Dear Curtis Center Community,

We’re excited to share the final edition of our quarterly newsletter before the fall term begins. As we reluctantly say goodbye to summer (and those extra hours of daylight), we can’t help but marvel at the whirlwind of activity that filled these sunny months. It’s been a season of growth, connection, and more Zoom meetings than we care to count—but all in the name of progress!

In May, our External Advisory Board (EAB) gathered to discuss the future direction of our organization. The EAB, comprising Drs. Paula Allen-Meares, Jorge Delva, Derek Griffith, Jodi Jacobson Frey, Michael Spencer, and Tanya Sharpe, plays a crucial role in guiding our research, education, and community outreach strategies. Their insights during this meeting have helped shape the path forward, and we’re energized by the exciting developments on the horizon.

For the first time, our Spotlight section features a dedicated staff member. While we’ve previously highlighted students, doctoral candidates, and faculty, we’re thrilled to now shine a light on the incredible contributions of our staff. Their hard work is vital to our success, and we’re eager to share their stories.

Our faculty affiliates have also had a busy summer, securing exciting grant awards, earning promotions, and continuing to disseminate their groundbreaking research. We invite you to read on for more details about their remarkable work.

Looking ahead, mark your calendars for Dr. Karen Tabb Dina’s upcoming CCHESS presentation on November 14, 2024. Her talk, on “Perinatal Mental Health Equity: Research and Policies Relevant to Social Work,” promises to be an insightful and engaging event.

We’re also delighted to share that Dr. Anao Zhang, our Associate Director, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Social Work with Tenure. This well-deserved achievement is a testament to Anao’s dedication and excellence, and we hope you’ll join us in celebrating his success.

We hope you enjoy reading these highlights as much as we’ve enjoyed bringing them to you. Thank you for your continued support and engagement. Here’s to an exciting fall semester ahead!

Warm regards,

Jaclynn M. Hawkins, PhD, MSW

Associate Professor, University of Michigan School of Social Work

Director, Curtis Center for Health Equity Research and Training

Co-Director, Pilot and Feasibility Program, MCDTR

We would like to highlight Curtis Center and Treatment Innovation and Dissemination Research Group Program Manager, Caroline Landry, LMSW!  Click the video below to hear Caroline talk about her position and what she has learned through working with the Curtis Center.

Congratulations to Anao Zhang! We are delighted to announce that Curtis Center Associate Director Anao Zhang has been promoted to Associate Professor of Social Work with Tenure. Join us in celebrating this well-deserved achievement.

Congratulations, Faculty Affiliate Dr. Allura Casanova, on accepting the position of Tenure Track Assistant Professor at Hampton University, an HBCU in Hampton, VA.

Congratulations, Faculty Affiliate Dr. Daphne C. Watkins, on her selection for the Pynn-Silverman Lifetime Achievement Award from Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA)!

Dr. Hawkins is Co-Chairing “Implementation Science and Health Equity: An NIDDK Workshop.” Please see the current agenda for more information. The workshop will be held Oct. 10-11 (virtual option available). Registration closes October 1st; please feel free to distribute the registration information with your network.

The purpose of this years event is "To explore how NIDDK-interested researchers can use implementation science to ensure NIDDK’s evidence-based and promising interventions reach 1) diverse populations at highest risk and/or with disparate rates for NIDDK diseases/conditions and 2) diverse practice settings (e.g., clinics, schools, places of worship, workplaces, social services agencies, and other community organizations)."

At the ResilienceCon2024 conference in Nashville, TN, Dr. Katie Schultz presented Disrupting academic gaslighting: Strategies for building resilience and cultivating joy in academic life (2024; with Storer, Armstrong, & Utterback).

Also, at the Academic Consortium on Criminal Justice Health 17th Annual Meeting in Phoenix, AZ, Dr. Schultz presented Understanding the lives of American Indian and Alaska Native populations who are justice-involved (2024; with Renn & Trawver).

Our Faculty Affiliate and past Director, Dr. Daphne Watkins, and Drs. Likosky and Funk, on their National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) R01 Award for Addressing Structural Racism in Heart Failure Care and Outcomes!

Dr. Ed-Dee Williams recently received a grant from the Deborah Munroe Noonan Memorial Research Fund to test the feasibility of his intervention called "Asking for Help” which uses simulation technology to support effective mental health communication and help-seeking behaviors for Black autistic youth.

The Young Black Men, Masculinities, and Mental Health (YBMen) Project marks its 10th Anniversary with a special celebration!



This celebration will feature dynamic, healing-centered discussions and activities that explore mental health issues from various perspectives including athletes and public intellectuals. It’s a unique opportunity to connect, learn, and contribute to a decade-long journey of empowerment and resilience in the Black community.

In March, Advisory Board member Dr. Paula Allen-Meares presented Assessing Bias in CHATGPT’s Simulated Clinical Responses at the University of Illinois Department of Medicine Scholarly Activities Day, the theme of which was AI in Medicine.

Beltrán, R., Brown, D., Dunbar, A. Z., Schultz, K., Fernandez, A. (2024). Indigenist abolition: A talk story on ideas and strategies for social work practice. In M. Kim, C. Rasmussen, & D. Washington (Eds.), Abolition and Social Work Possibilities, Paradoxes, and the Practice of Community Care (pp. 46-64). Haymarket Press.

Benevides, T. W., Jaremski, J. E., Williams, E.-D., Song, W., Pham, H. H., & Shea, L. (2024). Racial and ethnic disparities in community mental health use among autistic adolescents and young adults. Journal of Adolescent Health, 74(6), 1208–1216. 

Burgess, J., Kim, H. M., Porath, B. R., & Zivin, K. (2024). Burnout and perceived workload among behavioral health providers during the COVID-19 pandemic: Importance of supervisory, leadership, and Organizational Support. American Journal of Health Promotion, 38(5), 716–719. 

Evans, G. S., Sacca, L., McCurdy, S., Schultz, K., Peskin, M. F., Tingey, L. & Markham, C. (2024). ‘Trauma sits in your body and makes you shut down:’ Sexual and reproductive health professionals’ views of the impact of trauma on the sexual health of Native American older adolescent and young adult women. Culture, Health & Sexuality.

Ewen, A. M., Hawkins, J. M., Kloss, K. A., Nwankwo, R., Funnell, M. M., Sengupta, S., Jean Francois, N., & Piatt, G. (2024). The Michigan Men’s Diabetes Project Randomized Clinical Control Trial: A pilot/feasibility study of a peer-led diabetes self-management and support intervention for black men with type 2 diabetes. American Journal of Men’s Health, 18(3). 

Fannin, D. K., Williams, E.-D., Fuller, M., Pearson, J. N., Boyd, B. A., Drame, E. R., Taylor, J., Dickerson, A. S., Spinks‐Franklin, A., & Coles‐White, D. J. (2024). Unpacking the prevalence: a warning against overstating the recently narrowed gap for black autistic youth. Autism Research, 17(6), 1072–1082. 

Gale, A., Williams, E.-D., Boyd, D., & Lateef, H. (2024). Understanding the multiple influences on black parents’ school involvement: A longitudinal perspective. Children, 11(6), 722. 

Ghazal, L. V., & Zhang, A. (2024). Experiences of underrepresented adolescent and Young Adult (Aya) cancer survivors engaging in research-related activities. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 42(16_suppl), 10073–10073.

Lacombe-Duncan A, Tseng A, Scarsi KK, et al. Protocol of a drug–drug interaction study between bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide and feminizing hormones in trans women living with HIV. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2024; 1-11.

Park, I. Y., Kim, J., Franklin, C., Zhang, A., Guz, S., Shinohara, T., Yu, M., Cho, Y. J., & Hai, A. H. (2024). Comparing the effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy for adolescent outcomes in schools between the U.S. and East Asian studies: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services.

Price, J., Hawkins, J. M., Amante, D. J., James, R., & Haire-Joshu, D. (2024). 1097-P: Implementation science and pediatric diabetes—a scoping review of the state of the literature and guidance for future research. Diabetes, 73(Supplement_1). 

Roux, A. M., Voltaire, S., Steinberg, H., Williams, E.-D., Anderson, K. A., Hutson, T. M., & Shea, L. L. (2024). More than just a variable: The need to explicitly focus on black youth within Autism Transitions Research. Autism in Adulthood, 6(2), 119–127. 

Saulnier, K. G., Ganoczy, D., Grau, P. P., Sripada, R. K., Zivin, K., Piette, J. D., & Pfeiffer, P. N. (2024). Generalized anxiety disorder screening scores are associated with greater treatment need among veterans with depression. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 177, 31–38. 

Schultz, K., Ivanich, J.D., Whitesell, N., Siciliano, M., & Zacher, T. (2024). Social networks of American Indian youth on a Northern Plains reservation. Connections.

Schultz, K., Ivanich, J.D., Whitesell, N., & ^Zacher, T. (2024). Tribal Reservation Adolescent Connections Study: A study protocol using mixed methods for examining social networks and associated outcomes among American Indian youth on a Northern Plains reservation. Child Abuse & Neglect, 148. 

Shires, D.A., Kattari, L., Hill, H., Anderson, K.D., Misiolek, B., & Kattari, S.K. (2024) Differences between transgender and gender diverse adults in Michigan currently using gender-affirming hormone therapy and nonusers reporting interest in future use, LGBT Health .

Suarez-Balcazar, Y., Allen-Meares, P. Dickens, C., Brazil, E., Bedoya-Garcia, O., Biggers, A. (2024). Enhancing the education of community health workers on health literacy and cultural humility in times of COVID-19. American Journal of Health Education , 1–10.

Tayal, A., Di Eugenio, B., Salunke, D., Boyd, A. D., Dickens, C. A., Abril, E. P., Garcia-Bedoya, O., & Allen-Meares, P. G. (2024). A Neuro-Symbolic Approach to Monitoring Salt Content in Food arXiv. 

Tucker HM, Odhiambo R, Jadwin-Cakmak L, Mbanda A, Lacombe-Duncan A, Rucah C, Ubong I-A, Akoth Ouko C, Odero W, Harper GW. (2024) Empowerment for Us by Us (E4UBU)”: Developing a Model of Empowerment Using Feminist Participatory Methods with LBQT+ Persons Assigned Female at Birth in Western Kenya. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2024; 21(7):948.

Zivin, K., Zhong, C., Rodríguez-Putnam, A., Spring, E., Cai, Q., Miller, A., Johns, L., Kalesnikava, V. A., Courant, A., & Mezuk, B. (2024). Suicide mortality during the perinatal period. JAMA Network Open, 7(6). 

Zivin, K., & Courant, A. (2024). PERSPECTIVE: Implications of Recent Health Policies for Women's Reproductive Mental Health. The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics, 27(2): 063.

The Health Disparities Podcast features conversations about health disparities with the dedicated people working to eliminate them.

Episodes highlight disparities seen in common chronic illnesses. The podcast focuses on how social determinants of health, or non-medical factors that influence health outcomes, affect these conditions and their management.

Podcast Description adapted from Movement is Life, Inc.

Email: CurtisCenter@umich.edu

Twitter: @center_curtis

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