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Faculty briefs

Macy receives Village Pride Award

Professor Rebecca Macy was honored as the recipient of WCHL radio’s Village Pride Award on Nov. 4, which recognizes and celebrates a “Hometown Hero” each day. She was profiled and interviewed on the radio. Listen online

Mergner working to enhance social work presence at Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities

Clinical Assistant Professor Sherry Mergner is the AHEC Liaison at the School of Social Work, where she coordinates continuing education programs for mental health, substance abuse and developmental disability professionals. She is also social work faculty for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disorders (LEND) grant at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities (CIDD), where she recruits social workers for this specialized training in developmental disabilities. She provides clinical supervision to Sarah Dababnah, a former LEND Trainee (2009-10) and currently a doctoral candidate at the School of Social Work. Mergner also provides clinical services to families at the CIDD. Currently, she is working collaboratively to enhance the social work presence within the CIDD and to offer additional supports to families served. In addition, she coordinated with the UNC School of Social Work to establish a CIDD field placement. Leslie Payne, a first-year MSW student and LEND fellow, is CIDD’s first social work field trainee.

Strom-Gottfried speaks at UNC academic panel

To showcase some of the people and programs making an impact on significant issues, both in North Carolina and around the globe, the University held three faculty-led academic panels Oct. 11 – the day before Carolina celebrated its 220th birthday and installed Carol L. Folt as its 11th chancellor. Professor Kim Strom-Gottfried spoke at the “Public Research University” panel.

The three panelists reflected on the importance of the public research university, how it is “under siege” and what needs to be done to save it. The case has to be made for both public education and a research university, panelists said.

“Budget cuts and stagnant salaries are not only making it harder to attract faculty, but harder to reward them,” said social work professor Kim Strom-Gottfried. “Eventually, faculty members see greener pastures and take offers elsewhere.” Public research universities are in peril, she said, because they are functioning on increasingly smaller budgets and declining state support. Full story

Chowa and Masa present in Boston

Assistant Professor Gina Chowa and doctoral student Rainier Masa presented at the American Public Health Association’s 141st Annual Meeting, held in Boston Nov. 2-6. Chowa and Masa’s presentations used data from the Ghana YouthSave experiment. Chowa’s presentation focused on YouthSave and its framework for understanding the pathways through which a savings program may contribute to positive health and well-being of youth. Masa’s presentation focused on the social and economic determinants of self-perceived health among youth in Ghana.

Faculty and students present at CSWE meeting

A number of faculty and students from the School of Social Work participated in the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) annual program meeting in Dallas, Texas, Oct. 31-Nov.3. This year’s theme was “Global Social Work: The World is Here.”

Presenters included faculty members Betsy Bledsoe-Mansori, Tara Bohley, Rebecca Brigham, Cynthia Fraga Rizo, Josh Hinson, Matthew Howard, Rebecca Macy and Theresa Palmer; emerita faculty Dee Gamble; doctoral students Sarah Dababnah, Candace Killian-Farrell, Jennifer O’Brien and Kristina Webber; and MSW student Ariel Reynolds.

Upcoming AHEC presentations

CHARLOTTE AHEC
Dec. 5 – The Neurobiology of Traumatic Stress – Candace Killian-Farrell, doctoral student

SRAHEC
Dec. 10 – Geriatric Mental Health Update – Tanya Richmond

EASTERN AHEC
Dec. 11 – Clinical Supervision: A Relational Approach – Marilyn Ghezzi