Wendy Wolfersteig
Biography
Dr. Wendy L. Wolfersteig serves as Director of Evaluation and Partner Contracts at the Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center (SIRC) at ASU. For over 20 years, her work in substance abuse prevention and evaluation in Arizona has focused on the use of effective evidence-based strategies and data-driven decision-making. She leads her team in working collaboratively with state, county, city and local partners to design and perform evaluations, provide trainings and disseminate findings aimed at preventing, reducing and eliminating health disparities.
Her community based participatory research addresses health equity with underserved populations and diverse subgroups. Specifically, this includes research on health effects stemming from risk and protective factors around social determinants such as food and housing, social support and isolation, and traumatic childhood and adult experiences. Recent community-based projects investigate the social determinants of health related to medical outcomes, collect and analyze data on social and health needs of target groups, and test the efficacy of a child abuse and neglect curriculum for preK to 12th grade students.
Dr. Wolfersteig is a research associate professor in the School of Social Work at ASU. She serves as a member of the Arizona Program Inventory Workgroup and was appointed as a member of the City of Phoenix, Fast-Track Cities Initiative Ad-Hoc Committee. Recently she completed four years on the board of the Arizona Evaluation Network (AZENet) and received the 2021 Allison Titcomb Award for outstanding service to AZENet and the profession.
Education
- Ph.D. Higher Education Administration, Univeristy of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- M.Ed. Education Administration, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
- B.S.Ed. Secondary Social Studies, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
Publications
Diaz, M., Wolfersteig, W., Moreland, D., Yoder, G., Dustman, P. & Harthun, M.L. (in press). Teaching youth to RESIST abuse: Evaluation of a strengths-based child maltreatment curriculum for high school students. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma.
Talmage, C. A., Figueroa, H.L. & Wolfersteig, W.L. (2018 Fall/Winter). Perceptions of expanded shared use of schools: A mixed method examination of pathways and barriers to community well-being. School Community Journal, 28(2), 297-319.
Talmage, C. A., Figueroa, H.L. & Wolfersteig, W.L. (2018, Spring). Cultivating a culture of health in the southwest: Linking access and social determinants to quality of life amongst diverse communities. Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, 40(4). 397-432.
Wardian, J., Wolfersteig, W., & Schepel, E. (2013). Alcohol consumption in diverse populations: How ethnicity moderates average drinks per day and age. Journal of Substance Use. 18(3), 229-237. doi: 10.3109/14659891.2012.721445
Wardian, J., Robbins, D., Wolfersteig, W., Johnson, T., & Dustman, P. (2013). Validation of the DSSI-10 to measure social support in a general population. Research on Social Work Practice, 23(1), 100-106. doi:10.1177/1049731512464582.
Lucio, J. & Wolfersteig, W. (2012). The political and social incorporation of public housing residents: Challenges in HOPE VI community development. In Community Development. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 43(4), 476-491.
Rendón, L.I., Gans, W.L., & Calleroz, M.D. (1998, Fall). No pain, no gain: The learning curve in assessing collaboratives. In D. McGrath (Ed.), New directions for community colleges. Creating and benefiting from institutional collaboration: Models for success. 103. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, Inc.
Research Activity
Some Recent Awards
Overdose Data to Action Evaluation Services. (2019-20). Principal Investigator. Arizona Department of Health Services.
2MATCH. (2018-2020). Principal Investigator. Dignity Health.
Childhelp Hotline. (2018-2021). Principal Investigator. Childhelp.
Coordinated Maricopa County Community Health Assessment. (2018-2020). Principal Investigator. Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
Childhelp Curriculum Development, Evaluation and RCT. (2015-2020). Principal Investigator. Childhelp, Inc. and Arizona Department of Child Safety.
ADHS Prescription for States, Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention. (2017-2019). Principal Investigator. Arizona Department of Health Services.
Training Plan for Using Data to Empower Arizona Communities. (2017-2018). Principal Investigator. Arizona Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family.
Evaluation for College and Career Readiness Program. (2017-2019) Principal Investigator. U.S. Department of Education. Phoenix Indian Center.
AmeriCorps Opioid. (2017). Principal Investigator. Arizona Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family.
Native Youth Community Project. (2016-2020). Principal Investigator. Gila River Indian Community.
Healthy Families Healthy Youth Evaluation. (2016-2018). Principal Investigator. Arizona Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family.
Smoking Cessation Opportunities for Public Housing Residents Whitepaper. (2017). Principal Investigator. American Lung Association.
Home Visiting Program. (2016-2019) Principal Investigator. Native Health.
Capacity Building - Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program. (2015-2019) Principal Investigator. Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
Area Agency on Aging Needs Assessment. (2016-2017) Principal Investigator. Arizona State University Foundation/Area Agency on Aging, Region 1.
Courses
| Spring 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Title |
| SWG 619 | Practice-Oriented Research |
| Fall 2019 | |
|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Title |
| SWG 619 | Practice-Oriented Research |
| Fall 2017 | |
|---|---|
| Course Number | Course Title |
| SWG 619 | Practice-Oriented Research |