David J. Pate Jr.Associate Professor of Consumer Science, Human Development & Family Studies | Dean’s Fathers and Fathering Faculty Fellowhe/him/his

My research projects involve the use of qualitative research methods to examine the relationship of non-custodial fathers and their interaction with their children, the child support enforcement system, corrections, and the impact of social welfare policy on the well-being of African American adult males and their families. Prior to entering the world of academia, I was a practicing social worker for 16 years in the areas of direct practice, administration, and policy advocacy. This professional experience has allowed me to develop an integrative approach to the analysis of my scholarly activities.

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Selected Publications

Thomas, A., Wirth, J., Poehlmann-Tynan, J., & Pate, D. (2022). “When She Says Daddy”: Black Fathers’ Recidivism following Reentry from Jail. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(6), 3518. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063518

Mueller, D., Bacalso, E., Ortega-Williams, A., Pate Jr., D. J., & Topitzes, J. (2021). A mutual process of healing self and healing the community: A qualitative study of coping with and healing from stress, adversity, and trauma among diverse residents of a midwestern city. Journal of Community Psychology, 49(5), 1169-1194. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22530

Brito, T. L., Gordon, D., & Pate Jr., D. J. (2019). Focused Ethnography: A Methodological Approach for Engaged Legal Scholarship. In P. Enrich and R. Dyal-Chand (Eds.), Legal Scholarship for the Urban Core: From the Ground Up (141-174). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108615181

Pate, D. (2016). The Color of Debt: Social Networks, Sanctions, and Child Support Enforcement Policy. Race and Social Problems, 8(1), 116-135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-016-9167-8

For a full list of publications, see Pate’s CV.