Our Team

Lauren Bishop is an associate professor at the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work, principal investigator at the Waisman Center, and faculty affiliate with the Institute for Research on Poverty, Center for the Demography of Health and Aging, and the Center for Aging Research and Evaluation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her National Institutes of Health-funded research focuses on helping adults with autism spectrum disorder live long, healthy, and self-determined lives in their communities. She is currently conducting some of the first US studies of health problems in older adulthood for autistic individuals. Her social work practice experience includes roles as a school counselor and a social skills group leader for children, adolescents, and adults on the autism spectrum. Dr. Bishop is also broadly interested in identifying strategies to strengthen the social work workforce that assists individuals with developmental disabilities in the community.

You can also visit Dr. Bishop’s School of Social Work bio page for an updated copy of her CV or see her musings on research and life in academia on Twitter @Dr.LaurenBishop

Sarah Effertz is a project manager and researcher with over ten years of combined experience in business management, academic programming, and social policy research.  She received her both her bachelor’s degree in sociology and her master’s degree in social work administration and community development from San Diego State University.  Before joining the Bishop Lab, she worked at the San Diego State University Social Policy Institute as a grant writer and policy analyst, and at Alliant International University managing the California School of Professional Psychology doctoral program.  She has led international multidisciplinary research projects aimed at advancing women’s financial equity and reproductive health, and she worked with individuals with disabilities while at the California Department of Rehabilitation.  Her research interests include developing and evaluating programs and policies that support women and autistic adults as they age.  She enjoys outdoor recreation, eating spicy food, and spending time with her dog, Bran.

Nahime Aguirre Mtanous is a second-year doctoral student in the Social Welfare PhD program at the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work. She received both her bachelor’s degree in comparative human development and master’s degree in social welfare from the University of Chicago.

Prior to coming to UW-Madison, Nahime worked within the Medicaid Waiver 1915(c) Program for the Illinois Division of Developmental Disabilities as a direct support professional, case manager, program director, and eventually a pre-admission screening Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional (QIDP). While completing her master’s degree, she completed the Illinois Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) fellowship at the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Department of Disability and Human Development. Nahime’s social work practice experience continues her commitment to working with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities by providing mental health therapy for neurodivergent adults in the Chicagoland area.

She is currently an Advanced Opportunity Fellow for the Letters & Science Community of Graduate Research Scholars at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her program of research aims to understand and support better mental health outcomes for autistic people as they age.