Erin Comartin

Erin Comartin is a Professor at Wayne State University School of Social Work, where she has served on faculty since 2016 after transitioning from Oakland University. Her scholarship critically examines social welfare policies and interventions for vulnerable populations within the criminal legal system, with particular emphasis on behavioral health needs and systemic reform initiatives.

Her educational foundation includes:

• Ph.D. in Social Work from Wayne State University
• MSW from Wayne State University
• Post-Graduate Diploma of Arts in Community & Family Studies from University of Otago, New Zealand
• BA in Sociology from Oakland University

Comartin's research program integrates clinical expertise from her prior work with homeless youth and domestic violence survivors to address critical gaps in justice-involved behavioral health services. She specializes in sex offender management policies, jail diversion interventions, and Behavioral Threat Assessment teams designed to prevent mass violence. Her methodological expertise spans qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods program evaluation with strong community engagement components.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2023-2025) reveals intensified focus on suicide prevention in correctional settings, overdose response systems, and law enforcement behavioral health training efficacy. Her work increasingly employs journey mapping and multi-site trial designs to evaluate systemic interventions across rural-urban divides, reflecting evolving priorities in criminal legal health services research.

As principal investigator for Center for Behavioral Health and Justice initiatives, Comartin leads community-engaged projects including veteran reentry evaluations and Sequential Intercept Model implementation assessments. Her teaching portfolio encompasses advanced policy analysis, macro practice theory, and program evaluation within Wayne State's social work curriculum.