Spencer, Michael

Michael Spencer

Ballmer Endowed Dean and Professor, Social Work; Director, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Oceania Affairs, University of Washington
University of Washington
Box: 354900

CSDE Research Areas:

Health of People and Populations

In the News:

4 CSDE Affiliates Among the 15 UW Professors Elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences (08/08/2024)
Research led by Dr. Agyemang and co-authored by Guttmannova, Spencer and Colleagues Evaluates an Intervention to Address Child Trafficking (10/26/2023)
Spencer Quoted in Seattle Times on Centering Natives vs Tourism After the Tragic Maui Fires (08/29/2023)
Spencer Appointed as Dean of the UW School of Social Work (03/26/2023)
Population Health Initiative COVID-19 Grants Catalyzed UW Research Community (03/23/2021)

Dr. Spencer is a Native Hawaiian (Kānaka ‘Ōiwi) researcher and currently serves as the Presidential Term Professor of Social Work and Director of Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Oceania Affairs at the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute (IWRI). His current research focus is health equity among Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI) populations. Using national data, local data, or community-driven data, Dr. Spencer is interested in understanding both the impact of racism and settler colonial society on NHOPI, he also seeks solutions through participatory interventions. This research is grounded in indigenous cultural practices and values that promote health and wellbeing. For over 25 years, his research with African American, Latinx, Asian, as well as NHOPI communities, in the areas of health and mental health has been funded by numerous federal grants and his scholarly work has been published in high impact medical, public health, social work, and interdisciplinary journals. This work includes two randomized controlled trials demonstrating the effectiveness of a culturally tailored, community health worker intervention (CHW) for African American and Latinx patients with type 2 diabetes. Dr. Spencer’s current research relates to the impact of COVID-19 on the health and economic wellbeing of NHOPI in Washington. A goal of Dr. Spencer is to develop a national data set for NHOPI on health, mental health, and service delivery needs.