Scholars on the Market
We are proud to present this year’s scholars from NYU Silver School of Social Work. Our scholars have received personalized mentoring and cutting-edge research opportunities throughout their doctoral training, positioning them to be top social work scholars and leaders in the field. The following scholars are seeking academic appointments.
Rachel Ludeke
Rachel Ludeke is a PhD candidate at NYU Silver School of Social Work. She has worked in the child welfare field as an administrator for transitioning foster youth programs in New Jersey and has also served as a program coordinator for various programs related to homelessness, disaster relief, and nonprofit management and governance. Her research examines educational and employment disparities of child welfare involved youth through the use of social network analysis. She is also interested in educational outcomes for foster youth as related to social determinants of health. Currently, Rachel is a research assistant for an ongoing R21 parenting project under Dr. Darcey Merritt. She holds a BA in English and History/Political Science from Rutgers University and a Masters in Social Work from Rutgers School of Social Work. Rachel is also a licensed social worker in New York and New Jersey.
Highlights:
Publication: Merritt, D.H. & Ludeke, R.L. (2020). Post-adoption services: Needs and Type. In Wrobel, G.M., Helder, E., & Marr, E. (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Adoption, (pp.483-492). Routledge.
Award: Social Networks and Health Fellowship, Duke University Analysis Center, Duke University (2020)
Award: Diversity Scholarship, Summer Program on Quantitative Methods, Inter-university Consortium for Political Science Research, University of Michigan (ICPSR) (2019)
Rei Shimizu
Rei Shimizu’s research focuses on social determinants of health, specifically related to dietary quality among low-income young adults. Her research aims to understand (1) why intentions to eat healthy do not always translate into behavior and (2) how psychosocial factors developmentally relevant to young adulthood, such as mental health, social dynamics, and poverty, may moderate the intention-behavior relationship. She has led and co-authored quantitative and qualitative studies demonstrating ways in which mental health, interpersonal relationships, and socioeconomic status can affect food and food behaviors, above and beyond nutritional considerations. Her policy research and dissertation further highlights disparities in diet by socioeconomic status and the discriminatory ideologies ingrained in the U.S. food assistance policy. Her research program seeks to inform her long-term goal: to design a nutrition intervention program tailored to improve dietary quality among low-income young adults. Rei’s research is informed by her international and domestic experience as a social work clinician and researcher. She believes access to adequate amounts of nutritious food is a universal human right and is an advocate for food justice and equity. Rei received her MSW from Columbia University School of Social Work. She is currently also an adjunct lecturer at NYU Silver School of Social Work, with experience teaching research methods.
Highlights:
Publication: Shimizu, R. (2020) Who deserves to eat well? An analysis of equality and efficiency in U.S. food assistance policy. Journal of Poverty, 24(5-6), 451-472. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875549.2020.1731046
Published PRISMA-Registered Protocol (final manuscript under review in a peer-reviewed journal): Shimizu, R. & Munson, M.R. (2019) A systematic review of psychosocial nutrition intervention on improving dietary intake in young adults: Protocol Number CRD42019134992. PROSPERO. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42019134992
Publication (under review): Shimizu, R., Barocas, B., Cipollina, J.E., Murakami, N.J., Cotner, M.A., Park, Y. & Yang, S. The role of food and food behaviors in intimate partner violence.