E-Contact Newsletter: March 2009
Howard named editor-in-chief of new social work research journal
Matthew Howard, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work, has been appointed editor-in-chief of Social Work Research, the flagship journal of the National Association of Social Workers.
Howard, the School’s Frank A. Daniels Distinguished Professor for Human Services Policy Information, has extensively researched youth substance abuse, particularly involving inhalants. He will oversee editorial content for the journal, which “publishes exemplary research to advance the development of knowledge and inform social work practice.”
UNC School of Social Work Dean Jack Richman praised Howard’s editorial appointment. “Dr. Howard is a major figure in social work education,” Richman said. “The generation of new knowledge will flourish under his leadership and guidance.”
Social Work Research includes analytic reviews of research and theoretical articles on social work research as well as evaluation and diverse research studies that address social work issues and problems. The journal publishes four times a year. Full story
Rounds given mentoring award from women's leadership council
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Bulik (left) and Rounds with their awards |
The Carolina Women’s Leadership Council honored University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professors Kathleen Rounds and Cynthia Bulik for being great mentors. The awards were presented during the council’s annual meeting at the Carolina Inn on Feb. 26.
Rounds, a professor in the UNC School of Social Work, received the faculty-to-student award. Bulik, the William R. and Jeanne H. Jordan Distinguished Professor of Eating Disorders in the department of psychiatry at the UNC School of Medicine, received the council’s faculty-to-faculty mentoring award.
The awards, which carry a stipend of $5,000 each, recognize outstanding faculty members who go the extra mile to guide, mentor and lead students or junior faculty members as they make career decisions, embark on research challenges and enrich their lives through public service, teaching and educational opportunities. Full story
"Intervention Research: Developing Social Programs" book published
School of Social Work faculty members Mark Fraser, Jack Richman, Maeda Galinsky and Steve Day have authored an innovative new guide that will serve as a solid reference for social workers in the field, as well as help the next generation of social workers develop skills to contribute to the evolving field of intervention research.
When social workers draw on experience, theory, or data in order to develop new strategies or enhance existing ones, they are conducting intervention research. This relatively new field involves program design, implementation, and evaluation and requires a theory-based, systematic approach. "Intervention Research" presents such a framework.
The five-step strategy in the book ushers the reader from an idea's germination through the process of writing a treatment manual, assessing program efficacy and effectiveness, and disseminating findings. Rich with examples drawn from child welfare, school-based prevention, medicine and juvenile justice, the authors relate each step of the process to current social work practice. The book also explains how to adapt interventions for new contexts, provides extensive examples of intervention research, and offers insights about changes and challenges in the field.
The book is published by Oxford University Press and can be ordered online.
New book by Shenyang Guo and Mark Fraser to be published in July
Shenyang Guo, associate professor, and Mark Fraser, John A. Tate Distinguished Professor for Children in Need, have a new book coming out in July. "Propensity Score Analysis: Statistical Methods and Applications" describes a family of new statistical techniques useful in estimating the effects of social and health programs. The book is intended for social behavioral researchers who conduct intervention research and program evaluation. It is the first of its kind to provide step-by-step instructions for running a wide range of propensity score models with the Stata software program. The book describes four cutting-edge methods: sample selection models, propensity score matching, matching estimators and kernel-based matching estimators. More info
The book is published by Sage Publications and can be ordered online.
NASW celebrates Social Work Month
Each March, the National Association of Social Workers honors social workers across the country with National Professional Social Work Month. It's an opportunity for the profession to reflect on its history, celebrate the important work that is being done and look toward a promising future for all those social workers serve.
This year focuses on the future of social work and the need to recruit more social workers into the profession. People who become social workers do so because they seek a purpose for their career, and recognize that there are many different paths where a social work degree might lead. NASW has created a Web site that demonstrates this fact by profiling 50 social workers who make a difference.
Clinical Lecture Series
March 23 - Ethics in practice: Terminating therapeutic work with clients. Speaker: Tina Souders, MSW, LCSW, JD. April 20 - Engagement Interviewing: Increasing engagement and retention of clients in mental health services. Speaker: Betsy Bledsoe, PhD, MSW, LCSW Details & register
Lecture videos posted: Some of our past lectures are now available to view on the Web site. Check them out.
Alumnae help clients publish a book about living with schizophrenia
Outpatient director Barbara "Bebe" Smith, MSW '93 and social worker Jenny Edwards, MSW '99, of UNC's Schizophrenia Treatment and Evaluation Program (STEP) at the Neurosciences Hospital, have helped facilitate the self-publication of a book written by a group of their clients. "Our Voices: First-Person Accounts of Schizophrenia" shares the personal perspectives of 20 STEP clients and illuminates the shared perceptions, experiences and challenges people with schizophrenia face. "Our Voices" tells what it's like to be diagnosed with a major mental illness, to live with symptoms, and to navigate the mental health system. The book may be ordered online.
Conference on women's addiction set for May
The 23rd annual "Addiction: Focus on Women" conference will be held May 12-15 at the Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, N.C. This year's theme is "Revive and Come Alive: Clinical Aspects of Resiliency and Recovery." Keynote speakers will be Mary Pipher, Ph.D., author of "Reviving Ophelia" and Lucy Hall Gainer, NCAC, CASAC, Founder of Mary Hall Freedom House. This event is sponsored by Mountain AHEC and the UNC School of Social Work. For more information, and to view the conference video, see http://www.mahec.net/afow/.
Alumni events
Spring Alumni Association meeting
Sat., March 28 from 10:00-2:00 at the School. Lunch is provided, so please RSVP to Kristen Huffman by Mon., March 23.
Asheville alumni dinner planned
Save the date for our Asheville alumni dinner with the Dean: Thurs., April 16. Location to be determined.
Ethics workshop
April 6, 2:00-4:00 p.m. Presentation by Melissa Grady; see workshop details in the next story. Certificates for two contact hours will be available. Space is limited, so please RSVP by April 1 to Kristen Huffman at 843-7285 or Kristen_Huffman@unc.edu. Parking is available at the Dogwood Deck for $1.25 per hour.
Employers: Come recruit students and attend a continuing education workshop
The School hosts its annual Career Day/Job Fair on April 6 from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. We welcome all potential employers to take advantage of this free opportunity to recruit well-qualified MSW and BSW graduates. Following Career Day, we have planned an afternoon continuing education workshop for recruiters and alumni from 2:00-4:00 p.m. The workshop will be related to ethics and facilitated by Clinical Assistant Professor Melissa Grady. For more information about how to register for Career Day and the continuing education workshop, please see our recruiters page or contact Beth Sauer at 962-6443 or bhsauer@email.unc.edu.
Alumni volunteers needed for job preparation workshop
The School will sponsor a “Before, During and After the Interview” job preparation workshop for current SSW students on Mon., March 23 from 12:15-1:30 p.m. The workshop will include a panel of alumni who will discuss their interviewing experiences, share tips for the interviewing process and respond to student questions. If you are interested in participating on the alumni panel, please contact Sarah Naylor at 962-6444 or smnaylor@email.unc.edu for more information.
Know someone who is interested in our MSW program?
Each month the School holds information sessions to give potential applicants a chance to meet some of the faculty, staff and students and to ask questions about the program. The curriculum, field placements, financial aid, and admissions requirements are among the topics discussed. The next session is April 3 at 2:00 p.m. Please contact Jane Gump to register.
Alumni mentors still needed in fields of substance abuse and non-profit management
Please consider giving a little bit of your time to mentor a current student. For more information, send Kristen Huffman your areas of interest and contact information.
Call for nominations: The Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Award
The UNC School of Social Work is currently accepting nominations for the 2009 Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Award. To qualify, the nominee must be a graduate of the School and meet some of the following criteria:
1. Demonstrate outstanding leadership and make significant contributions to the field of social work.
2. Demonstrate a deep commitment to high ethical social work standards.
3. Develop and/or implement major innovations that have improved the quality of life for members in her/his community.
4. Benefit her/his clients, the professional community and the social work profession through special contributions, advocacy and involvement in professional, civic or community organizations.
5. Be an effective advocate for social work issues.
Please e-mail your nominations by April 1 to Kristen Huffman, or mail to Kristen's attention: UNC School of Social Work, Campus Box #3550, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3550. Be sure to include a letter or paragraph about the person you are nominating which explains why your nominee should be considered. If you have any other questions, please call Kristen at 843-7285.
Oscar Barbarin was invited to serve as chair of the U.S. National Committee for the International Union for Psychological Science through 2012. This committee operates under the auspices of the Policy and Global Affairs' Board on International Scientific Organizations, a division of the National Academy of Sciences based in Washington, D.C. The committee, which is partially funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, represents the interests of the U.S. psychological science community to the international community.
Michal Grinstein-Weiss received a $400,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to support her large-scale project, the American Dream Demonstration Wave 4 (ADD4), studying the long-term impact of individual development accounts (IDAs) and asset-building on social and economic well-being. Grinstein-Weiss has eight funders supporting the project, which is now fully funded at $1.6 million.
In this time of credit crisis, rising foreclosures, and housing insecurity, this study has become even more important. ADD4 will answer critical questions regarding the sustained effects of IDA programs that have policy implications for federal, state and local IDA policies and program design. In addition, given that the sample includes many lower-income homeowners, ADD4 has the potential to make a substantial contribution to understanding the impact of the credit crisis on a sample of low-income households.
Rebecca Macy gave a presentation on "Preventing Family Violence" to the North Carolina Institute of Medicine's Task Force on Prevention on Feb. 20. The task force's mission is to seek constructive solutions to statewide problems that impede the improvement of health and efficient and effective delivery of healthcare for all North Carolina citizens; and to serve an advisory function at the request of the Governor, the General Assembly, and/or agencies of state government; and to assist in the formation of public policy on complex and interrelated issues concerning health and health care for the people of North Carolina.
Susan Parish presented a paper in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Maternal and Child Health Programs Conference in February. It was entitled "Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program and Financial Burden for Families of Children with Special Health Care Needs."
School of Social Work Dean Jack Richman and Kenan Distinguished Professor Gary Bowen traveled to Raleigh on Feb. 25 to present to members of the Governor’s Focus on Returning Combat Veterans and Their Families. The state group promotes best practices in the service of veterans who served in the global war on terrorism and their families. The School of Social Work and the Behavioral Healthcare Resource Program are among the state’s partners working with the Governor's Focus to develop a referral network that will connect North Carolina residents and their families to all the services they need post-deployment.
Tina Souders presented a day-long workshop on March 4 at the Department of Social Work at Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss. Souders spoke on "Shades of Gray: Exposing the Nuances of Professional Ethical Boundaries and Dual Relationships." Souders is the director of our Winston-Salem Distance Education MSW Program.
Christopher John Flanagan, MSW, M.Div. '05, and his wife welcomed their second child, Ian Anthony Flanagan on Jan. 13. Ian was 8 lbs. 7 oz and 19.5 inches. Their first son Christopher David was born Nov. 29, 2006. Flanagan is a recovery services administrator with Recovery Innovations of North Carolina in Five County.
Howard N. Lee, MSW '66, N.C. State Board of Education chairman and newly appointed executive director of the Governor's Education Cabinet, spoke at Durham Tech's Orange County campus in Hillsborough on Feb. 23. He discussed his new memoir, "The Courage to Lead: One Man's Journey in Public Service," and shared his experiences growing up in a racially divided South, being the first black mayor of Chapel Hill, and the challenges in overcoming poverty and racism.
Susan Moore Pinson, MSW, M.Div. '08, is currently residing in Atlanta. Pinson was the 2008 Baccalaureate speaker for Reinhardt College (Ga.), commissioned as a minister in the United Methodist Church, and is serving as minister for children and older adults at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church on the campus of Emory University.
Buck Zeller, MSW '99, and his wife have relocated to Kent Island, Md. Zeller is teaching at Anne Arundel Community College in their addiction counseling program. "While Maryland is now where I live, my heart belongs in North Carolina," adds Zeller.
Editor: Michelle Rogers, Director of Communications
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