EXPERTS ADVISORY

ANN ARBOR—The U.S. Census Bureau will release its 2014 statistics on poverty and health insurance coverage Wednesday (Sept. 16). The University of Michigan has experts available to discuss the findings. They include:

POVERTY

Luke Shaefer, associate professor of social work and public policy, can discuss the measurement of poverty and alternative metrics for measuring hardship. He has published articles on rising extreme poverty in the U.S., the effects of major anti-poverty programs and low-wage work.

Contact: 734-936-5065, lshaefer@umich.edu

Sandra Danziger is professor of social work and interim director of the National Poverty Center at the Ford School of Public Policy. Her research interests include the effects of public programs and policies on the well-being of disadvantaged families, poverty policy and social service programs, and welfare program approaches to addressing barriers to employment among single mothers.

Contact: 734-764-5254, sandrakd@umich.edu

Kristin Seefeldt, assistant professor of social work and public policy, explores how low-income individuals understand their situations, particularly around issues related to work and economic well-being. She conducts research on family financial coping strategies, and the effects of the recession and recovery policies on individuals’ well-being.

Contact: (734​) ​717-1239, kseef@umich.edu

Arline Geronimus, professor of health behavior and health education at the School of Public Health and research professor in the Population Studies Center at the Institute for Social Research, can discuss the effects of poverty and institutionalized discrimination and how public policies impact health.

Contact: 734-936-0929, arline@umich.edu

Laura Lein, dean of the School of Social Work, and professor of social work and anthropology, has conducted research on poverty, health disparities, women’s employment and child care.

Contact: 734-764-5347, leinl@umich.edu

Reuben Miller, assistant professor of social work, specializes in social welfare policy and the urban poor. He has written about poverty in the U.S.

Contact: (734) 763-5951, mreuben@umich.edu

HEALTH INSURANCE

Richard Hirth, professor of health management and policy at the School of Public Health and a member of the Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation, can discuss the general economics of health insurance.

Contact: 734-936-1306, rhirth@umich.edu

Richard Lichtenstein, associate professor of health management and policy at the School of Public Health, can discuss the relationship between poverty and health, racial and ethnic disparities in health, barriers to health insurance coverage for low-income children, and the effects of discrimination on access to health care.

Contact: 734-936-1316, lichto@umich.edu

Kyle Grazier, professor and chair of health management and policy at the School of Public Health, is an expert on health care finance and delivery. Her research concerns insurance and payment systems, benefits design, and the reintegration of medical and mental health services in employed and Medicaid populations.

Contact: 734-936-1222, kgrazier@umich.edu