ACT ENCE - University of Denver Graduate School of ...
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
– University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work – SCI ENCE FOR ACT ION IMPACT REPORT
At the University of Denver Graduate School of human potential and embodiment of equity
Social Work (GSSW), 2017–18 was our first year across all communities. In the classroom and in
of collective impact guided by a new strategic the community, our faculty have embraced the
plan and mobilized by our vision to achieve charge to advance equity through courageous
thriving, sustainable communities, actualized ideas and bold action—science for action.
CONTENTS
”
“Now is not the time for social workers
to sit on the sidelines. We are called
to summon our courage, marshal our
intellect, and lead the charge for social
2
Research by
the Numbers
3
Science
for Action
4
The Dean’s
Perspective
change. We have the knowledge,
the skills, and the commitment to create
a more just and equitable world for all.
Now is the time to transform
5 RESHAPING THE SOCIAL & COMMUNITY CONTEXT
science into action.”
”
Amanda Moore McBride, PhD, MSW
Morris Endowed Dean and Professor
14 IMPROVING ECONOMIC STABILITY
18 PROMOTING PHYSICAL & MENTAL HEALTH
30 ENSURING HEALTHY YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
RESEARCH BY THE SCIENCE
NUMBERS 2017–2018 FOR ACTION “Science for Action brought everybody into the room
together for a day, and this is the kind of thing we wanted
to see happen—for people to connect around grand challenges
topics and further the work,” says Jeff Jenson, Philip D. and
In fall 2017, GSSW brought together policymakers, Eleanor G. Winn Endowed Professor for Children and Youth
$9,900,000
community members, researchers and national leaders in and chair of the national Coalition for the Promotion of
prevention science, practice and policy to make headway Behavioral Health, an interdisciplinary group of researchers,
on addressing the Grand Challenge to Ensure Healthy policymakers and practitioners working to advance grand
Development for All Youth through the power of prevention. challenges prevention action steps. GSSW is one of the
The occasion was GSSW’s inaugural session of the Science coalition’s five university partners.
for Action Series, which continued with sessions on smart More than 1,650 people have directly participated in
decarceration and ending homelessness. Science for Action either in person or live online, and the series
The series is intended to address the American Academy continues in 2018–19.
ANNUAL RESEARCH EXPENDITURES of Social Work and Social Welfare’s 12 Grand Challenges for Although many schools are addressing the grand challenges,
Social Work by sharing the relevant knowledge that has been Jenson says, what makes the Science for Action approach
developed and then aligning the evidence with policy responses distinct is that it pairs evidence and knowledge with policy
needed at the local, state and federal level. But the series also and advocacy.
is doing more, igniting a collaborative movement to effect “GSSW’s Science for Action has been a leader in the effort
systemic change. to bring the grand challenges into the practice world and to
As an outgrowth of that initial Science for Action event, bring the practice world into the grand challenges,” says Grand
GSSW, the University of Colorado Center for the Study and Challenges Executive Committee member Richard Barth, dean
Prevention of Violence and the Colorado State University (CSU) of the University of Maryland School of Social Work and past
Prevention Research Center have initiated a tri-institutional president of the American Academy of Social Work and Social
partnership that is working on prevention and healthy youth Welfare. “Science for Action has created a strategy for engaging
development initiatives in Colorado. The group is exploring Coloradans and others who seek to roll out science-informed
research and policy opportunities aimed at promoting tested practices. The continuation of the Science for Action events
and effective preventive interventions for children and families offers a nation-leading approach to realizing the possibilities of
in Colorado. the Grand Challenges for Social Work.”
15 INTERVENTION RESEARCH
STUDIES UNDERWAY 82 EXTERNAL GRANTS
& CONTRACTS 86 FACULTY BOOKS
& PUBLICATIONS
October 25, 2018 April 4, 2019
Economic Equality Advancing Long
and Financial Capability and Productive Lives
Featuring Michael Sherraden, Featuring Nancy Morrow-Howell,
Washington University in St. Louis | Washington University in St. Louis |
Margaret Sherraden, Washington Ernest Gonzales, Columbia University |
University in St. Louis | Trina Shanks, Leslie Hasche, University of Denver |
University of Michigan | Amanda Jennifer Greenfield, University of Denver
Moore McBride, University of Denver
February 27, 2019 REGISTER TO JOIN THE
Closing the Health Gap ACTION IN DENVER OR
128 ACTIVE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATE LIVE ONLINE:
Featuring Michael Spencer, University
of Washington | Michael Talamantes, socialwork.du.edu/science4action
RESEARCH PARTNERS University of Denver
2 – BY T H E N U M B E R S – – SCIENCE FOR ACTION – 3
RESHAPING
THE SOCIAL &
COMM UNITY
THE DEAN’S
PERSPECTIVE
By Amanda Moore McBride, Morris Endowed
Dean and Professor
as a discipline and
profession demands
that we move
the conversation
OUR WORK IS SCIENCE
WITH INTENT—SCIENCE
FOR ACTION. SCIENCE THAT
IS DELIVERING ON SOCIAL
WORK’S TRANSFORMATIVE
POTENTIAL TO DELIVER
CON TEXT
upstream to inform BETTER HEALTH AND WELL-
preventative efforts
At the Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW), we define
health in terms of thriving, sustainable communities, actualized and mediators of
BEING FOR ALL.
human potential, and equity across all communities. Whether health outcomes.
6
As illustration, housing is health. This powerful phrase
9
at the macro or micro level, in clinical or community practice,
health is a common thread tying together all of social work. captures that housing is critical for community building, family Reducing Juvenile Crime Making a Public Impact
The social determinants of health are interwoven in the stability, and an individual’s ability to focus beyond the basic
American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare’s 12 need for shelter. Yet, housing costs continue to outpace inflation,
Grand Challenges for Social Work, and our core mission as social and housing insecurity haunts renters and owners alike. Those
workers is to better understand health, to ensure people achieve
or regain health, and to right inequities and remove barriers to
health and well-being.
GSSW faculty members are living that mission through
who are housing insecure are more likely to report negative
health outcomes than those who are housing secure. As such,
development of affordable housing is a health priority.
Consistent with the action-oriented approach that GSSW
7 Tackling Systematic Racism
10 Evaluating a
Tiny-Home Village
their research and scholarship. Our work is science with
intent—science for action. Science that is actualizing social
work’s transformative potential to provide better health and
well-being for all.
faculty and staff apply to their research and scholarship, we offer
these four social determinants and calls to action as paramount
for positively influencing health outcomes:
++ Improving economic stability
8 Building Humane
Communities
This impact report demonstrates how GSSW is delivering ++ Reshaping the social and community context
on this mission, offering examples of faculty research and ++ Promoting physical and mental health
scholarship organized in a social determinants of health ++ Ensuring healthy youth development
framework that captures what is unique about a social work lens The Graduate School of Social Work aims to advance brave
when it is applied to issues of health and well-being. ideas and bold actions. The ultimate standard to which we hold
The social determinants of health emphasize the contexts ourselves is that our scholarship has public impact. I invite you
and conditions in which individuals and families live and to learn more about our impact here and on our new website
work—those contexts that influence their ability to live (socialwork.du.edu), to follow our faculty on social media, and to
healthy, productive lives. Insurance coverage and access to join us in shaping and advancing the national conversation about
care are often the focus of health discussions, but social work health and well-being.
4 – THE DEAN’S PERSPECTIVE – 5
TACKLING
SYSTEMATIC RACISM
Professor Debora Ortega is applying critical
race theory to expand social work’s view of
its grand challenges
REDUCING
In her teaching and research, Professor Debora Ortega uses
critical race theory to understand the way that social structures—
and even social work research, education and practice—sustain
JUVENILE CRIME
racism and inequity.
Ortega was part of a two-day think tank convened in 2017
by University of Washington Dean Edwina Uehara. Ortega
and other participating scholars recognized that social work’s
GSSW center is expanding Multi-Systemic grand challenges did not adequately address racism and bias
Therapy to underserved Colorado communities that are fundamental to social ills. “What
grew out of the conveying was agreement
When Colorado’s governor signed the state’s 2018 budget than 600 youth that the grandest challenge of all was not
during the project being addressed: racism, white supremacy,
“We teach students
into law, it included $800,000 for the GSSW Center for Effective
Interventions (CEI) to help expand Multi-Systemic Therapy period. CEI will train PROJECT IMPACT neoliberalism and colonization,” Ortega says. to dig beneath and
statewide and reduce juvenile crime and substance use. the provider teams Think tank discussions resulted deep — to challenge
Through expansion of Multi-Systemic
The three-year funding is part of a $2.37 million investment in the intervention
Therapy in Colorado, the GSSW Center
in three panel presentations, including their belief systems
in Multi-Systemic Therapy expansion—one of three pilot pro- and will continue to Ortega’s presentation entitled “Maintaining
jects included in the governor’s Youth Pay for Success 2018 support them with
for Effective Interventions expects to
Domination: Whitesplaining Social
and critically look
see lower recidivism rates, decreases
Initiative. In the Pay for Success model, upfront private or technical assistance in substance use and more youth living Problems and Solutions.” That presentation at social structures,
philanthropic capital funds prevention programs; the gov- and quality assur- at home instead of in juvenile detention focused on the grand challenge of smart policies, behaviors,
ernment pays later for successful outcomes when services ance. Service pro- or foster care. decarceration as an example of the beliefs and thought and poverty and treating race as just a
produce high downstream benefits to taxpayers and society. viders also will ++ $800,000 to support intervention mismatch between social work’s rec- demographic variable, social sciences
“We conservatively estimate that this program will save be embedded into in underserved communities ognition of the overrepresentation of people
processes.” research can perpetuate and even promote
Colorado taxpayers $7.66 million by keeping youth in their local and regional ++ Intervention tailored to unique of color in jails and prisons, the structural – Debora Ortega white supremacy.
homes and out of the juvenile justice system. That is $3.31 stakeholder groups community culture, challenges and issues that create this inequity, and social On campus and online in the MSW@
in taxpayer savings for every dollar spent,” says CEI Executive that will help to tailor needs work’s continued focus on individual Denver program, Ortega is the faculty lead
Director and Research Associate Professor Suzanne Kerns, the intervention to ++ 600 additional youth served factors as intervention targets. “In this way, social work ignores and course content developer for the course Power, Privilege and
who is working on a book about evidence-based interventions the unique culture, ++ $7.66 million estimated taxpayer structures such as racial profiling and bias in the court process Oppression, for which she created a 6-minute animated video
and implementation. challenges and savings that creates race-based discrimination,” says Ortega, director about identity and social structural inequality.
Multi-Systemic Therapy reduces out-of-home placements, needs of individual of the University of Denver Latino Center for Community The video is an easy entry into a particularly difficult topic,
keeps kids in school and out of trouble, improves family func- communities, says Engagement and Scholarship. Ortega says. “As a graduate school of social work, we help people
tion, decreases adolescent psychiatric symptoms and decreases Kerns, who is research conference co-chair for the Society This is just one example of how Ortega uses critical race learn how to think about things more deeply than what they read
adolescent drug and alcohol use. But that is only if implementa- for Implementation Research Collaboration and a member theory to better understand the ways that social systems or see in their everyday lives,” she says. “We teach students to
tion closely adheres to the Multi-Systemic Therapy model. of the Child & Family Evidence Based Practices Consortium and social work sustain inequity. Another, Ortega says, is dig beneath and deep—to challenge their belief systems and
That is where CEI comes in. The center helps agencies, leadership group. that academic careers are built on the number of articles critically look at social structures, policies, behaviors, beliefs
communities, tribes and government programs in Colorado, Among Colorado Multi-Systemic Therapy participants, published rather than the quality of articles and their impact and thought processes.”
New Mexico, Arizona and Texas to effectively implement Multi- CEI expects to see lower recidivism rates, decreases in substance on ameliorating social ills. Ortega attributes some of this to a
Systemic Therapy for chronic and violent juvenile offenders and use and more youth living at home instead of in juvenile deten- doctoral education that devalues the racial identities of students
their families. Only a handful of Colorado communities offer the tion or foster care. And, Kerns notes, they are aiming for 90 of color and reproduces research devoid of deep analysis about
WATCH THE VIDEO:
socialwork.du.edu/racetheory
intervention, and even in places like Denver where it is available, percent of participants to be in school or working by the end of discriminatory policies and practices. Ultimately, this creates
there is unmet need. their treatment. a social work research literature that is based on interventions
CEI has been soliciting applications from community mental “Multi-Systemic Therapy has been proven to work,” Kerns designed by white researchers and participants who are
health centers that wish to provide Multi-Systemic Therapy. says. “The tragedy of it is that it hasn’t been widely available predominantly white—“not the people we serve.” According
Once it is fully implemented, the pilot program will fund six in Colorado communities. We’re working to change that.” to Ortega, by negating or obfuscating the link between race
Multi-Systemic Therapy teams that together will serve more
6 – RESHAPING THE SOCIAL & COMMUNITY CONTEXT – – RESHAPING THE SOCIAL & COMMUNITY CONTEXT – 7
BUILDING HUMANE for two years, while the other two communities will initially
COMMUNITIES
be comparison sites. After the first two years, all sites will have
Pets for Life. Researchers will be looking for differences in
things like child vaccination rates between the Pets for Life
and comparison communities.
A GSSW team is studying whether an animal- Nationwide, tens of millions of people live in poverty with
welfare program also has community, human their pets, says HSUS. Pets for Life breaks down cultural and
and environmental health impacts socioeconomic barriers by bringing services—everything from
free dog training to pet supplies, wellness information and even
MAKING A
When the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) transportation—into communities that may be pet-services issues such as identifying its audience and key messages—issues
launched its Denver Pets for Life program in 2016, it started deserts in addition to being underserved in other ways. Pets that used to be the purview of public relations and marketing
with a vaccination clinic held at a local school. It was a snowy for Life representatives systematically go door-to-door in a professionals, not social work scholars.
PUBLIC IMPACT
Saturday morning, and even an hour before the clinic opened, community, making multiple contacts and building trust one “Public impact scholarship pushes faculty to not just engage
the line stretched around the block, household at a time. “They do this in a way that is incredibly with the community to ensure they’re answering questions
recalls Kevin Morris, a research associate culturally responsive,” Morris says. that are meaningful,” says Dean Amanda Moore McBride.
professor in the GSSW Institute for Human– “They have an approach where they are “They also must share their findings, explaining their research
Animal Connection. “Helping maintain providing a voucher for a free spay/neuter, From mass media to public policy, GSSW has in clear terms by considering the general public as the target
People from marginalized populations animals in people’s but they also talk about the general health become a hub for public impact scholarship of their work.”
and living in underserved communities homes means of the pet and emphasize strengthening That’s a tall order for many researchers, who are trained
often encounter barriers to accessing health the human–animal bond.” “Thanks for your blog, your book, and your work on such an in an entirely different way of communicating. To fill that gap,
care not only for themselves, but also their
maintaining a Often when Pets for Life enters important issue … You have continued to speak to me in a manner the University of Denver is training scholars to disseminate
pets, Morris notes. Pets for Life breaks down healthy social fabric.” a community, Morris says, the spay/ that reaches me and makes sense and helps me fight to stay research and scholarship to the public through its new Public
barriers to pet care. “These people don’t neuter rate for dogs and cats is below 10 alive.” This reader comment is one of nearly 5,000 on Speaking Impact Fellows program. Five GSSW faculty members—
– Kevin Morris percent; within a couple of years, that
have any less of a bond with their pets; if of Suicide, a website authored by Associate Professor Stacey Greenfield, Bender, Freedenthal, Sliva and Associate Professor
you provide the services, they’ll stand in the rate is above 80 percent. There has been a Freedenthal. Yolanda Anyon—are among the first cohort learning how to best
snow for two hours waiting.” misconception that people in low-income Since Freedenthal launched it in 2014, the suicide-pre- use media such as blogs, radio, television, op-eds and social
In a new 4-year research partnership with HSUS, Maddie’s communities or communities of color are opposed to spaying and vention website has had more than 2.2 million visitors, and more media to share their work.
Fund and the Watershed Animal Fund, Morris is studying neutering, but in study findings published last year in the Journal than 5,000 people follow the Speaking of Suicide Facebook group. A GSSW faculty work group is focused on public impact
the impacts of Pets for Life, which aims to build humane of Applied Animal Welfare Science, the GSSW research team Writing and managing all that content, moderating comments scholarship, leading trainings and facilitating dialogue within
communities by extending the reach of animal services, concluded that race and ethnicity are not primary determinants and even finding emergency help for people who appear to be at the school. In 2019, they’ll advance this conversation by
resources and information to underserved areas and addressing in use of veterinary services, but access to care is. imminent risk for suicide is, essentially, unpaid work done on convening leading scholars from across the United States to
the need for accessible, affordable pet care. The goal of the study, “Helping maintain animals in people’s homes means nights and weekends and in spare moments because Freedenthal think about and discuss public impact scholarship and ways to
he says, is to determine whether this type of intensive, focused maintaining a healthy social fabric,” Morris says. is passionate about helping and sharing her knowledge. help the social work field embrace it.
animal-welfare program translates to broader community-level GSSW has become a hub for such activity—public impact “We need to have a conversation as a field about making
human and environmental health impacts. scholarship. Assistant Professor Jennifer our value known to the public, and in
HSUS is implementing Pets for Life in four new Greenfield monitors and comments on turn making this kind of work valuable to
communities and has hired community-based research social policy via Twitter and shares her IN 2019, GSSW WILL CONVENE ourselves,” Freedenthal says. “The currency
assistants, who are collecting baseline data now. The GSSW knowledge in legislative hearings and in academia is peer-reviewed journal
research team—including Clinical Professor Philip Tedeschi; with the news media. Assistant Professor
LEADING SCHOLARS TO THINK articles, but public impact scholarship is
Jessica Decker Sparks, GSSW PhD ’18; Research Fellows Sloane Shannon Sliva’s community-engaged ABOUT AND DISCUSS PUBLIC important, too.”
Hawes and Erin Flynn; and two dozen or so other graduate research often culminates in the creation
students—is collecting data at three levels, including ZIP-code- of public-facing reports, videos and
IMPACT SCHOLARSHIP AND There is value in helping the public,
practitioners and policymakers to discover
level public health, crime, graduation, vaccination and other other materials that help guide policy and WAYS TO HELP THE SOCIAL relevant scholarship, Freedenthal notes,
similar data. At the second level, they are conducting qualitative practice.
interviews with residents in target communities, who will be Professor and Associate Dean for
WORK FIELD EMBRACE IT. but there also is value to the researcher
in receiving real-time, real-world
asked to share perspectives on topics related to community Doctoral Education Kimberly Bender has feedback that can influence teaching
cohesion, safety and social capital. introduced the concept of public impact scholarship in the GSSW and research. There’s also value in simply helping someone.
The third level uses a 115-question survey covering themes doctoral curriculum. Bender and Assistant Professor Anamika As another of Freedenthal’s blog readers wrote, “I think this ar-
related to animal, human, community and environmental health Barman-Adhikari also are members of REALYST, a national ticle saved my life.”
and the interconnections between those domains. Because Pets collaborative of academic and community partners that uses
for Life focuses on improving access to veterinary care and pet Pets for Life participant research to inform innovative policies, programs and services
services, it offers a unique opportunity to test this One Health aimed at ending homelessness and housing instability among LEARN MORE:
concept, Morris says. Two of the new sites will get Pets for Life young people. Bender says the collaborative is grappling with socialwork.du.edu/publicimpact
8 – RESHAPING THE SOCIAL & COMMUNITY CONTEXT – – RESHAPING THE SOCIAL & COMMUNITY CONTEXT – 9
EVALUATING A
IN
Books for Public Impact
GSSW faculty published 86 books and
TINY-HOME VILLAGE other publications in 2017–18. A selection
of new and forthcoming books are
BRIEF
featured here.
Transforming Trauma: Resilience
GSSW completes study of Denver’s first and Healing through Our Connections
tiny-home community for people experiencing
LEARN MORE ABOUT GSSW with Animals
homelessness FACULTY RESEARCH AND By Clinical Professor Philip Tedeschi
SCHOLARSHIP ACTIVITIES: and Molly Jenkins, GSSW MSW ‘08
socialwork.du.edu/research Purdue Press, 2019
When Beloved Community Village (BCV) opened in a
trendy Denver neighborhood in July 2017, no one knew how
long the tiny-home community would last, or whether it would
successfully support people experiencing homelessness.
The answer is in: The village is a success.
That’s the finding of the GSSW Burnes Center on Poverty
and Homelessness, which completed a nine-month evaluation
of the village.
“Across the methods and participants, the message capabilities, and health and well-being. Among the findings
is consistent: The village is welcome, villagers are succeeding were improvements in employment outcomes and health and
Interviewing for the Helping Professions: Essential Interviewing Skills for the Innovative Skills to Support Well-Being
and are an important part of the community,” says Associate well-being indicators. For instance, villagers reported increased A Comprehensive Relational Approach Helping Professions: A Social Justice and Resiliency in Youth
Professor Daniel Brisson, executive director of the Burnes satisfaction and decreased anxiety after moving into the village. (Second Edition) and Wellness Approach By Professor Nicole Nicotera and Associate
Center. Villagers also reported a significant decrease in how often their By Fred McKenzie and GSSW Professor By Professor Nicole Nicotera Professor Julie Anne Laser-Maira
Launched as a 180-day pilot project, BCV is Denver’s first belongings were stolen after moving into BCV. And, they reported Nicole Nicotera Oxford University Press, 2018 Oxford University Press, 2017
tiny-home community. It is a democratically self-governed making “moderate progress” in meeting their own personal goals Oxford University Press, 2018
“intentional community” of 11 tiny homes for up to 22 people in areas such as securing long-term housing and managing
experiencing homelessness. The village provides shelter, their finances.
of course, but it’s also intended to cultivate self-empowerment The team also examined broader community impacts, such
and a shared sense of community. as traffic, noise and safety, finding few challenges associated
The University of Denver Barton Institute for Philanthropy with the village. At the organizational level, they assessed
and Social Enterprise provided financial support for BCV development of a sense of community within the village and
and enlisted the Burnes Center to evaluate the project. Villagers determined that a sense of community had developed—social
reviewed and approved the research plan, which included capital that contributes to better health and well-being.
quantitative and qualitative analysis of surveys, interviews The evaluation also documented infrastructure challenges, Screening, Assessment, and Treatment Solution-Focused Brief Therapy in Schools:
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
and BCV administrative records over three time periods. The such as food storage and preparation limitations, and difficulties with Clients Managing Trauma of Substance Use Disorders A 360-Degree View of the Research and
researchers, including PhD student Jennifer Wilson, assessed inherent in the intentional community model, such as a lack By GSSW Professor Lena Lundgren Practice Principles
Edited by Adam Froerer, Jacqui von Cziffra-
results at individual, neighborhood and organizational levels. of full participation by all members. Bergs, GSSW Associate Professor Johnny and Ivy Krull By GSSW Associate Professor Johnny Kim,
At an individual level, the team looked at whether living in Despite the evidence that Denver’s BCV is working, Brisson Kim, and Elliott Connie Purdue Press, 2019 Michael Kelly, and Cynthia Franklin
BCV resulted in changes to employment and education, financial says, “This doesn’t mean that tiny homes anywhere will be Oxford University Press, 2018 Oxford University Press, 2017
a success. This approach is novel. We need to know a lot more.”
To that end, the Burnes Center, funders and community
partners are discussing ongoing evaluation of tiny homes as a
viable alternative for people experiencing homelessness. And,
Brisson says, the center continues to pursue questions around PHD CANDIDATE Dissertation:
homelessness and other issues that people experiencing poverty SPOTLIGHT: “Between a Rock and a Hard Place: A Grounded Theory
Exploration of Queer and Trans Young Adults Navigating
face. “We want to serve as a community resource so those living JONAH DECHANTS, PHD ’19 Family Rejection and Housing Instability”
in poverty or without a home can improve their health and
well-being.”
Specializations: Research Interests:
children and youth, culturally experiences of homeless
LEARN MORE:
READ THE SUMMARY responsive practice, gender, youth; lesbian, gay, bisexual,
portfolio.du.edu/jdechants
EVALUATION: housing and homelessness, transgender, and questioning
socialwork.du.edu/tinyhomes LGBTQIA, marginalized (LGBTQ) youth; and youth-
populations, poverty, social empowerment approaches
Beloved Community Village justice
10 – RESHAPING THE SOCIAL & COMMUNITY CONTEXT – – RESHAPING THE SOCIAL & COMMUNITY CONTEXT – 11
Incorporating Social Quotes from the Classroom Understanding Genocide, national Criminal Tribunal for the form- dividual and collective action. But the
Justice in the Curriculum Trauma and Resilience er Yugoslavia, along with first-hand “real story,” says Petrila, is the people who
“My work with the Latinx certificate includes building accounts of survivors interviewed by survived the Srebrenica genocide. “It is
Social justice is interwoven into bridges between the community and the academy and Nationalist rhetoric. Banning groups Petrila and Hasanović. through their stories and getting to know
all GSSW degree programs. For example, making the certificate as experiential as possible. I of people. Dehumanizing, othering Documenting the atrocity and shar- them as people that we can begin to share
the MSW concentration in Family language. These dynamics have preceded ing stories of resilience is particularly their horror and their courage, their
Systems Practice includes preparation
challenge students to go into a part of the community every documented case of genocide, important now, says Petrila, who received trauma and their resilience.”
to evaluate social systems for bias they don’t know and have an experience where they including in Bosnia, and they’re present a grant from the Council on Social Work
and cultural responsiveness. Students are not the experts, where they learn from community in today’s America, says Professor of the Education to capture survivor stories on
READ ABOUT STUDENT
develop an awareness of the systems members themselves. That cultural humility lens is Practice Ann Petrila. video. “This book and the programs I run
EXPERIENCES IN GLOBAL
that create power imbalances and She and coauthor Hasan Hasanović in Bosnia are focused on the ultimate
oppression, and they reflect on their own
something I want students to learn and practice.” are documenting Bosnian genocide in a human rights violation—the ultimate PRACTICE BOSNIA:
personal bias and positionality, cultural book in progress, 11 Days in July. The book bit.ly/GSSWBosnia
Lorena Gaibor outcome of things such as othering,
bias, assumptions, values and affective Clinical Assistant Professor will be the first comprehensive published nationalism, all the things that social
reactions that may influence their Program Coordinator, Latinx Social Work Certificate history of the genocide in which more work tries to combat in society, including
relationship with families. than 8,000 Muslim men and boys were ours,” says Petrila, director of Global
Recently, Family Systems Practice barring of Colorado resources from being “I am committed to helping students killed in Srebrenica, Bosnia, over 11 days Practice Bosnia and GSSW’s international TRACKING RESTORATIVE
students’ education has also included
working with organizations such as
used to separate immigrant families, and
denounced the U.S. Attorney General’s
create meaningful and sustainable change
where liberty and justice for all has yet
in July 1995.
Now curator at the Srebrenica-
initiatives. “How is it that this sort of
thing is able to happen, and what is our
JUSTICE LEGISLATION
the Colorado People’s Alliance, Rocky decision to limit asylum protections for to become reality,” says Clinical Associate Potočari Memorial and Cemetery, individual and collective responsibility Assistant Professor Shannon
Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, victims of domestic violence. Professor Stephen von Merz, who chairs Hasanović is one of the survivors of for it?” Sliva tracks the adoption and
American Friends Service Committee, And, through a partnership with the the concentration. “For me, this includes the atrocity. The book draws on facts The book explores these questions implementation of restorative
Colorado Immigrant Rights Collation and University of Denver Sturm College of Law, educating future social workers on the and testimony gathered by the Inter- and makes recommendations for in- justice legislation in Colorado
and across the U.S. Student
the ACLU of Colorado to advocate for MSW and law students worked together knowledge, skills and values critical to
researchers conduct regular
families as they rallied against separation to help prepare women and children in establishing equity and access for all.” systematic reviews of statutory
and prolonged detention of families family detention for immigration asylum databases, and the research
seeking asylum in the U.S., supported the hearings. team documents restorative
justice policy innovations
Organizational Leadership and Policy Measuring the Impacts at the state level. Using the
Practice concentration. of Public Perception database, Sliva investigates the
implementation of restorative
“Most nonprofit organizations were justice policies using case study
founded on values that are predominately In August, The Journal of Public methods that synthesize key
white, and those white-dominant Child Welfare published “Measuring the informant interviews, surveys
norms are embedded in policies and Impact of Public Perceptions on Child and system-level indicators. She
practices,” Arnold-Renicker says, noting Welfare Workers,” an article coauthored makes this comprehensive data
set available to researchers
that those norms show up in everything by Research Assistant Professor
upon request, and she is
from program design to staff hiring and Shauna Rienks, a research analyst at working to make a searchable
promotion practices. “Those of us with the Butler Institute for Families. The database available to the public
dominant identities often aren’t aware Public Perceptions of Child Welfare Scale by May 2019.
of the dominant norms we perpetuate— measures how the social environment Ann Petrila, center
norms held up as the standard by which influences child welfare workers,
everyone is measured, so when people including their job satisfaction and
function along other cultural lines, they intent to leave. Psychometric studies
Putting Anti-Oppression may be penalized.” have validated the scale for private
PHD CANDIDATE Dissertation:
into Practice The ways that organizations are child welfare workers, but there are no “Can General Strain Theory Help Explain the Relationship
funded also upholds white supremacy, validation studies with public agency
SPOTLIGHT: MARK Between Housing Instability and Recidivism for People
In her private practice, Clinical Arnold-Renicker says, and fails to address staff. This study fills that gap, showing PLASSMEYER, PHD ’19 with Criminal Drug Records?”
Assistant Professor Heather Arnold- the “radical change needed to address stigma and respect are important
Renicker, MSW ’07, offers anti-oppres- injustice.” constructs that also predict worker intent Specializations: Research Interests:
sive trainings and helps nonprofits to Social work faces some of the same to leave. This research found an additional civic and community Social and economic outcomes
LEARN MORE:
portfolio.du.edu/
better support staff from marginalized challenges, she observes. “I want my construct, blame, which was not present engagement, community for people with criminal drug Mark.Plassmeyer
organizing and community records; the impact of drug
identity groups and be more culturally students to have a clear picture of how in private worker validation studies.
development, criminal justice, policies on the criminal justice
competent and responsive to community they could perpetuate harms, and also The scale provides an important tool for housing and homelessness, system; affordable housing;
needs. She brings that experience to the how they can create change.” the field as it continues to build evidence mental and behavioral health, and the role of social workers
classroom as coordinator of the school’s for effective recruitment and retention. public policy, social justice in politics
12 – RESHAPING THE SOCIAL & COMMUNITY CONTEXT – – RESHAPING THE SOCIAL & COMMUNITY CONTEXT – 13
ECO NOMIC
IMPROVING of Medicine and College of Nursing, and Susanne Klawetter,
GSSW PhD ’17, a Portland State University assistant professor.
Data collection (in both English and Spanish) is underway
in four Colorado hospitals, where the research team—including
doctoral student Kristi Roybal—is interviewing the mothers
BILITY
of preterm infants about their employment status, access to
parental leave, family support, mental health, substance use and
other variables. Mothers take surveys at baseline and six weeks
after discharge, and they complete daily diaries, documenting
STA
the time they spend
13 %
in the NICU and the
types of activities
they engage in there.
ADVOCATING FOR
The research team
also is tracking
the health of the
PAID FAMILY LEAVE
preterm infants
until six weeks after
discharge. “We hope OF COLORADO WORKERS
to get some good HAVE ACCESS TO PAID LEAVE
Professor Jennifer Greenfield is developing information about
evidence to inform paid-leave policy how experiences
FROM WORK TO CARE FOR
may differ by A NEW CHILD OR SICK FAMILY
Assistant Professor Jennifer Greenfield does not just teach primary language MEMBER, OR FOR THEIR OWN
about policymaking. She lives it. used, by race and
That has meant making multiple treks to the Colorado State ethnicity, and
SERIOUS HEALTH CONDITION.
Capitol to testify in support of a state insurance program to area of residence,”
provide partial wage-replacement benefits to individuals who Greenfield explains.
have to take leave from work to care for a new child or a sick Greenfield says more than half of mothers interviewed thus
family member, or for their own serious health condition. far have no paid leave available to them, and less than 25 percent
15
Paid family and medical leave is a professional crusade for have 30 days of leave or more, although their preterm infants
Advocating for Paid Greenfield, whose research focuses on the intersections of health have average hospital stays of more than two months.
Family Leave and wealth disparities among women, especially through the “We don’t have a system of policies in place to support
mechanism of caregiving. But the issue is personal, too. In 2013, being a working mother or a caregiver,” Greenfield says, “but I’m
Greenfield’s twin sons were born seven weeks early and spent incredibly motivated to get some change in place.”
Advancing
16
the first month of their lives in the NICU.
Colorado’s Early Although Greenfield had access to paid leave that allowed
her to participate in her kids’ care, only 13 percent of Colorado
Childhood Workforce workers have access to such leave, Greenfield says, and the
Jennifer Greenfield isn’t just sharing her knowledge
resulting financial burden for individuals, families, employers,
with local lawmakers; she’s also taking her work to
the medical system and the economy is enormous.
Washington, D.C. She was appointed to the Advisory
Greenfield is developing evidence to inform state
Council for the Bipartisan Policy Center Task Force
and national paid-leave policy. She and Associate Professor on Paid Family Leave this year, and in July, the center
Leslie Hasche are examining how public policies such as public hosted a national policy conversation featuring
health insurance coverage and workplace policies such as paid Greenfield, Senior Advisor to the President Ivanka
family leave and flexible work schedules may mitigate financial Trump, former Sens. Chris Dodd and Rick Santorum,
insecurity and overall caregiver strain among Coloradans caring and others. She also regularly shares her perspective
for older adults (see Page 17 for more). with the news media, including CNN, The Hill and The
Greenfield also is studying whether there is an association Denver Post.
between better health outcomes for preterm infants whose
mothers have access to paid leave. She is collaborating on the
research with faculty at the University of Colorado School
FIND THESE STORIES & MORE:
socialwork.du.edu/jennifer.greenfield
14 – I M P R O V I N G E C O N O M I C S TA B I L I T Y – 15
ADVANCING COLORADO’S EARLY
IN
Calculating the Costs strain and positive aspects of caregiving,
of Caregiving and assessed whether caregivers with
access to workplace benefits and social
CHILDHOOD WORKFORCE
Although informal caregiving is programs report less financial strain
a cornerstone of the U.S. long-term care than caregivers without access to
BRIEF
system, little is known about caregivers’ these supports.
experience of financial strain or the Just over half of respondents
Report proposes solutions for economic Among the extent to which organizational and public (N = 95) reported working, and 33 percent
instability in early childhood education report’s rec- policies help alleviate strain among had either left the workforce or reduced
ommendations PROPOSED SOLUTIONS caregivers who are their work hours
$$$$
An economic impact study by the GSSW Butler Institute are increasing employed outside to accommodate
Colorado’s early care and education
for Families has found that Colorado’s early childhood education salary subsidies the home. caregiving.
industry makes a substantial impact
(ECE) industry serves more than 100,000 children, generates and providing tax on the state economy, but low public Assistant Predictors of
$1.4 billion in annual sales and services, creates over 32,000 credits for early funding, high worker turnover and Professor Jennifer financial strain
care and education market prices that do not reflect Greenfield and Leslie included the
jobs, and results in more than $619 million in related statewide
the true costs of care pose serious
Quotes from
professionals. Hasche, associate care recipient’s
earnings annually. Yet, ECE programs and their employees
problems. Recommended solutions the Classroom
struggle to survive financially. “We subsidize professor and associate dean for academic financial strain and the caregiver reduc-
include:
The findings are detailed in a report, “Bearing the Cost of industries like energy affairs, set out to answer these questions ing or ceasing work. Caregivers who left
Early Care and Education in Colorado,” commissioned by Early and agriculture be- ++ Increasing public funding at least “One can’t do effective through a recent pilot study of informal work or reduced work hours reported
to the national average
Milestones Colorado as part of a public-private partnership cause we know it’s community-based caregivers of older adults in Colorado. higher overall caregiving strain and
++ Incentivizing quality and the
with the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado for the public good.
provision of care by improving trauma work without Funded by the University of Denver worse mental health than those whose
Department of Human Services to advance the early childhood Why won’t we do the Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging, the employment status had not changed.
workforce in Colorado. Background research and secondary data same thing for early
counties’ tiered reimbursement properly meeting people’s study identified factors associated with Medicare may be protective to minimize
structures
collection was conducted by the Butler Institute, whose mission care and education basic needs and helping caregiver financial strain, tested whether caregivers’ need to reduce or cease work.
++ Establishing subsidies for businesses
includes research, program assessment, evaluation, planning and when we know the to increase the wages of early care to address socioeconomic factors related to financial strain differed
implementation, and training and coaching for human services societal benefit?” and education workers issues that contribute from those related to overall caregiver
workers and supervisors. Brodsky Research and Consulting did says Butler Institute
the study’s economic modeling. Director of Research
++ Offering refundable tax credits to maltreatment.
for early learning professionals
The numbers are startling. The average salary for child care and Evaluation and incentivizing higher levels Females tend to be Cultivating a Culture Roybal holds an MSW from GSSW
workers in Colorado is just $25,065, placing those workers at the Meg Franko. “It’s an of education and credentials disproportionately of Health and an MA in international human rights
from the University of Denver Korbel
poverty level for a family of four. Many ECE employees receive investment that pays affected due to child School of International studies—one of
some public subsidy, and the industry’s turnover rates are high. off in so many ways.” Second-year PhD student Kristi
The result is a shortage of high-quality programs, especially Due in part to the report’s findings, the Colorado Department
care, low wages, lack Roybal has been selected as one of 40 GSSW’s dual-degree offerings. Previously,
for infant–toddler care, where demand has outstripped supply. of Labor and Employment’s Workforce Development Council has of access to health Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health she worked as a health program specialist
Ultimately, the report concludes, it is children who pay selected the education sector—and early childhood education care, and dependency Policy Research Scholars for 2018. The for the Spokane Regional Health District.
“I imagine healthy, thriving neighbor-
the price: When quality care is too expensive for families and specifically—as its industry of focus for 2018–19. on others for financial program aims to create a cadre of diverse,
hoods where all Americans are supported
when businesses cannot afford to provide quality early care multidisciplinary doctoral students who
and education, “children spend their earliest, formative years
support, housing and will inform and influence policy to create to achieve their highest potential through
in environments that do not adequately prepare them for school
READ THE REPORT: transportation. Trauma- a culture of health. equal access to health-promoting neigh-
socialwork.du.edu/ece
and life.” informed care includes Health Policy Research Scholars borhood environments,” Roybal says.
“This vision drives my educational and
broader organizational learn to translate their research into
personal ambitions to become a comm-
health policy through online courses,
and systemic efforts in-person institutes, leadership training, unity-engaged researcher committed
NEW FACULTY expertise in evaluation and families. Prior to joining Butler to address these issues.” mentoring and coaching, and dissertation to improving the health opportunities
evaluation capacity-building into in 2012, Franko was a senior of women and children living in low-
support. Each scholar receives an annual
Meg Franko has been director GSSW’s education and research consultant for the Colorado income neighborhoods. The Health Policy
stipend of $30,000 for up to four years.
of research and evaluation programs. Franko will continue Department of Education Office Kerry Causey
Roybal’s research interest is Research Scholars program will equip me
at the Butler Institute since in her role at the Butler Institute, of Early Childhood, operated her Clinical Assistant Professor
understanding how low-income urban with the skills to critically assess complex
2016 and a senior research where she serves as a PI for own evaluation consulting firm
Mental Health and Trauma Concentration, neighborhood-level determinants of
associate prior, but she recently grants and contracts averaging and directed the Denver Early neighborhood environments impact
MSW@Denver health and work collaboratively with
joined the GSSW faculty as a $1 million annually and manages Childhood Council for Denver maternal health, birth outcomes, and early
research associate professor a 20-person research and Public Schools. She has a PhD childhood development. She serves as interdisciplinary researchers to advance
as well. The appointment evaluation team dedicated to in education leadership and policies that contribute to sustainable
project manager for Assistant Professor
will expand collaboration improving the effectiveness policy from the University of community change.”
opportunities within GSSW and demonstrating the impact Denver Morgridge College of Jennifer Greenfield’s study of mothers
and the community, and it will of programs, organizations and Education. in the NICU; Greenfield also mentors
further incorporate Franko’s systems that directly serve Roybal.
16 – I M P R O V I N G E C O N O M I C S TA B I L I T Y – – I M P R O V I N G E C O N O M I C S TA B I L I T Y – 17PROMOTING TRANSFORMING
COLORADO
PHYSICAL &
TAL
HEALTH CARE
MEN
GSSW is helping to guide a Colorado
initiative to improve health outcomes
through integrated care
To improve health and lower costs, a State of Colorado GSSW hosted two SIM Integrated Behavioral Health
LTH
initiative aims to increase access to integrated behavioral health Training Consortiums that brought together participants from
HEA
and primary care for 80 percent of the state’s residents by across Colorado to discuss community needs, barriers,
2019. Clinical Associate Professor Michael Talamantes is part and the training and education needs of providers. In November
of the team guiding the initiative, known as the Colorado State 2018, GSSW and Colorado’s Office of Behavioral Health will
Innovation Model (SIM). host a symposium where experts in
Talamantes co-chairs the SIM Workforce behavioral health, practice trans-
Workgroup—one of seven workgroups reporting WHEN FULLY IMPLEMENTED, formation and integrative teaming
to Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper. Talamantes will present the content of integrated
also is a member of the steering committee for THE COLORADO STATE behavioral health learning modules.
SIM, which will impact up to 350 primary care INNOVATION MODEL WILL Launched in 2014 and funded by
practices and more than 4 million residents up to $65 million from the Centers
when it is fully implemented.
IMPACT UP TO 350 PRIMARY for Medicare & Medicaid Services,
The Workforce Workgroup is charged CARE PRACTICES AND MORE Colorado’s SIM grant will end in 2019.
with assessing the needs of practices regarding Results so far have been positive.
workforce issues; offering guidance on how
THAN 4 MILLION RESIDENTS. Within the first two cohorts of SIM
to best deliver training to existing providers; practices, for example, more patients are
and proposing strategies to standardize the way that existing— being screened for depression, and patients with diabetes have
but largely unregulated—positions interact with health care improved A1c control.
integration efforts statewide. The group also has developed core “Since we’re committed to the integration of behavioral
competencies for licensed behavioral health providers working health in primary care,” Talamantes says, “these best practices
in integrated health care settings. will continue to succeed in producing the best outcomes for
Colorado residents.”
19 Transforming Colorado
Health Care 23 Studying HIV Risk CLIMB@DU: MEETING A
WORKFORCE SHORTAGE
more than 10 public and private
partners.
In its first year, CLIMB@
part of CLIMB@DU and will
graduate in 2019 ready to
serve the state’s western
SIM initiative aims to support
statewide, says Clinical
Associate Professor Michael
20 24
In Colorado, 56 of DU provided $10,000 stipends for and mountain communities, Talamantes, who leads the
Preventing Substance Abuse Focusing on Solutions the state’s 64 counties have 27 MSW students; 30 more are
enrolled this year.
says Program Director and
Assistant Professor of the
effort with Associate Professor
Michele Hanna.
a shortage of mental health
professionals. GSSW is working Colorado’s underserved Practice Rachel Forbes. Denver “I’m thrilled that we’ll be
to meet that shortfall and make areas include southwestern campus and MSW@Denver training a workforce that can
21 25
Colorado, home to GSSW’s students also participate in the serve in an integrated-care
Educating Faculty About Reflecting on culturally and linguistically
competent behavioral health Four Corners MSW Program, program, and by 2021 GSSW setting,” says Ross Brooks,
Evidence-Based Treatment Recovery Capital services more accessible to directed by Professor of the
Practice Wanda Ellingson. Last
will have trained 115 social
workers to provide culturally
CEO of western Colorado-
based Mountain Family Health
more people.
With a $1.9 million grant year, 11 Four Corners students and linguistically competent Centers. “What I love about
22
received the stipend and have behavioral health service in the DU program is it helps to
Strengthening from the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, joined the region’s behavioral underserved areas. grow people from our own
Indigenous Identities GSSW established CLIMB@ health workforce. This year,
eight students in the Western
CLIMB@DU is just the
sort of solution to workforce
communities, which is better
for [workforce] recruitment and
DU, a four-year initiative with
Colorado MSW Program are challenges that Colorado’s retention.”
18 18 – P R O M O T I N G P H Y S I C A L & M E N TA L H E A LT H – 19PREVENTING
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Professor Anamika Barman-Adhikari is using Lundgren is working to change that. She is the principal
artificial intelligence to improve substance investigator for a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
abuse interventions for homeless youth Alcoholism grant to train U.S. social work faculty to teach
IN A DATA SIMULATION, evidence-based treatment methods for alcohol and drug
Group interventions are a common approach to substance dependence. The aim, Lundgren says, is to create a social work
abuse treatment for youth. The aim is to reduce high-risk
DEVIANCE TRAINING WAS workforce prepared to effectively treat SUDs.
behaviors through positive social influence. Sometimes, though, REDUCED BY ALMOST The Alcohol and other Drugs Social Work Faculty Education
abusive behaviors actually increase when at-risk individuals “AI will help Program (ADEP) trains social work faculty to teach social work
come together to discuss risky behaviors, derive status from social science
60 PERCENT IN AI-ASSIGNED graduate students about empirically supported screening,
those behaviors and then engage in more of them.
Social science has been trying to solve this problem
of deviancy training for more than 20 years, says Assistant
intervention
research by giving
us very precise
GROUPS COMPARED
TO RANDOMLY ASSIGNED EDUCATING FACULTY assessment and treatment for SUDs. So far, 100 faculty from
more than 80 schools of social work have participated in
ADEP in the past two years, and pre–post surveys have shown
Professor Anamika Barman-Adhikari. But, she may have
a solution.
Instead of randomly assigning youth to treatment groups—
predictive tools
so we can avoid
mistakes we’ve made
GROUPS.
ABOUT EVIDENCE- significant increases in faculty knowledge and a boost in their
confidence regarding teaching the content, says Lundgren,
executive director of the GSSW Butler Institute for Families.
the typical practice—what if they were assigned in such a
way that positive influences were maximized and negative
influences were minimized? Using an artificial intelligence (AI)
algorithm that considers factors such as how often individuals
in the past,” Adhikari says, but it won’t be taking on the role
of social workers. “Even when we get group configuration, we
take that back to Urban Peak social workers and validate those
groups with human beings. We are giving algorithm parameters
BASED TREATMENT ADEP training is delivered in four-day intensive immersion
programs taught by leading addiction experts from a range of
disciplines, including public health, medicine, psychology and
social work. GSSW Professors Jeff Jenson and Kimberly Bender,
engage in substance use and other risky behaviors, Barman- to decide the most effective outcome given those parameters. A GSSW program has trained faculty from Clinical Assistant Professor Brian Gonzales, and Research
Adhikari is partitioning groups to promote positive outcomes. Human beings still decide what’s important.” schools nationwide to teach evidence-based Associate Professors Suzanne Kerns and Nancy Lucero were
“We try to put a high-risk individual into a group that is less treatment methods for substance abuse among the instructors at the June 2018 session.
risk-taking and has more positive behaviors,” she explains. and dependence Why train faculty in evidence-based practices instead
“They will be more likely to change their behaviors if they’re of students? “If you bring in one faculty member, you train many
influenced by positive forces.” Although 70 percent of social workers encounter clients cohorts of students,” says Lundgren, noting that the research
Barman-Adhikari, GSSW doctoral student Daphne Brydon, with risky substance use or substance use disorder (SUD), team is assessing knowledge transfer in the schools where
two MSW students, and colleagues at the University of Southern says Professor Lena Lundgren, fewer than 10 percent ADEP faculty teach. “We want to see a transfer of knowledge
California Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society designed of social work graduate programs include evidence-based so students—future social workers—can better respond in the
the algorithm using data collected in Los Angeles in 2013. The content about alcohol and drugs in their core curriculum. field to the alcohol and drug epidemic.”
calculus is relatively simple, says Barman-Adhikari. “What are
your social networks, and what risk behaviors do you engage in?”
When the research team tested the algorithm against the
data, the simulation results were striking: Compared to randomly
assigned groups, deviance training was reduced by almost 60
TRANSFORMING or at risk for a substance use services provide the best outcomes in Sweden and
percent in AI-assigned groups.
TREATMENT OF disorder (SUD).
Sweden hosts some of the
outcomes,” Lundgren explains.
“The Swedish data is unique
the U.S.
STANCE started in 2016,
The team is running a randomized controlled trial in SUBSTANCE USE world’s most comprehensive because it collects a range of and Lundgren aims to continue
collaboration with Urban Peak, a Denver-based nonprofit serv- DISORDERS health registries, and one services so we can actually look the program through 2022
ing youth experiencing homelessness. Participants complete STANCE component is an at real outcomes.” supported by approximately
Professor Lena Lundgren, epidemiological study looking Assistant Professor $3 million in funding from the
an initial computer-based survey that asks them to identify
a guest professor at Umeå at a decade of Swedish registry and co-investigator Amy Swedish Council for Health
their most consequential personal relationships over the last University in Sweden, is data collected on 15,000 people He is developing a study on and Work Life. The STANCE
30 days and then asks questions about each of those friends. the principal investigator of who were assessed for a SUD. child welfare outcomes, and research team spans social
Participants in the AI-composed treatment condition and in the STANCE, a research program The goal is to understand the Associate Professor and co- work, medicine, psychology and
control condition receive the Project Towards No Drug Abuse that includes several studies range of health, employment investigator Stacey Freedenthal statistics, and GSSW–Umeå
intervention, which uses peer leaders to disseminate positive and the implementation of a and treatment interventions is examining the relationship research collaborations and
new national data system to they received and identify which between suicidal intent, faculty and student exchanges
norms about substance abuse.
help Swedish social services groups are most vulnerable to suicidal attempt and patterns are planned.
Clinical testing will wrap up in November, and the research to better identify and examine negative outcomes. of psychiatric hospitalization.
team is discussing how to take an AI-informed intervention the effectiveness of services “We need to be able Lundgren also hopes to
to scale so organizations can use it without additional burden. Anamika Barman-Adhikari received by individuals with to identify which clusters of compare SUD treatment
20 – P R O M O T I N G P H Y S I C A L & M E N TA L H E A LT H – – P R O M O T I N G P H Y S I C A L & M E N TA L H E A LT H – 21You can also read
