People

Mercedea Bern-Klug

Mercedes Bern-Klug, M.S.W., Ph.D.

Title/Position
Associate Professor
Hartford Faculty Scholar,
Mercedes Bern-Klug is an Associate Professor specializing in gerontology, with a focus on long-term services and supports for older persons and persons with disabilities.
Anne Abbott

Anne Abbott

Title/Position
Research Associate
Haley Abboud Kamps

Haley Abboud Kamps, L.M.S.W.

Title/Position
Adjunct Instructor
Amber Alaniz

Amber Alaniz, M.S.W., L.M.S.W.

Title/Position
Ph.D. Student
Amber is interested in contributing to research in the areas of sexuality, health disparities, and mental health of people with disabilities. She is currently working on a project with Dr. Mercedes Bern-Klug evaluating the impact of quality of services for people in end-of-life care in nursing homes with family support. 
Eleanor Anstey

Eleanor Anstey, Ph.D.

Title/Position
Associate Professor Emerita
Gabby Archibald

Gabby Archibald, L.I.S.W.

Title/Position
Adjunct Instructor
Denise Beenk

Denise Beenk, L.I.S.W.

Title/Position
Adjunct Instructor
Jaime Berger

Jaime Berger, M.S.W., L.I.S.W.

Title/Position
Adjunct Instructor
Stephanie Besch

Stephanie Besch

Title/Position
Program Coordinator, NRC
Research Associate
Debbie Black

Debbie Black

Title/Position
Admin Services Specialist
Susin Bredice

Susin Bredice, L.I.S.W.

Title/Position
Adjunct Instructor
Michelle Buhman

Michelle Buhman, M.S.

Title/Position
Adjunct Instructor
Amy Butler

Amy Butler, Ph.D.

Title/Position
Associate Professor
Kara Carter in pink jacket

Kara Carter, L.M.S.W.

Title/Position
Ph.D. Candidate
Kara Carter is completing her dissertation, studying the lived experiences of COVID-19 hospitalization for older adults in Iowa.
Dana Cheek

Dana Cheek, M.S.W., L.I.S.W., C.A.D.C.

Title/Position
Ph.D. Student
Dana Cheek's research interests involve examining the integration of the primary care clinics with behavioral health consultants and/or social workers. Her research will look at the role of the social worker to help improve patient wellness and reach health outcomes. It will focus on social services necessary for treating the whole person, and she hopes to identify specific tasks that the behavioral health consultant/social worker performs that are consistently noted to be useful in the setting by other healthcare providers and patients, such as referrals for entitlement programs. 
Alyssa Clayden

Alyssa Clayden, M.S.W., L.I.S.W.

Title/Position
Ph.D. Student
Alyssa Clayden is interested in research that identifies the barriers that refugees face when pursuing mental health supports. This includes issues of education, fear, and prejudice in mental health practitioners and systems, as well as the complexity of intergenerational struggles as refugee youth grow up in the U.S. without access to cultural and social brokering and guidance at home.
Lance Clemsen

Lance Clemsen, L.I.S.W.

Title/Position
Behavioral Health Clinic Director
Aislinn Conrad

Aislinn Conrad, M.S.W., Ph.D.

Title/Position
Assistant Professor
Dr. Conrad's research examines the social determinants that reduce child maltreatment and promote family wellbeing. Past projects include linking material hardship (food/housing insecurity) to child abuse, and validating the Spanish version of the Protective Factors Survey. 
Carol Coohey

Carol Coohey, M.S.W., Ph.D.

Title/Position
Professor
Professor Coohey has over 25 years of experience directing and evaluating community-based programs, validating assessment tools, and researching the relationship between childhood adversity and academic and behavioral health outcomes among children and adults. Her most recent research has focused on suicide prevention.
Margaret Cretzmeyer

Margaret Cretzmeyer, M.S.W., Ph.D.

Title/Position
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Stephen Cummings

Stephen Cummings, M.S.W., A.C.S.W., L.I.S.W.

Title/Position
Clinical Associate Professor,
Distance Education Administrator,
MSW Program Director
Stephen Cummings is a clinical associate professor with over 20 years of practice in social service fields, including 10 years as a licensed social worker in a Trauma I level hospital setting. His areas of interest include ethical use of technology in social work practice, clinical supervision, and preparing students for the social work licensure exam.
Lisa Cushatt

Lisa Cushatt, L.M.S.W.

Title/Position
Adjunct Instructor
Suzanne Dell

Suzanne Dell, M.S.W.

Title/Position
Adjunct Instructor
Latasha Deloach

Latasha Deloach, L.M.S.W.

Title/Position
Adjunct Instructor
Lorraine Dorfman

Lorraine Dorfman, Ph.D.

Title/Position
Professor Emerita
Yvonne Farley

Yvonne Farley

Title/Position
Adjunct Instructor