This week we are speaking with Dan Saunders. Dan will share his rich history of his work in the movement to end domestic violence by focusing his research and work with those who perpetrate the intimate partner abuse.

Daniel G. Saunders

Professor Emeritus of Social Work

Daniel Saunders, professor of social work, established one of the first intervention programs for men who batter and helped to establish crisis and advocacy programs for battered women in the 1970s. His research, teaching, and service center on the problems of dating and domestic violence. His specific studies focus on offender program evaluation, the traumatic effects of victimization, and the response of professionals and the public to dating and domestic violence. His research has been funded by the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Institute of Justice. In addition, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholars grant to conduct research at the Te Awatea Violence Research Centre, University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Professor Saunders' most recent projects involve an evaluation of supervised visitation programs for the children of battered women and a survey of child custody evaluators regarding their beliefs about domestic violence. Based on his publication record, a 2019 report listed him in the top 100 most influential contemporary social work faculty. In 2024, the analytics company Elsevier listed him among the world's top 2% of scientists.

Research Interests/Focus

Domestic and dating violence, direct practice, program evaluation.

Curriculum Vitae: https://ssw.umich.edu/sites/default/files/documents/faculty/cvs/saunddan_cv.pdf

List of Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=L5uCO3AAAAAJ