Dr. Christina N. Marsack-Topolewski

Dr. Christina Marsack-Topolewski is an associate professor of Social Work at Eastern Michigan University. She received a bachelor’s of science in Special Education from Wayne State University. She trained under a specialized fellowship at the University of Michigan, receiving her master’s in Social Work and specializing in both school social work and aging from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Marsack-Topolewski earned her Ph.D. in Social Work with a dual title in Gerontology from Wayne State University. Professionally, she has worked with individuals with disabilities and their family caregivers for about 20 years. She has also provided counseling services to children, adolescents, and adults in clinical practice settings.

Dr. Marsack-Topolewski’s research focuses on individuals with IDDs, their caregivers, advance care planning, service delivery, and service utilization. She has 70 peer-reviewed publications in national and international journals and encyclopedias, mainly focusing on individuals with disabilities, caregiving, and aging.

Her work is locally, nationally, and internationally. Dr. Marsack-Topolewski has been the lead on multiple grant-funded programs tailoring services to individuals with disabilities, older adults, and chronic illnesses. In 2019, she was appointed to the National Task Group on Intellectual Disability and Dementia Practices. She serves as both a board member and co-chair of Membership Affairs. Over the past 4 years, she has provided testimony at the state level (Michigan) to advocate for two house bills that would provide protections against exploitation for vulnerable adults, such as individuals with IDDs.