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School briefs

Professor Kim Strom-Gottfried recently returned from Europe, where she delivered several presentations, including one on “Ethics in Practice with Children and Youth,” at the University of Applied Sciences in Bielfeld, Germany. Strom-Gottfried’s presentation was part of  international week, which focused on “Collaboration in Social and Health Care: Ethics and Competencies for Vulnerable Target Groups.” She and colleague, Hella von Unger, professor of sociology for qualitative methodologies at Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, were also invited to participate in a “fireside chat” for the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Soziale Arbeit – German Association for Social Work meeting in Wurzburg Germany. The faculty members spoke about “International Perspectives on Research Ethics in Social Work.” During the same month, Strom-Gottfried also presented to students and faculty at the Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Art, about moral courage and whistleblowing in social work organizations. During the month of June, Strom-Gottfried and  LaVoya Woods-Dionne, MSW ’19, presented a refereed paper on Speak Up (UNC) at the European Association of Schools of Social Work Conference in Madrid, Spain. Strom-Gottfried and Woods-Dionne created the UNC resource, “Speak Up Carolina” to help foster a constructive dialog around difficult issues, such as inappropriate behavior. During this same trip, Strom-Gottfried also presented a master class on teaching ethics and a workshop on the same topic with colleagues Sarah Banks (UK), Teresa Bertotti (Italy). Ana Sobocan (Slovenia) and Michaela Moser (Austria).

Clinical associate professor Lisa Zerden presented “Mapping Co-Location: Using National Provider Identified Data to Assess Behavioral Health Co-Location” at the annual Research Meeting conference at AcademyHealth in Washington, D.C. Zerden presented with Ph.D. graduates Erica Richman and Brianna Lombardi. Zerden also  participated in the National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine meeting in Washington, as a member of the Children’s Forum on Workforce Collaborative.

Tiffany Carver was recently re-elected as secretary to the UNC Employee Forum. This is Carver’s second year as a delegate with the forum.

The School of Social Work’s Field Education Program co-hosted the conference “Intersections: A Community Conversation on Youth Homelessness” on June 6. More than 100 people participated in the day of training and networking event, which focused on the intersectional experiences and needs of youth 18-24 in the Triangle. The LGBTQ Center of Durham, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration co-sponsored the event.

The School of Social Work’s Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab hosted speaker Clare FitzGerald, Ph.D., in June for a discussion on “Making Social Impact Bonds: Rationales, Designs, and International Comparisons.” FitzGerald provided details on the landscape of social impact bonds (aka “pay for success” social investments) and how these investments have been used as a tool for shaping policy in the United States and the United Kingdom. FitzGerald, a graduate of N.C. State University, now works for the Government Outcomes Lab at the University of Oxford.

Faculty, staff and friends gathered at the Carolina Inn on June 12, to toast academic editor and educational specialist Diane Wyant, who is retiring after more than 15 years with UNC School of Social Work. As academic editor, Wyant has “made all of us look better,” Dean Gary Bowen told the group. During her tenure with the School, Wyant edited countless journal articles, book chapters and grant proposals and helped to educate students, staff, and faculty in the fine art of writing. She also provided support for the editor of the Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research and so much more. We wish Diane well in our new adventures!