EMU Today

Dr. Marsack-Topolewski is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Eastern Michigan University. She has 20 years of experience working with people with developmental disabilities and their family caregivers. She has worked as a professor, clinical therapist, special education teacher, consultant, and speaker. She is a licensed clinical social worker, certified special education teacher, and teacher consultant in the state of Michigan. Dr. Marsack-Topolewski has published over 80 research articles in peer-reviewed journal articles and encyclopedia entries predominantly focusing on family caregivers of autistic adults. Specifically, her research has examined family caregiving, caregiver quality of life, social support, future planning, service delivery, and service utilization. Dr. Marsack-Topolewski has served as the lead principal investigator on multiple grant-funded programs tailoring services for family caregivers of disabled people. She is an appointed board member of the U.S. National Task Group (NTG) on Intellectual Disability and Dementia Practices. In 2024, she received the Ronald W. Collins Distinguished Research Award for Research Excellence, as well as the Arc of Oakland County’s Advocacy Hall of Fame Award in 2024. Dr. Marsack-Topolewski holds a Ph.D. in Social Work with a dual title in Gerontology from Wayne State University. She is passionate about furthering the development of services, supports, and policies for disabled individuals and their family caregivers as they age across the lifespan.