decade. Resources for Families
Generous Gift to ECC in Memory of Former Student Lydia Easley

James and Lydia Easley often stopped by the Freer House to catch up on MPSI activities whenever they were . . .
The Freer House Home to MPSI Faculty and Staff
Phebe Vandervort Goldstein
(1930-2020)
Remembering a Force of Nature
Phebe Goldstein passed away peacefully on January 4, a few days after . . . MORE
Freer House Community Engagement
While maintenance and restoration have been the vital priorities for Freer House initiatives in 2020, attention will shift to creating new online programs for our members and the public. We are working with the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Freer/Sackler Galleries on joint virtual programs for late Winter & Spring 2021, including presentation of a beautiful new documentary film on Edo era Japanese art by Linda Hoaglund, and a special program on Hokusai and Freer by Frank Feltens, Assistant Curator of Japanese Art, Freer and Sackler Galleries, Smithsonian. Members receive first notice of Freer House programs. Join or renew your Freer House membership today!