Janet Joiner
Janet Joiner
Assistant Professor of Social Work
Department Chair
Degrees
- Ph.D., Wayne State University
- M.S.W., Western Michigan University
- B.A., Western Michigan University
Biography
Janet M. Joiner is assistant professor and chair in the Department of Social Work. She teaches Social Welfare and Social Justice, Social Welfare Policy, Human Behavior, and Social Work Ethics and Digital Advocacy. Several of these courses incorporate interactive experiences into classroom settings including the use of Skype to bring additional speaker expertise to her students, as well as introducing students to technology through video discussion boards and online and hybrid courses.
A licensed social worker with more than 30 years’ experience, Joiner has an interest in cyber social work which began almost a decade ago with the introduction of the mobile devices. She noticed untapped opportunities for the social work profession to expand service delivery to previously under-served populations using technology. In 2016, she founded the Institute for Cyber Social Work, an organization dedicated to advancing digital social work practice, while providing technological training and support services to social workers, human service organizations and academic institutions.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer appointed Joiner to serve on the Michigan Board of Social Work for a four-year term effective Jan. 1, 2020. The board sets policy, protects public health and welfare and oversees cases involving ethical violations and appeals related to licensed social workers.
Joiner holds membership with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and she serves on the Administrative Operations Committee for The Children’s Center of Detroit and has served with this organization since 2018. In addition, she has served as a member of NASW-Michigan Delegate Assembly.
She joined the University in 2016.