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School briefs

Professor Iris Carlton-LaNey received the 2018 Alumni Achievements Award from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. The university’s College of Health and Human Sciences nominated Carlton-LaNey for the honor based on her “outstanding level of achievement and excellent demonstration in sustained scholarship, career advancement and service to the university.” Carlton-LaNey, the UNC School of Social Work’s Berg-Beach Distinguished Professor, was recognized and accepted the award in March during N.C. A&T’s annual Founder’s Day Convocation. In addition, Carlton-LaNey was tapped as the keynote speaker for the Fayetteville State University School of Social Work African American History Program in February 2018. In March, she also served as the keynote speaker for the Durham County Department of Social Services Social Work History Month Celebration.

Ph.D. candidate Christina Horsford was appointed to the Adult Care Home and Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee for a three-year term. The committee supports the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS)  Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program.

Lisa de Saxe Zerden served as a panelist at the inaugural Rural Interprofessional Health Conference held on April 13 at the Friday Center. Zerden presented on the behavioral health workforce trends impacting North Carolina. Zerden and colleagues from the schools of pharmacy, medicine, nursing and denistry were also awarded a grant for $43,398 from the N.C. AHEC Campus Innovation Grant Fund to support their project, “Enhancing Interdisciplinary Opioid Stewardship: Education and Training to Mitigate Postoperative Risk.” The project aims to “develop, refine, and disseminate educational content and community resources to support opioid stewardship related to acute-care prescribing. This project also builds on a strong foundation from UNC Medical Center focused on mitigating risks of new opioid dependence and eliminating the large reservoir of unused prescription opioids from communities.

Rachel Goode was awarded a $19,997 grant from the UNC Nutrition and Obesity Research Center for the study “Reducing Binge Eating to Prevent Weight Gain in Black Women: A Pilot Study” and a $7,462 grant from the University  Research Council at UNC for the two-year study, “Exploring the “Why” Behind the Binge Eating Behaviors of Black Women: A Qualitative Study.”

Betsy Bledsoe and Josh Hinson received a grant from the Group Foundation for Advancing Mental Health for a project titled, “Together for Wellness: Group Psychotherapy for Resettled Refugees.” The project will be conducted with the UNC Refugee Mental Health and Wellness Initiative and will test the feasibility of comparing group interpersonal psychotherapy, a group intervention endorsed by the World Health Organization, to an existing manualized group intervention for refugees with psychological distress.

Senior associate dean for MSW education Lisa Zerden and Dean Gary L. Bowen gathered to celebrate the winners of the Dean’s Excellence in Teaching Awards! The awards represent a recipient’s work for the spring and fall semesters of 2017. The awards were handed out at the last faculty meeting of the academic year. The winners are Amy Levine, clinical instructor; Laurie Selz-Campbell, clinical assistant professor; Travis Albritton, clinical assistant professor; Kirsten Kainz, research professor; Tonya VanDeinse, clinical assistant professor; Marilyn Ghezzi, clinical assistant professor; Tina Souders, clinical associate professor, Gina Chowa, associate professor; Annamae Giles, clinical instructor; and Theresa Palmer, clinical assistant professor.

Congratulations to the 2017-2018 UNC-PrimeCare students! This group includes graduating Masters of Social Work (MSW) and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) students.

On April 23, graduating students from the Child Welfare Education Collaborative were recognized with a lunch and remarks by Dr. Mark Testa. Clinical instructor Amy Levine helped organize this year’s event, which honored Emily Chambliss, Rachel Fisher, Sarah Phillips, Katie Catton, and Maya Blumenfeld. Offering specialized instruction in public child welfare practice, the Collaborative offers academic and training opportunities to students who are committed to working with families and children in public child welfare agencies. Congratulations to our dedicated students who are entering the challenging and ever-important child welfare profession!