My Research Bio

Michael is currently a PhD student in Social Work and a scholar-practitioner whose research focuses on the experiences of immigrants and refugees, with particular attention to how child welfare systems and immigration policies structure health outcomes. He also examines how Eurocentric developmental science and trauma frameworks are taken up in clinical practice and social policy, and how they can both support and constrain culturally responsive, anti-oppressive care. His work explores how systemic inequalities shape family life and experiences of care, with the hope of generating community-driven knowledge that resists punitive systemic responses and promotes epistemic justice.

Research Citations

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

1. Alessi, E. J., Alexander, L., Zuch, M. T., Hillel, R. S., Parekh, M., Aziz, A., & Zadeh, L. (2025). How does necropower shape the everyday experience of LGBTQ+ people seeking asylum in England and Wales? Perspectives from providers and directly affected people. Sociology Compass, 19(7), e70086. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/soc4.70086

2. Held, M., Zuch, M. T., & Galvez, E. (2025). Policy-related stress and mental health among immigrants in the United States. Journal of International Migration and Integration. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-025-01233-5.

3. Diaz-Strong, D. X., Velazquillo, A., Roth, B., & Zuch, M. (2021). Social work research on immigrants and refugees: An analysis of content in leading journals from 2007-2016. Social Work, 66(2), 111-118.

4. Roth, B. J., Crea, T. M., Jani, J., Underwood, D., Hasson III, R. G., Evans, K., Zuch, M. T., & Hornung, E. (2018). Detached and afraid: U.S. immigration policy and the practice of forcibly separating parents and young children at the border. Child Welfare, 96(5), 29-49.

5. Zuch, M. T. (2015). The effectiveness of arts in trauma intervention: A literature review. Vanderbilt Undergraduate Research Journal, 10(1), 1-15.

Non-Peer Reviewed Publications

1. Zuch, M. T. (2021). The transformative potential of trauma recovery. Symposeum Magazine, (2). Available online at https://symposeum.us/the-transformative-potential-of-trauma-recovery/.

2. Zuch, M. T. (2018). The reintegration needs of male survivors of trafficking: Discussion & social work interventions. [Internal Report for Winrock International].

3. Yeo-Peterman, R. E. & Zuch, M. T. (2018). Resilience: Healing arts for resettled refugees [curriculum]. 1st Edition. Seattle, WA: First Aid Arts.