Dr. Michelle Johnson’s research seeks to reduce social disparities in child health and well-being among vulnerable immigrant families through community-level interventions informed by systems science concepts. In the current era of social science, studies of child health and well-being typically define a population, measure a variety of sample characteristics, and examine the relationship between these characteristics and specific health outcomes using statistical techniques. These types of studies are essential for collecting information regarding the presence of certain risk and resiliency factors and highlight health disparities through group level comparisons. However, once significant risk and resiliency factors are identified, directions for community-level interventions are often unclear because the context and timing for the interaction of these factors is not well understood. By contrast, systems science methodologies such as social network analysis allow for the specification of context by establishing a participant’s network and its structure, content, and history. Dr. Johnson is currently the principal investigator for a community-based participatory research study that examines the role of social networks in the prenatal health of women of Mexican origin in Los Angeles County. The study is supported by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Center for Vulnerable Populations Research at the UCLA School of Nursing, the UCLA Council on Research, and the UCLA Center for the Study of Women. In other projects Dr. Johnson is examining the social, behavioral, and psychological pathways that may mediate or moderate the complex interactions between neighborhood features, cultural orientation, and maternal and infant health using population-based data. She is also applying a socioecologic framework to the study of child maltreatment dynamics among immigrant families to inform community-based strategies for prevention.
Dr. Johnson received her Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley in 2007. She was the 2007 recipient of the Society for Social Work and Research’s (SSWR) Doctoral Fellows Award and the 2006 recipient of the National Association of Social Workers’ (NASW) Jane B. Aron Award in Health Policy and Practice. At Berkeley, she was the Research Director for the Bay Area Social Services Consortium at the Center for Social Services Research from 2005-2006. She holds degrees in Communications (B. S.) and Social Work (M.S.W.) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has social work practice experience in policy analysis, community planning, and program development.
Dr. Johnson teaches foundation and advanced courses in the Department’s MSW program. She seeks to enhance student learning through community engagement and strengthen community-based services in Los Angeles through partnerships for service learning. She teaches Social Inequality and Human Development: Community and Organizational Perspectives (SW 201B); Theory of Social Welfare Practice in Communities, Organizations, and Policy Settings I & II (SW 240A/B); and Evidence-based Community Practice (SW 241C).
Research Interests
Social and cultural disparities in child health and well-being; immigration, acculturation and child welfare; systems science methods; community-based prevention and intervention; participatory research
Selected Publications
Johnson, M. A. (forthcoming). Teaching macro practice through service learning inspired by photovoice. Journal of Community Practice
Johnson, M. A. & Marchi, K. S. (2009). Segmented assimilation theory and perinatal health disparities among women of Mexican descent. Social Science & Medicine, 69(1), 101-109.
Johnson, M. A., Stone, S., Lou, C., Ling, J., Claassen, J., & Austin, M. J. (2008). Assessing the outcomes of parent education programs for child welfare populations: Evidence and implications. Journal of Evidence Based Social Work, 5(1/2), 191-236.
Johnson, M. A., Stone, S., Lou, C., Vu, C., Ling, J., Mizrahi, P., & Austin, M. J. (2008). Family assessment in child welfare: Instrument comparisons. Journal of Evidence Based Social Work, 5(1/2), 57-90.
Johnson, M. A. (2007). The social ecology of acculturation: Implications for child welfare services to children of immigrants. Children and Youth Services Review, 29(11), 1426-1438.
Chow, J., Johnson, M. A., & Austin, M. J. (2006). The status of low-income neighborhoods in the post-welfare reform environment: Mapping the relationship between poverty and place. Journal of Health and Social Policy, 21(1), 1-32.
Johnson, M. A., & Austin, M. J. (2006). Evidence-based practice in the social services: Implications for organizational change. Administration in Social Work, 30(3), 75-104.
Johnson, M. A., Wells, S. J., Testa, M. F., & McDonald, J. (2003). Illinois’ child welfare research agenda: An approach to building consensus and practice relevant research. Child Welfare, 82(1).
