Sonia Minnes, PhD

Sonia Minnes is the Verna Houck Motto Professor at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences (MSASS) and Research Director at the Schubert Center for Child Studies, Case Western Reserve University. She holds bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in psychology and a doctorate in social welfare from the Mandel School. Her research interests are in the study of child development, the multiple factors that affect cognitive and mental health outcomes, and the development of problematic substance use. Dr. Minnes studies risk and protective factors, both biological and environmental, that interact to affect developmental outcomes. Biologic risk factors of interest include prenatal drug exposure (opioid, cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco) and elevated blood lead levels. Environmental factors of interest include exposure to ongoing stress, maternal psychopathology and substance use, out-of-home placement, and other conditions related to compromised opportunity and socioeconomic status.

Dr. Minnes served as the Principal Investigator of a longitudinal birth cohort study of prenatal cocaine exposure funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse during the adolescent and emerging adult phase of the study. This study has now completed its fifth phase of data collection after 21 years. She and her colleagues followed a group of over 400 caregiver infant pairs since the children were born (1994-1996). Dr. Minnes is currently analyzing data with her colleagues from across childhood through emerging adulthood and will evaluate participant substance use and antisocial behaviors, the development of mental health problems, and adaptive functioning. 

Most recently, Dr. Minnes became the Research Director of the Schubert Center for Child Studies (September 2020), where she has collaborated with partners from CWRU’s Department of Environmental Health and has worked to evaluate supportive after-school programming for middle and high school children in Cleveland and community programs that support families with young children (Louise Stokes Scholar House, Family Space, and Cuyahoga Safe Babies Court). Dr. Minnes has also joined the collaborative efforts of First Year Cleveland and the Mandel School to reduce disparities in infant mortality by serving as an advisor. 

The Verna Houck Motto Professorship supports a faculty member involved in family and community research with a focus on early childhood development.

Biosketch
Curriculum Vitae
Google Scholar

Why I Teach

I have deep joy and respect for the process of learning. Being in the classroom and
establishing learning relationships allows me to participate in one of my favorite
activities. I find that the quality of exchange between students and teachers is at the
heart of deep learning. For those of us who consider learning a lifelong activity, having
the privilege to teach in a classroom of social work students is an honor.

Why I Chose this Profession

I have been deeply interested in science/biology since early high school years. It was
not until college that I understood I would need to apply these interests to humans in a
meaningful way to have a satisfying career. The study of human behavior and infant
development, perception, neuroanatomy set the stage for another shift, the application
of this knowledge to improve the lives of others, especially those who are marginalized
in some way. The field of social work embodies the complexities of the human
experience beyond science and allows me to explore and apply knowledge in
meaningful ways.