Home
FUTURE STUDENTS ask.UWindsor SUPPORT UWINDSOR

Dr. Michael Bennett

This is a photo of Dr. Michael Bennett
 
Michael Bennett
Associate Professor
School of Social Work
Office: 238, 167 Ferry Street
Windsor ON N9A 0C5
Phone: (519) 253-3000 ext. 6759

Scholarly Interests/Areas of Expertise:

  • Hospice and palliative care
  • Dream fulfillment (bucket lists)
  • Human sexuality and intimacy at the end-of-life
  • The use of artificial intelligence in end of life care
  • Live music performance
  • Tension in social work provision
  • Qualitative studies
  • Interpretive Description

Educational Background:

  • Ph.D., School of Social Work, University of Windsor
  • M.S.W., School of Social Work, University of Windsor

Biography:

Dr. Michael Bennett is an Assistant Professor at the University of Windsor. He spent four years employed as an Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) in the School of Social Work. His expertise in the field of hospice palliative care has been recognized throughout Canada, and he has been an invited speaker at over 30 international conferences.

Dr. Bennett’s service experience traverses a broad spectrum of practice, including project management, program evaluation, counselling, case management, community outreach, supervision, and policy and service development. In 2019, he co-founded and currently co-directs Oneday Dreams; a Canada-wide charity that fulfills dreams for adults who are over the age of 18 and in their last year of life.

Dr. Bennett’s research broadly investigates inequities and marginalization in the field of palliative care using interpretative methods. His work explores the impact of power dynamics and cultural issues on the provision of care, particularly for marginalized groups. His research also examines the challenges faced by social workers in palliative care, including the devaluation of their profession and conflicts with the medical model. Currently, he is researching the impact of end-of-life dream fulfillment on quality of life and bereavement outcomes.

Awards and Recognition:

  • 2021: Ontario Association of Social Workers, Community Contributor Award
  • 2019: Ontario Association of Social Workers, Inspirational Leader Award
  • 2018: St. Joseph’s Hospice Bluewater International Granfondo Palliative Care Education Scholarship
  • 2018: United Way/Leadership Windsor-Essex, Top 40 Under 40 Award
  • 2016: Cancer Care Ontario, Human Touch Award

Editorial Work:

  • Critical Social Work (Managing Editor)

 

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles:

Miles, A., Fields, N. L., Bennett, M., Xu, L., Magruder, K., Stringfellow, M. K., Sesay, B., & Handique, S. (2024). Robotic animal use among older adults enrolled in palliative or hospice care: A scoping review and framework for future research. Robotics, 13 (92). 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics13060092.

Bennett, M.R., Charron, C., & Valcke, P. (2023). Stretching a penny: Completing a rapid needs assessment for a non-profit community-based hospice wellness centre. Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life and Palliative Care, 19 (3), 229–251. https://doi.org/10.1080/15524256.2023.2229037.

Otto, R., Fields, N., Bennett, M.R., & Anderson, K. (2023). Positive ageing and death or dying: A scoping review. The Gerontologist. 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnad006.

Bennett, M.R. (2019). PLISSIT interventions and sexual functioning: Useful tools for social work in palliative care? Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life and Palliative Care, 15 (4), 157–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/15524256.2019.1665156.

Bennett, M.R. (2018). A letter to my younger self: Lessons for the new hospice social work. Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life and Palliative Care, 14 (2–3), 128–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/15524256.2018.1461169.

Donnelly, E. A., & Bennett. M. (2014). Development of a critical incident stress inventory for the Emergency Medical Services. Traumatology: An International Journal, 20 (1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534765613496646.

 

Peer-Reviewed Conference Presentations:

Bennett, M., Damianakis, T., Shi, X., & Perry, J. (2024, May). Jammin’ for Wellness: Breaking down social barriers and exploring wellness through music performance in a hospice setting. Invited paper at the 20th International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry – Qualitative Inquiry in Present Tense: Writing a New History, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, United States of America.

Bennett, M., Damianakis, T., Perry, J., Charron, C., Feng, K., Fraser, E., & Shi, X. (2023, January). Jammin’ for Wellness: An innovative and original practice using live music performance in a hospice setting. Poster presentation at the Society for Social Work and Research’s 27th Annual Conference – Social Work Science and Complex Problems: Battling Inequities and Building Solutions, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.

Otto, R., Fields, N., Bennett, M., & Anderson, K. (2022, November). Positive ageing and death or dying: A scoping review. Poster presentation at the Gerontological Society of America’s 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting – Embracing Our Diversity, Enrichinng Our Discovery. Reimagining Aging, Leading Critical Conversations, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America.

Bennett, M. (2021, November). Talking about sex: Preparing palliative care social workers to discuss human sexuality. Invited paper at the Council on Social Work Education’s 67th Annual Program Meeting – Leading Critical Conversations, Orlando, Florida, United States of America.

Bennett, M., Perry, J., Charron, C., Talbot, D., Feng, K., Fraser, E., & Damianakis, T. (2021, June). Jamming for wellness: Breaking down social barriers through music performance in a hospice setting. Invited paper at the Canadian Association for Social Work Education-Association Canadienne Pour La Formation En Travail Social’s Annual Conference – Decolonial Dreaming in Social Work Education, Theory, Research and Practice: Reimaging for Today and the Seven Generations to Come, Virtual Conference.

Bennett, M. (2018, November). Jamming for wellness: Qualitative exploration of music performance in a hospice setting. Invited paper at the Council on Social Work Education’s 64th Annual Program Meeting, Orlando, Florida, United States of America.

Bennett, M. (2018, November). The name in front of the letters: Working with ourselves in palliative care. Invited presentation at the Ontario Association of Social Workers’ 2018 Provincial Conference – Mental Health Across the Lifespan: Social Workers on the Front Line of Real Issues, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Bennett, M. (2018, October). Life, living, and legacy: Thinking differently about how we approach end-of-life care. Invited paper presentation at the 22nd International Congress on Palliative Care, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Bennett, M. (2016, November). Living moments and legacy: Thinking differently about clinical social work at end-of-life. Invited presentation at the Ontario Association of Social Workers’ 2016 Provincial Conference – Social Work for the 22nd Century: Accelerators and Innovators, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

 

External Funding:

Damianakis, T., Bennett, M., & Perry, J. (2019). Jammin’ for Wellness: A qualitative exploration of music performance in a hospice setting. SSHRC. Partnership Engagement Grant.