Christina N. Marsack-Topolewski, Ph.D., LMSW

Faculty Expert, The Impact of Caregiving on Caregivers for People with Disabilities

College of Health and Human Services
School of Social Work 
[email protected]

Dr. Christina Marsack-Topolewski is an associate professor of Social Work in the College of Health and Human Services at Eastern Michigan University. She received a bachelor’s of science in Special Education, specializing in Cognitive Impairments, from Wayne State University. She trained under a specialized fellowship at the University of Michigan, receiving her master’s in Social Work and specializing in both school social work and aging from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Marsack-Topolewski received her PhD in Social Work with a dual title in Gerontology from Wayne State University. She has worked with individuals with various intellectual and developmental disabilities for over 20 years. Her research focuses on individuals with IDDs, their caregivers, future planning, advance care planning, service delivery, and service utilization. She has over 50 publications in national and international journals, mainly focusing on individuals with IDDs, caregiving, and aging. In addition, she has presented her work locally, nationally, and internationally.

Dr. Marsack-Topolewski has been the lead on multiple grant-funded programs tailoring services to individuals with developmental disabilities, older adults, and chronic illnesses.  In 2019, she was appointed to the National Task Group on Intellectual Disability and Dementia Practices. She serves as both a board member and co-chair of Membership Affairs.

Over the past 3 years, she has provided testimony at the state-level (Michigan) to advocate for two house bills that would provide protections against exploitation for vulnerable adults, such as individuals with developmental disabilities.