Rate My Professor Faith Hopp

Faith Pratt Hopp, PhD, MSW, is an Associate Professor in the Wayne State University School of Social Work. She holds a PhD in Social Work and Sociology (1997), an MA in Sociology with a focus on Health and Aging (1996), and an MSW with a focus on Policy (1990), all from the University of Michigan, as well as a BA in Psychology from Oberlin College (1987). Prior to her faculty appointment at Wayne State, Hopp served as a Research Investigator at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System's Center for Clinical Outcomes Research from 1999 to 2006 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship there from 1997 to 1999. She joined Wayne State as Assistant Professor in 2006, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2012, and held leadership roles including Director of the PhD Program (2014-2019), Acting Director of the Center for Social Work Research (2013), and Coordinator of the Gerontology Certificate Program (2008-2015).

Hopp's scholarship centers on enhancing quality of life for older adults and family caregivers managing chronic and life-limiting illnesses, including dementia, with emphasis on urban aging communities, health equity, palliative care, and service access influenced by social determinants. Current projects include co-leading the Applied Gerontology Research and Education to Eliminate Disparities (AGREED) Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program, funded by a $5 million HRSA grant, and serving as lead evaluator for the Ageless Innovations Social Enterprise Project. She is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America (2019-present) and Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholar (2007-2009), and has received Wayne State University Graduate Research Assistant Competition Awards (2007, 2016). Key publications feature her as lead editor of Clients Facing Serious Illness: Social Work Practice with Adults (NASW Press, 2026); highly cited articles such as "Racial variations in end-of-life care" (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2000), "Preferences for surrogate decision makers, informal communication, and advance directives among community-dwelling elders" (The Gerontologist, 2000), and "Results of a hospital-based palliative care intervention for patients with an acute exacerbation of chronic heart failure" (Journal of Cardiac Failure, 2016); and contributions to books and journals on heart failure self-care, informal support for autism caregivers, and telehealth. Hopp contributes editorially as a board member for The Gerontologist and through extensive university committees, including chairing the Graduate School Executive Council and serving on tenure/promotion panels, fostering interdisciplinary impact in gerontology and social work.