School of Social Work

Larry E. Davis

Dean, Donald M. Henderson Professor, and Director, Center on Race and Social Problems
PhD, University of Michigan

davis

Biography

Larry E. Davis received his PhD from the University of Michigan's dual-degree program in social work and psychology in 1977. He also earned master's degrees in social work and psychology from the University of Michigan and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Michigan State University.  

Davis is the Dean of Pitt’s School of Social Work, where he also is the Donald M. Henderson Professor and Director of the Center on Race and Social Problems. He came to Pitt in fall 2001 from the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., where he was a professor of social work and psychology and held the E. Desmond Lee Chair in Ethnic and Racial Diversity. Davis’s professional interests include interracial group dynamics; the impact of race, gender, and class on interpersonal interactions; African American family formation; and youth.

Selected Publications

Vaughn, M. G., Wallace, J., Davis, L. E., Fernandes, G., & Howard, M. O., (2008) Variations in mental health problems, substance use and delinquency between African-American and White juvenile offenders: Implications for reentry services. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 52(3), pp. 311-329.

Davis, L.E., Wallace, J. and Shanks, T. (2008) Overview on African Americans, Encyclopedia  of Social Work, 20th Edition, NASW Press/Oxford University Press, p. 65-75.

Mizrahi, T. and Davis, L.E., Editors-in-Chief (2008) Encyclopedia of Social Work, 20th Edition, NASW Press/Oxford University Press.

Davis, L.E. and Bangs, R. (2007) The Center on Race and Social Problems at the University of Pittsburgh, Journal on Research on Social Work Practice,  17,(5), pp.  632-634.

Williams, J.H. Davis, L.E. Johnson, S. Williams, T. Saunders, J. & Nebbit, V.  (2007) Substance Use and Academic Performance Among African American High School Students, Social Work Research,  31(3), 151-161.

Scott, L.D., Jr.,  Davis, L.E. (2006) Young, black, and male in foster care:  Relationship of social contextual experiences to factors relevant to mental health service delivery, Journal of Adolescence, 29(5), 721-736.
  
Jonson-Reid, M., Davis, L., Saunders, J., Williams, T., & Williams, J.H.  (2005) Academic Self-Efficacy Among African  American Youth: Implications for School Social Work Practice, Children & School,  27(1), 5-14.

Saunders, J. Davis, L., Williams, T., Williams, J.H. (2004) Gender Differences in Self

Perceptions on Academic  Outcomes: A Study of African- American High School Students, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 33(1), pp.81-90.

Johnson, S. D., Davis, L. E., & Williams, J. H.  (2004).  Enhancing social work practice with ethnic minority youth. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 21(6), 611-627.

Davis, L., Saunders, J,  Johnson, S. Miller-Cribbs, J. and Williams, T., Wexler, S.  (2003)
Predicting Positive Academic Intentions Among African American Males and Females. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33, 2306-2326.

Selected Funded Grants

He has received research funding from sources such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health, and the National Institute of Mental Health.