Dr. Christina Marsack-Topolewski is an associate professor of Social Work in the College of Health and Human Services at Eastern Michigan University. She received a bachelor’s of science in Special Education, specializing in Cognitive Impairments, from Wayne State University. She trained under a specialized fellowship at the University of Michigan, receiving her master’s in Social Work and specializing in both school social work and aging from the University of Michigan. Dr. Marsack-Topolewski received her PhD in Social Work with a dual title in Gerontology from Wayne State University. She has worked with individuals with various intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) predominantly in a school setting for over 15 years. Her research focuses on individuals with autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities, their caregivers, advance care planning, the service delivery model, and service utilization. She has over 70 publications in national and international journals and encyclopedias, mainly focusing on individuals with IDDs, caregiving, as well as services and supports. In addition, she has presented her work locally, nationally, and internationally. Dr. Marsack-Topolewski has been the lead on multiple grant-funded initiatives tailoring services to individuals with IDDs and other disabilities, as well as their family caregivers. In 2019, she was appointed to the National Task Group on Intellectual Disability and Dementia Practices. She serves as both a board member and co-chair of Membership Affairs. Over the past 4 years, she has provided testimony at the state-level (Michigan) to advocate for legislative house bills that would provide protections against exploitation for vulnerable adults, such as individuals with IDDs.
