Research Summary:Gunnar Almgren is an associate professor in the School of Social Work. Over several years, Almgren has published a series of articles on poverty, race, urban mortality, and infant mortality in leading journals for social demographers (Guest, Almgren and Hussey 1998, Almgren, Guest, Immerwhahr and Spittel, Palazzo, Guest & Almgren 2003) and journals read by scholars of social welfare (Almgren and Ferguson 1999, Almgren, Kemp and Eisinger 2000, Kemp, Almgren, Gilchrist and Eisinger 2001). The preceding articles are based directly on population research data, and have served to illuminate the relationships between race, racial segregation, employment, poverty and urban mortality. A related article on hospital closures in Chicago expanded upon the literature on the racially selective nature of hospital closures and the identification of mortality correlates of hospital closure in underclass neighborhoods (Almgren and Ferguson 1999). More recent publications, relying on early 20th century census surveys and federal agency archives, have addressed the role of progressive era social reformers in the American mortality transition and the related epistemological foundations of contemporary research in prevention (Almgren, Kemp and Eisinger 2000, Kemp, et al. 2001). Most recently, Almgren has published his findings on the relationship between different strategies of income maintenance in longitudinal cohort of adolescent mothers and the early childhood outcomes of their first birth children (Almgren, Yamashiro and Ferguson, forthcoming). He has also published an analysis of the effects of managed care on social work practice in primary medicine (Almgren 1998).
Almgren’s work has also included an analysis of the health and mental health risk profiles of children in foster care, and their access to and utilization of health care services. Since there are over one half-million children in foster care at any given time within the U.S., this is a significant social welfare issue as well as an issue relevant to domestic family demography. To accomplish this, Almgren and his colleagues have reconstructed the histories of children across three state databases that profile the assessments and services the children receive from state child welfare workers, physicians and allied health care providers, school officials, and mental health professionals. Thus far they have shown that a relatively small number of children diagnosed with significant psychiatric problems by their primary care physicians are seen by mental health professionals. A much larger proportion of these children are treated with psychotropic medications with no psychiatric diagnosis (Almgren and Marcenko 2001).
Most recently, Almgren has been collaborating on a project with CSDE affiliates Charles Hirschman, Stewart Tolnay and Robert Plotnick on a longitudinal study of multiple cohorts of adolescents transitioning from high school to young adulthood. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, the "Beyond High School" study assesses the effects of socioeconomic background variables and the educational environment of the young adult stage of the lifecourse across different ethnic and racial groups.
Recent Publications:- Ellis, M.; Almgren, G., (Forthcoming), Local Contexts and Second Generation Progress, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Introduction to the special issue “Local Contexts .
- Almgren, G., (2009), Policy Issues Related to Chronic Illness and Aging, Health Care and Older Adults Resource Review, Christ, G.; Almgren, G., National Center for Gerontological Social Work Education, Online.
- Almgren, G.; Magarati, M.; Mogford, L., (2009), Examining the Influences of Gender, Race, Ethnicity and Social Capital on the Subjective Health and Well-being of Adolescents, Journal of Adolescence.
- Almgren, G., (2008), Demographics: An Overview, Encyclopedia of Social Work, National Association of Social Workers, New York.
- Almgren, G.; Diwan, S., (2008), Typology of Chronic Illness and Impact on the Family, Health Care and Older Adults Resource Review, Christ, G.; Almgren, G., National Center for Gerontological Social Work, Online.
- Almgren, G., (2007), Health care politics, policy, and services: a social justice analysis, Springer Publishing Company, New York.
- Bell, J.; Zimmerman, F.; Mayer, J.; Almgren, G.; Huebner, C., (2007), Associations Between Residential Segregation and Smoking During Pregnancy Among Urban African-American Women, Journal of Urban Health, 84: 3, 372-388.
- Almgren, G. R.; Bell, J. F.; Zimmerman, F. J.; Mayer, J. D.; Huebner, C. E., (2006), Birth outcomes among urban African-American women: A multilevel analysis of the role of racial residential segregation, Social science & medicine., 63: 12, 3030.
- Bell, J. F.; Zimmerman, F. J.; Almgren, G. R.; Mayer, J. D.; Huebner, C. E., (2006), Birth outcomes among urban African-American women: A multilevel analysis of the role of racial residential segregation, Social Science & Medicine, 63: 12, 3030.
- Bell, J. F.; Zimmerman, F. J.; Mayer, J. D.; Almgren, G. R.; Huebner, C. E., (2006), Racial Residential Segregation and Birthweight: The Role of Specific Dimension of Segregations, Population Association of America.
- Almgren, G., (2005), The ecological context of interpersonal violence - From culture to collective efficacy, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20: 2, 218-224.
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Ph.D. 1990, University of Washington. Infant mortality, gerontology, health care policy.
