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School briefs

Associate professor Paul Lanier was a guest speaker for the 2019 North Carolina Fatherhood Power Breakfast, sponsored by the Family Resource Center South Atlantic. This yearly event, which was broadcast by UNC-TV, strives to strengthen the bond between fathers and their families and targets fathers and father-figures 18 years of age and older.

Associate professor Gina Chowa and assistant professor Rainer Masa co-authored a report with colleagues at Centre for Social Development in Africa, University of Johannesburg. The report is titled, “Siyakha Youth Assets study. Developing youth assets for employability.” The faculty members also presented a paper at the 2019 Youth Colloquium sponsored by the Centre for Social Development in Africa. The presentation was titled, “Can social networks improve work seeking behaviors among low income youth in resource limited settings? Evidence from Siyakha.”

The Children’s Bureau in the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has invited Spears Turner Distinguished Professor Mark Testa to participate in the 2019 National Child Welfare Evaluation Summit in Washington, D.C next month. The Summit is a forum for about 800 child welfare leaders, members of the research and evaluation community, and their partners and stakeholders to explore the gap between research and practice, share research methods and findings, discuss familiar dilemmas and emerging challenges, and explore possible solutions from multiple perspectives. Testa, who is considered an important and influential contributor to the child welfare field, is expected to participate as a panelist during a concurrent session that is being convened by the Children’s Bureau.

Clinical associate professor Sarah Verbiest led UNC’s participation in the North Carolina Chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network, which recently partnered with the N.C. Legislative Black Caucus to host “Diverse Perspectives: Women of Color in a Changing Political and Policy Landscape.” The event focused on women of color who are promoting research-informed policy.

Ph.D. students Ting Guan and Anjalee Sharma recently presented at the North Carolina Opioid Prevention Summit in Durham. The summit, supported by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, focused on local, state and national efforts to address opioid misuse and overdose, evidence-based prevention practices, adverse childhood experiences, and treatment and recovery, among other topics.