Mer Francis
Email: francismw3@vcu
Pronouns: They/them
Meredith “Mer” Francis, Ph.D., M.S.W., joined the faculty at the VCU School of Social work as an assistant professor in August 2022. They earned their M.S.W. from Rutgers University, their Ph.D. in social welfare from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University, and were a Transdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis with joint appointment in the Brown School of Social Work and the Department of Psychiatry. Mer primarily researches how people use their social networks to support their recovery from substance use disorders. They use a Recovery Capital theoretical framework that captures how people balance the complex factors of trauma, family history and social networks as they navigate their recovery process. Mer is particularly interested in understanding how these processes work for minoritized people who have traditionally been understudied in this research.
Mer is a transdisciplinary scholar who brings a social work perspective to work with researchers across a variety of medical, social science, and community organizing fields and institutions. They are the principal investigator for the CoRe Study (the National Longitudinal Collegiate Recovery Study), which examines social aspects of Recovery Capital in college-aged people in recovery. In addition, they serve as co-investigator with the Child Welfare Addiction Fellowship study (NIDA 1R25DA058484-01, co-PIs: Karen Chartier, Ph.D., Rebecca Gomez, Ph.D.), which trains established child welfare social workers in addiction science and treatment in order to better serve individuals and families in Virginia. They also work with community-based organizers to examine how our system can better serve the needs of people who use drugs and alcohol.
Mer is committed to educating the next generation of social work practitioners and scholars. They ground their teaching in trauma-informed practice in their classroom structure and teaching approach. Mer brings their 11+ years of clinical practice experience and extensive research experience into the classroom to help students connect complex theoretical and clinical concepts to real-world applications.
Mer is a clinician and community organizer at heart, and continually seeks to bridge between research, teaching, clinical applications and community needs in their work. Their work is strengths-based, trauma-responsive and focused on anti-racism and social justice. They believe that radical, transformative change happens when we create spaces where we can be our authentic, whole selves in our work, and they are dedicated to creating those spaces in all of their work.
Areas of expertise
- Community-Based Participatory Research
- Mental Health
- Quantitative Research
- Qualitative Research
- Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
- Research Design and Measurement
- Social Work Practice
- Substance Misuse and Addictive Behaviors
- Substance Use Intervention and Long-Term Recovery
- Trauma-Informed Care
Education and credentials
Postdoctoral fellowship, Transdisciplinary Training in Addictions Research (TranSTAR) T32 Training Program (T32 DA 015035), Washington University in St. Louis
Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University
M.S.W., Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
B.A., psychology, Johns Hopkins University
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Virginia License 0904007407; 2010-2015, reinstatement in process)
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Tennessee License LSW0000004953; 2008-2011)
Licensed Social Worker (Tennessee License LSW0000007348; 2007-2008)
Licensed Social Worker (Jersey License 44SL05237700; 2003-2008)
Work
Selected publications
Dick, D., Balcke, E., McCutcheon, V., Francis, M., Kuo, S., Salvatore, J., Meyers, J., Schuckit, M., Hesselbrock, V. M., Edenberg, H., Porjesz, B., Kuperman, S., Kramer, J., Bucholz, K. (2023). The Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism: Sample and Clinical Data. Genes, Brain, and Behavior
Francis, M. W., McCutcheon, V. V., & Farkas, K. J. (2023). Social processes during recovery: An expansion of Kelly and Hoeppner’s biaxial formulation of recovery. Addiction Research & Theory.
Boness, C. L., Votaw, V. R., Francis, M. W., Watts, A. L., Sperry, S. H., Kleva, C. S., Nellis, L., McDowell, Y., Douaihy, A. B., Sher, K. J., & Witkiewitz, K. (2022). Alcohol use disorder conceptualizations and diagnoses reflect their sociopolitical context. Addiction Research & Theory.
Francis, M. W. , Bourdon, J. L. , Chan, G. , Dick, D. M. , Edenburg, H. J. , Kamarajan, C. , Kinreich, S. , Kramer, J. , Kuo, S. I. , Pandey, A. , Pandey, G. , Smith, R. L. , Bucholz, K. K., & McCutcheon, V. V. (2022). Deriving a measure of Social Recovery Capital from the Important People and Activities instrument in young adults: Construction and psychometric properties. Alcohol and Alcoholism. 57(3), 322-329.
Bourdon,* J. L., Francis,* M. W., Jia, L., Liang, C., Robinson, H. I., & Grucza, R. A. (2021). The effect of cannabis policies on treatment outcomes for cannabis use among U.S. adults. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 131(article 108535). *Co first authors
Francis, M. W. (2020). Transitions of women’s substance use recovery networks and 12-month sobriety outcomes. Social Networks. 63, 1-10.
Voith, L., Hamler, T., Francis, M., Lee, H. & Korsch-Williams, A. (2020). Using a trauma-informed, socially-just research framework with marginalized populations: Practices and barriers to implementation. Social Work Research, svaa013.
Book chapter contributions
Francis, M. W., Jemal, A., Voith, L. A., Hamler, T., & Korsch-Williams, A. E. (In press). Radically imagining anti-racist social work research using a trauma-informed, socially-just framework. In: Social Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice: Reckoning with Our History, Interrogating Our Present, and Re-Imagining Our Future, Abrams, L., Crewe, S. E., Dettlaff, A. J., & Williams, J. H., Eds.
Professional highlights
Juried conference presentations
* Indicates doctoral student mentee
Francis, M. W., Chartier, K. G., Yang*, Y. L., Kim*, K. N., The National Longitudinal Collegiate Recovery Study Group. (June, 2023). Different sources of social support for recovery predict increased recovery capital for students at different stages in college education. Poster accepted at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol, Bellevue, WA.
Francis, M. W., Bourdon, J. L., Chartier, K. G., Smith, R., Yang*, Y. L., Kim*, K. N., The National Longitudinal Collegiate Recovery Study Group. (June, 2023). Comparing family density of alcohol and substance use disorders and clinical and demographic characteristics between clinical inpatient and campus recovery programs. Poster accepted at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol, Bellevue, WA.
Yang*, Y. L., Chartier, K. G., The National Longitudinal Collegiate Recovery Study Group, & Francis, M. W. (June, 2023). Lifestage moderates the impact of recovery capital on quality of life for collegiate recovery program participants. Poster accepted at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol, Bellevue, WA.
Kim*, K. N., Francis, M. W., Spit for Science Working Group, & Chartier, K. G. (June, 2023). The link between resilience and alcohol use among a sample of college freshmen and the mediating role of alcohol expectancy. Poster accepted at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol, Bellevue, WA.
Jemal, A., Voith, L. A., Francis, M. W., Lee, H., Hamler, T., & Korsch-Williams, A. E. (2022). Building The Dream Space Collective: If you dream it….we can unbecome. Workshop presented for the annual meeting of the Council on Social Work Education, Anaheim, CA.
Francis, M. W., Bourdon, J., McCutcheon, V., & Bucholz, K. (June, 2021). The effect of Social Recovery Capital and parental AUD on drinking outcomes. Presentation presented at the annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (virtual due to COVID-19).
Francis, M. W., Bourdon, J. L., & Hamler, T. C. (November, 2020). Putting the “bio” in biopsychosocial: Talking genetics in social work. Panel presented at the annual meeting of the Council on Social Work Education (virtual due to COVID-19).
Francis, M. W., & Taylor, L. (January, 2020). Transitions between Social Network Profiles for Women in Early Recovery. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Social Work and Research, Washington, DC.
Lee, H., Voith, L., Hamler, T., Francis, M. W., & Korsch-Williams, A. (January, 2020). Employing a Trauma-Informed, Socially Just Research Framework with Marginalized Populations: Practices and Barriers to Implementation. Roundtable presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Social Work and Research, Washington, DC.
Selected panels
Francis, M. W., Jemal, A., Voith, L. A., Hamler, T., & Korsch-Williams, A. E. (March 4 - 5, 2021). Radically imagining anti-racist social work research using a trauma-informed, socially-just framework. Presentation at the “Social Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice: Reckoning with Our History, Interrogating our Present, and Re-Imagining Our Future” virtual symposium (video link).
Tracy, E. M, Francis, M. W., Munson, M., Brown, S., Lubben, J., Battalen, A. W., Crewe, S. E., & Cosby, R. (October, 2017). Grand Challenges Faculty Development Institute: Eradicate Social Isolation, presented at the annual meeting of the Council on Social Work Education, Dallas, TX.
Affiliations and service
- Research Society on Alcohol, member
- Society for Social Work and Research, member
Community trainings and workshops
- “Trauma & trauma-responsive systems,” “De-escalation,” multiple presentations to Tent Mission STL, St. Patrick’s Center St. Louis, Saint Louis University Campus Kitchen and affiliated groups, 2021-2022.
Teaching areas and interests
- Anti-racist Pedagogy
- Direct Social Work Clinical Practice
- Generalist and Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice
- Lifespan Development
- Social Justice
- Social Work Practice in Mental Health
- Social Work Research
- Substance Abuse
- Substance Use Disorders
- Theories of Research and Practice
- Trauma
- Trauma-informed Practice