Rachel Ludeke
Assistant Professor
School of Social Work
Wayne State University
Rachel Ludeke (she/they), PhD, LMSW, MPH, is an Assistant Professor in the Wayne State University School of Social Work whose research focuses on social support, education, and employment outcomes for youth transitioning from foster care, with particular attention to racial and ethnic disparities. Dr. Ludeke examines how social support networks, mental health access, and systemic inequities shape opportunities during the transition to adulthood, and they study network-based approaches to improving services and long-term well-being for transition-age youth. Their work is informed by their own experience as a young adult residing in a transitional living program, over a decade of social work practice in child welfare and higher education, and a completed Health Resources and Services Administration postdoctoral fellowship.
Ludeke will be visiting Poverty Solutions at University of Michigan.