Catherine Solheim

Catherine Solheim is a faculty member in the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota. She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on family finances, family theory, and global and diverse families. She has led multiple learning abroad courses to Thailand, focusing onhow globalization impacts family, communities, culture, and the natural environment. Solheim studies ways that culture, socio-economic status, and relationships impact the diverse ways families make decisions about their resources. She has conducted research on decision-making in Thai families, transnational Mexican-Minnesota family resource and relationship decisions, and the values and financial practices of two-generation Hmongimmigrant families in Minnesota. Her current research examines mental health and economic transitions of newly arrived refugee families from Burma (Myanmar) using a collaborative community-based research approach. This research has a keen aim to contribute to systems and policy changes that improve refugee family transitions and well-being.