Mary Keegan Eamon
Associate Professor
Office location: 2062
Phone number: 217-244-5238
Email: eamon@illinois.edu
Educational Background
Professor Mary Keegan Eamon received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan in 1975, her MSW from the University of Iowa in 1977, her MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1993, and her PhD in Social Welfare from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1998. She joined the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois as Assistant Professor in 1998, after 12 years as a social work practitioner in a variety of agency settings.
Research and Practice Interests
Professor Eamon’s research has examined the influence of poverty on the well-being of families, children, and youths. Her research has documented the disparities in societal resources between poor and non-poor individuals and families. The majority of her research has made contributions to social policy and social work practice by identifying the mechanisms that explain why poor children and youths frequently exhibit lower levels of well-being compared to their non-poor peers. Her research also has informed social work intervention and education. She has examined the ways in which poverty can impact social work intervention and found that MSW students are not particularly sensitive to the economic circumstances of clients during assessment and intervention.
Current Research
Professor Eamon is currently involved in several research projects with another colleague that examine the use of information technology to assist social workers in increasing clients’ receipt of public benefits and the effectiveness of public benefits in alleviating material hardship and unmet needs among families with children. She also is a part of a research team writing a NIH grant proposal to investigate the impact of unemployment and under employment on families and children, the strategies these families use to cope with these events, and the ways in which the strategies influence family functioning.
Recent Publications
Journal Articles
Hong, J. S., and Eamon, M. K. (In press). An ecological approach to understanding peer victimization in South Korea. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment
Jeong, S., & Eamon, M. K. (in press). A model of family background, family process, youth self-control and delinquency behavior in two-parent families. Journal of Family Social Work
Eamon, M. K., Wu, C., & Zhang, S. (in press). Effectiveness and limitations of the Earned Income Tax Credit for reducing child poverty in the United States. Children and Youth Services Review
Presentations
M. K. Eamon (2008) “Empowering vulnerable populations: Cognitive-behavioral interventions.” 54th Annual Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education.
C. Wu & M. K. Eamon (2008) “Public and private sources of assistance for low-income households.” 12th Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research.