Dr. Jennifer Frank

Jennifer M. Frank is an associate professor in the Millersville University School of Social Work. Jennifer holds a Phd in Social Work from Bryn Mawr College and is a licensed social worker in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Her research and teaching interests are very related to a number of the SDGs and include poverty, homelessness, human connection, policy, and advocacy.

Dr. Frank is a research fellow with the Millersville University Center for Public Scholarship and Social Change. She has presented her work on social isolation with Dr. Laura Brierton Granruth on our local NPR program, Smart Talk. She is active in the community and is a founding member and board vice president of the Loft Community Partnership, a local nonprofit that addresses poverty, food insecurity, and cultivates resource connection and collaboration. 

Dr. Frank was recently awarded a PASSHE Faculty Development Grant for her Stepping Stones research project that explores the use of letter writing to enhance human connections, particularly among community members who utilize services of anti-poverty programs. Initial research findings indicate that letter writing decreased loneliness among participants.

Dr. Frank has presented her work on social isolation with Dr. Laura Brierton Granruth on our local NPR program, Smart Talk.  Dr. Frank is a research fellow with the Millersville University Center for Public Scholarship and Social Change.  She is active in the community as a founding member and board vice president of the Loft Community Partnership.  Dr. Frank is also a board member of the HUB, which operates the Campus Cupboard and Campus Closet offering food and clothing for college students in need.

Selected Publications Related to the Sustainable Development Goals

Frank, J.M., Rice, K., & Thomas, C. (2022). Beyond Academics: Assessing and understanding the food, housing and wellbeing needs of college students, Journal of Poverty. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875549.2022.2113592 (2. Zero Hunger & 3. Good Health & Wellbeing)

Frank, J.M., Rice, K., & Granruth, L.B. (in press) “In someone else’s shoes:” Utilizing Reflection to Challenge Poverty Attitudes and Develop Critical Consciousness, The International Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics (1. No Poverty)

Watson, D., Frank, J.M., & Graeff, J. (2022). “Two Sides of the Same Coin”: Homelessness as Environmental Injustice, Engage for Change Journal, https://blogs.millersville.edu/engageforchangejournal/ (1. No Poverty)

Frank, J.M. & Baumohl, J. (2021) “Making it Work”: Accommodation and Resistance to Federal policy in a homelessness continuum of care, Social Service Review, 95(3), 369-412. https://doi.org/10.1086/715928 (1. No Poverty & 11. Sustainable Cities & Communities)

Frank, J.M., Girvin, H., & Granruth, L.B. (2021). Paper Trails: Using letter writing to understand social isolation and poverty in a rural community, Journal of Social Work, https://doi.org/10.1177/14680173211010399 (1. No Poverty, 10. Reduced Inequalities, & 11. Sustainable Cities & Communities)

Frank, J.M., Girvin, H., Granruth, L.B. & Leffler, B. (2020). Dinner Together: Using Experiential Learning to Build Human Connections in a Social Service Setting, Journal of Community Practice, 28(3),245-253. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2020.1798834 (1. No Poverty, 10. Reduced Inequalities, & 11. Sustainable Cities & Communities)

Frank, J.M., Girvin, H., Granruth, L.B., & Van Buskirk, A. (2019) Bridging the Gap Together: Utilizing Experiential Pedagogy to teach Poverty and Empathy, Journal of Social Work Education, 56(4), 779-792. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2019.1661904 (1. No Poverty, 10. Reduced Inequalities, & 11. Sustainable Cities & Communities)

Frank, J.M., & Rice, K. (2017). Perceptions of poverty in America: using social empathy to reframe students’ attitudes, Social Work Education, 36(4), 391-402. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2017.1287261 (1. No Poverty)

Frank, J.M. (2016). Fostering a developmental perspective in understanding youth homelessness, Perspectives on Social Work 12(2), 12-19, https://hdl.handle.net/10657/5247 (1. No Poverty)

Rice, K., Girvin, H., Frank, J.M., Corso, L. (2016): Utilizing Expressive Arts to Explore Educational Goals among Girls in Haiti, Social Work with Groups, 41(1-2), 111-124. https://doi.org/10.1080/01609513.2016.1258620 (1. No Poverty, 10. Reduced Inequalities, 11. Sustainable Cities & Communities, 17. Partnerships for the Goals)