Michael Gearhart, Ph.D.

Dr. Michael Gearhart received his Ph.D. in 2017 from the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. His research focuses on collective actions in communities, the relationship between the criminal justice system and communities, and equity and inclusion. He is currently collecting data on residents’ perceptions of the development in Ferguson with an emphasis on police-resident relationships.

Dr. Gearhart’s practice experience includes working as a research associate for Leverage Point Development Inc., co-facilitating cognitive behavioral therapy groups for individuals in jail who meet criteria for psychosis and serving as a diagnostician for an enhanced re-entry model for individuals leaving jail who meet criteria for mental health and substance use issues.

Courses Taught

SOCWRK 4300: Social Work Practice with Communities

Education

Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University (2016)
MSSA, Case Western Reserve University (2012)
BA, Ohio State (2010)

Recent Publications

Peer-reviewed journals

Gearhart, M. C. (In Press). Mutual Efficacy and Social Cohesion: Predictors of Neighboring and Organizational Participation. Australian Community Psychologist.9-240.

Gearhart, M. C., Bender, A., Barnhart, S. Berg, K. A., Jones, C.* (2021) Youth Profiles of Police-Initiated Post-Traumatic Stress Symptomatology. Child & Adolescent Social Work. 1-13.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-021-00741-4

Gearhart, M. C. (2020). Social Cohesion, Internal Efficacy, and External Efficacy: Studying Voting Behavior Using Collective Efficacy Theory. Community Development.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15575330.2020.1825502

Gearhart, M.C. & Tucker, R.* (2020) Criminogenic Risk, Criminogenic Need, Collective Efficacy and
Juvenile Delinquency. Criminal Justice and Behavior.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854820928568.

Gearhart, M. C. (2019). Parent and Child Perceptions of Collective Efficacy as Predictors of Delinquency. British Journal of Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcz146

Gearhart, M. C., Berg, K. A.*, Jones, C.*, & Johnson, S. (2019). Fear of Crime, Racial Bias and Gun Ownership. Health & Social Work. hlz025. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/hlz025.

See Dr. Gearhart's CV for a complete list of publications.

Research Interests

Dr. Michael Gearhart's research focuses on collective actions in communities, the relationship between the criminal justice system and communities, and equity and inclusion.