Biography

Dr. Karin Eyrich-Garg is an associate professor in the School of Social Work, College of Public Health.

Practice Experience: Dr. Eyrich-Garg's practice experience includes working with people experiencing homelessness (on the streets and in shelters), adolescents in the foster care system (in emergency placement, group homes and long-term residential care), and families who have children with behavioral disorders. She has worked as a front-line social worker and supervisor.  She has run psychoeducation groups. And, as an LCSW, she has conducted individual therapy as well as home-based family therapy. 

Research Experience: Dr. Eyrich-Garg's research experience focuses on vulnerable populations, particularly people who are experiencing homelessness. She uses a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate issues of technology use; service need, engagement and use; substance use and mental health problems and resilience. Her recent presentations at national conferences focus on the population's volunteerism and the role of faith in the experience of homelessness. Her most recent data collection project focuses on Philadelphia's shift to require all publicly funded family shelters to admit fathers as residents with their families. She has led or supported projects funded by the Fatherhood Research and Practice Network, Administration for Children and Families, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Drug Abuse, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, City of Philadelphia and local agencies.

Teaching Experience: Dr. Eyrich-Garg teaches in the BSW and MSW programs. She most often teaches research methods, program evaluation and evaluation of clinical practice. She has taught epidemiology (in the MPH program), foundation practice, a course on homelessness/housing instability, and introductory statistics.

Education

• NIDA Post-doctoral Fellowship, Clinical Substance Abuse Treatment Research, University of Pennsylvania
• PhD, Washington University in St. Louis
• NIDA Pre-doctoral Fellowship, Drug Abuse Comorbidity and Biostatistics, Washington University in St. Louis
• MPE, Washington University in St. Louis
• MSW, Washington University in St. Louis
• BS, Sociology and English, James Madison University