Catherine A Macomber
Professor of Social Work
Department of Social Work
Health & Human Services
Academic and Student Affairs
SVSU Main Campus
Bachand Hall 260
989-964-7136
camacomb@svsu.edu
Cathy Macomber's Academia PageBiography
Catherine A. Macomber is a Licensed Social Worker (Clinical and Macro) with a PhD and Master’s degree in Social Work and a Certificate in Public Health from Michigan State University. She has expertise in interprofessional ethics, curriculum design, research, and policy, and has used this with Federal and State grant-funded programs. Cathy has worked with older persons with substance use disorder at a federally funded clinic in Bay City, MI. She is the Program Director for multiple federal and state grants. She currently serves as Assistant Dean of the College of Health & Human Services, BSW Program Director, and Professor in the Social Work & Youth Services Department of Saginaw Valley State University.
Education
Michigan State University
Master Social Work
Michigan State University
Teaching Interests
Cathy's teaching interests include policy and research in social work and social welfare. She is responsible for these areas of the undergraduate curriculum in the Department of Social Work and Youth Services as well as the aging and health care courses offered by the department.
Research
Cathy's research interests include aging issues in the Great Lakes Bay Region, quality of care and quality of life for older adults (including treatment of substance use disorders), environmental justice, interprofessional education and ethics, and curriculum design and implimentation. Cathy has been involved with the creation of an Interprofessional curriculum through the College of Health and Human Services since 2012.
Works of Creativity
Cathy paints in her spare times and is a voracious reader.
Community Engagement
Cathy works with organizations in the Great Lakes Bay Region on issues related to the quality of care and quality of life of older adults. Recently, Cathy has been working with the Saginaw Health Department on a variety of equity issues in Saginaw County. She is the Program Director for a number of federal and state grants focused on addressing the Behavioral Health shortage in the Great Lakes Bay Region. Cathy served as supervisor and clinical therapist for Medically Assisted Treatment of Substance Use Disorder through the GRACE Project in Bay City, MI. She coordinates the Food of Faith program through Our Lady of Peace parish in Bay City.
Leadership
Cathy has served in leadership roles in most of the career and volunteer activities she has been involved with. She was chosen as a member of the 2017 class of the Program Directors Academy through the Council on Social Work Education. In 2022 she was accepted to the SVSU Leadership Program. She has participated in the Great Lakes Bay Region Institute for Leaders, is enrolled in the Bay County Institute for Leaders, and is completing a Certificate as a Health and Wellness Coach. All of which are allowing her to expand her engagement with individuals, communities, and organizations in the Great Lakes Bay community
Honors and Awards
Cathy was nominated for the House Family award in 2021. She was honored as the recipient of the Faculty Association Service award in 2022. She has been accepted into the 2024/2025 Great Lakes Bay Institute for Leaders and the 2025/2026 Bay County Institute for Leaders.
Affiliations
Cathy is a member of the following organizations:
- National Association of Social Workers
- American Society on Aging
- Baccalaureate Program Directors
- Council on Social Work Education