Fellows

Elizabeth M.Z. (Betsy) Farmer, Dean, School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Farmer is dedicated to improving systems and services to more fully and adequately meet the needs of youth and their families. Her work for the past 35 years has focused on youth with mental health disorders, particularly youth who are served across multiple sectors of the child-serving system, with an emphasis on understanding patterns and pathways through the service system, improving quality of services, and supporting long-term positive outcomes for youth. This work has included epidemiologic, services, and intervention focused studies supported by NIMH and other federal, state, and foundation funding. Farmer brings a strong interdisciplinary lens to these issues, and has held faculty positions in social work, health policy, and psychiatry across her career. Her core program of research has focused on improving quality of treatment and care in Treatment Foster Care and group homes. A portion of this work resulted in development of an evidence-based model of TFC, Together Facing the Challenge, that is now implemented in TFC programs across the nation. Her ongoing work focuses on improving supports for families of youth with mental health problems and working collaboratively with community partners to improve systems, policy, and practice.

https://www.socialwork.pitt.edu/people/elizabeth-mz-farmer