Clinical Assistant Professor
UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work
Michele Patak-Pietrafesa, MSW, PhD is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at UNC Chapel Hill where she teaches graduate level courses in direct and macro social work practice. To the classroom she brings over 16 years of clinical and macro social work practice experience across various contexts including community based mental health, school social work, research, and in her private practice focused on supporting, empowering, and advocating with people with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Michele is also an experienced presenter having led local training workshops and national conference presentations on topics such as diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in education, anti-racist and inclusive social work practice, social work leadership, evidence-based practice, and using data as a tool for empowerment and advocacy. Informed by her practice and advocacy work in schools, Michele’s research interests focus on understanding how bias and stereotypes based on race and disability impact teaching practices, decision-making, and service provision within educational institutions.
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