Paula Allen-Meares

Paula Allen-Meares is currently Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Vice President of the University of Illinois, John Corbally Presidential, and Dean Emerita/Professor Emerita of Schools of Social Work and Education at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her research interests include school social work, the tasks and functions of social workers employed in educational settings and the organizational variables that influence service delivery; improving the mental...See more

Paula Allen-Meares is currently Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Vice President of the University of Illinois, John Corbally Presidential, and Dean Emerita/Professor Emerita of Schools of Social Work and Education at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her research interests include school social work, the tasks and functions of social workers employed in educational settings and the organizational variables that influence service delivery; improving the mental health/health of poor children and adolescents of color; adolescent pregnancy, including repeat births among adolescents and young adults; health care utilization, and social integration factors which influence sexual behavior and parenthood; and maternal psychiatric disorders and their direct and indirect effects on parenting skills and developmental outcomes of offspring. In addition, she has published on such topics as conceptual frameworks for social work and re-search methodologies. She has served as Principal Investigator on a W. K. Kellogg Foundation Grant, entitled Global Program for Youth, was Co-Principal Investigator of the NIMH Center on Poverty, Risk, and Mental Health, Co-Principal Investigator on an R01 of the National Institute of Mental Health's Pathways for Youth, Risk and Resilience and is currently Co-Principle Investigator of the Skillman Good Neighborhoods Grant. Dr. Allen-Meares serves as a board member of the New York Academy of Medicine and is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (IOM). Lauren Akers, M.P.P, is a research analyst at Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. Her research and public policy interests include early childhood intervention and education, as well as K-12 education. Sally Atkins-Burnett, Ph.D., is a Senior Researcher at Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. Her research interests include assessment, early childhood development, dual language learners, and children with disabilities. Her background in teaching children with disabilities and in teacher preparation of special educators, as well as per personal experience as a parent to individuals with disabilities, informs her writing and research. Ron Avi Astor , Ph.D., is the Richard M. and Ann L. Thor Professor in Urban Social Development. He holds appointments in the schools of Social Work and Education at the University of Southern California. His professional interests include children's understanding of violence, large-scale, city-wide youth empowerment monitoring systems, and school violence interventions, and he has authored over 100 scientific publications and has numerous research projects on school violence. Rami Benbenishty , Ph.D., is a professor at Bar Ilan School of Social Work in Israel. His work focuses on child welfare and children at risk. He partners with the Israeli Ministry of Education to develop monitoring and intervention systems to improve school climate and prevent school violence in Israel. Gary L. Bowen , Ph.D., MSW, is a William R. Kenan Distinguished Professor in the School of Social Work at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He co-directs the School Success Profile project. Dr. Bowen is Past President (2009-2011) of the National Council on Family Relations. Cynthia Franklin , Ph.D., LCSW, is Stiernberg/Spencer Family Professor in Mental Health and Coordinator of the Clinical Concentration at The University of Texas at Austin, School of Social Work. Dr. Franklin is an imminent researcher and expert in school social work and school mental health practice, with over 125 publications. Some of her most notable contributions include re... See less