Associate Professor
Millersville University School of Social Work
Dr. Jennifer Frank is an associate professor in the Millersville University School of Social Work. Jennifer holds a PhD in Social Work from the Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. A licensed social worker in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, her research, teaching, and practice interests are in poverty and homelessness. In 2022, Dr. Jennifer Frank was named Social Work Educator of the Year by NASW of Pennsylvania. Further, in the Fall of 2023 she received an EPPIIC Award for her commitment to public mission, as demonstrated by her community work.
Her current research foci include human connection, poverty perceptions, basic needs, and social action. She has presented her work on social isolation with Dr. Granruth on our local NPR program, Smart Talk. In 2022, they received a PASSHE grant to implement a letter writing project between MSW students and individuals from local agencies that address poverty. The project, Stepping Stones, demonstrated a decrease in loneliness among letter writers and produced a recent publication, “Please Mr. Postman:” Exploring the Use of Letter Writing to Address Loneliness in the Journal of Evidenced-Based Social Work.
Dr. Frank is active in the community as a founding member, former board vice president, and current board member of the Loft Community Partnership. The Loft Community Partnership works to create resource networks and address food insecurity for households inside the Penn Manor School District. She is also a board member of Hand Up Partners, a homelessness empowerment program in the local community.
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