Faculty Spotlight
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Louanne Bakk joined the UB School of Social Work as an assistant professor in fall 2013, and now serves as clinical associate professor and Doctor of Social Work (DSW) program director.
After receiving her Bachelor of Social Work from Arizona State University West, she was admitted to the University of Michigan’s MSW program, alongside the MSW, she earned a Certificate of Specialization in Aging. The recipient of several academic and research awards and scholarships, including the Hartford Doctoral Fellowship in Geriatric Social Work from John A. Hartford Foundation and Pearl Aldrich Graduate Student Research Award, Bakk earned her PhD from Michigan State University in 2012. She also served at the Area Agency on Aging 1-B in Southfield, Michigan, for nine years, first as director of access and benefits assistance, then as a research specialist. Her research is in aging, with an emphasis on Medicare and Medicaid policy, disparities in later life, and community-based intervention programs and services. Bakk’s interest was heavily influenced by her practice experience as agency director. She had the opportunity to directly observe the impact of public policy initiatives designed to assist older individuals.
“Individuals should have equal access to services and benefits, particularly as they enter later life, a time when resources can become even more limited, and health increasingly declines,” said Bakk. “Because of disadvantages throughout the life course, inequities exist. My research focuses on racial, ethnic and gender disparities under policy initiatives designed to assist older adults. I’m dedicated to increasing our understanding of how programs differentially impact the aging population.”
By building an understanding about racial, gender, and ethnic disparities in policy initiatives and influencing factors, she aims to affect the design of interventions at both the individual and policy levels that promote more equitable access and avoid disparate outcomes. She is part of a research team investigating the impact of the Town Square for Aging, an integrative model of care providing frail, community-based older adults living with an array of services designed to maintain their health, independence and quality of life.
