School of Social Work

Hahm Awarded NIH Grant to Unlock HIV/STI Disparities among Asian American and Pacific Islander Women

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

Dr. Hyeouk Chris Hahm, assistant professor at Boston University School of Social Work, has been awarded a Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the underlying factors leading to HIV/STI disparities in Asian American and Pacific Islander (API) women. The five-year award launches her research project, “API Women’s Sexual Health Initiative Project (AWSHIP),” an epidemiological and behavioral study that will collect and examine data related to sexual risk behaviors based on distinct API ethnicity.

States Dean Gail Steketee, “Since Professor Hahm joined the School, we have been excited by her work, and are particularly proud of the high caliber research she has done on health disparities.”

While the rate of AIDS has plateaued for high-risk groups such as injection drug users and men who have sex with men, the number of HIV-infected minority women is rapidly increasing. According to 2004 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, among minority women, the rate of HIV infection is highest for API populations.

“This research is very important,” says Dr. Hahm. “Until now, very little has been known about sexual risk behaviors in Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese women. Most data and studies lump these women together as Asian American, but each ethnicity is distinct. Each has its own language, culture, belief system and behaviors. These are factors that mediate health behaviors, and we must understand them if we are going to close any health disparity.”

Additionally, through this research, Dr. Hahm also hopes to uncover how depression and acculturation influence HIV/STI risk behaviors among young API women, as well as gender roles, relationship power and engagement in HIV/STI risk behaviors. Working with six community centers in Boston, Dr. Hahm and her team will interview Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese women, and ultimately, make recommendations for effective intervention and treatment.

As part of the grant, Dr. Hahm will also have a mentoring team, including Dr. Lena Lundgren, research director at the School of Social Work and director of the Center for Addictions Research and Services, as well as Drs. Lee Strunin and Timothy Heeren at the School of Public Health.

Learn more about Dr. Hahm’s work.

Alumni Association's First Thursday Lecture on EBP Announced

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

The Greater Boston Chapter of the Boston University School of Social Work Alumni Association will hold a First Thursday Program, "Where is Social Work Going? Evidence-Based Practice versus Clinical Wisdom," on December 3, from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. in room 206 at Boston University Photonics Center, 8 St. Mary's Street, Boston.

Join fellow alumni, students, faculty and community members for a panel presentation and open dialogue on the use of evidenced-based practice (EBP) in social work settings. Panel members will discuss the challenges and successes of implementing EBPs in their work settings, and in discussion will address the following questions: As a social worker, should you be concerned with EBP? What makes an intervention evidenced-based? What are the implications for our work with clients and communities? Where do you go to find EBP training?

Panel moderator:
Maryann Amodeo, PhD, Professor, Clinical Practice; Chair, Clinical Practice; Co-Director, Center for Addiction Research and Services, Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW).

Featured Panel Members:

Mark Gianino, PhD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Clinical Practice, BUSSW

Janine Anzalota LICSW, MPH; Director, Coordinated Social Support & Training, Community Initiatives Bureau, Boston Public Health Commission

Beth Flanzbaum, LICSW; Assistant Director of Outpatient Services at Y.O.U., Inc. (Youth Opportunities Upheld, Inc.) in Worcester, MA

Jessica Aguilera-Steinert, MSW; Director of Client Services, Prevention and Access to Care and Treatment (PACT), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Partners in Health, Dorchester MA

Paris to Unravel Best Ways to Treat Traumatic Stress in Children

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

Ruth Paris, PhD

Boston University School of Social Work announces today that Assistant Professor Ruth Paris, PhD will lead an evaluation study of Project BRIGHT (Building Resilience through Intervention: Growing Healthier Together), a new family-centered program for children suffering from traumatic stress due to a parent’s substance abuse. As part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for $1.2 M, the project will span three years.

Steketee Awarded 2010 Rosen Lectureship

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Boston University School of Social Work Dean Gail Steketee has been awarded the 2010 Aaron Rosen Lecture Award from the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR). This prestigious award recognizes a leading social work scholar who has accumulated a body of significant and innovative scholarship relevant to practice, the research base for practice, or effective utilization of research in practice. As recipient of this award, Dean Steketee will deliver a lecture at the 2010 SSWR Annual Conference in San Francisco.

Shared Dean Steketee, "I am simply delighted to receive this honor and hope I can do Dr. Rosen justice with my lecture. It is a special pleasure to give this Lecture at SSWR where I am a founding member from its inception 15 years ago through the foresight of Janet Williams who was a social work pioneer in mental health and its treatment. I am also indebted to my many psychology and psychiatry collaborators for this honor."

In addition to leading the School of Social Work, Dean Steketee is one of the nation’s leading researchers and clinicians who specializes in the treatment of compulsive hoarding. Two of her most recent books are Buried in treasures: Help for compulsive hoarding (with David Tolin and Randy Frost), and Compulsive hoarding and acquiring, a therapist’s guide and client workbook (with Randy Frost).

Established by the Society for Social Work and Research, in conjunction with the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, the Aaron Rosen Lecture Award honors the lifetime achievement of Dr. Rosen and provides the SSWR membership with an annual scholarly lecture that furthers the field’s focus on the integration of practice and research.

Learn more about Dean Steketee’s research.

Unprecedented student representation at upcoming APHA Conference

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Public health and social work share a historic mission: to promote social justice and to protect and enhance community well being. Boston University is one of the oldest graduate programs offering a dual degree in social work and public health. With almost 300 alumni and 48 current students, the MSW/MPH program at BU is a vibrant place to study. The program aims to enable students to complete both degrees, emerging with the skills, knowledge and professionalism to succeed in many different areas of public health and social work, as well as in the growing and distinct discipline of public health social work (PHSW).

The MSW/MPH program takes students’ needs to develop as professionals seriously, and works closely with them to become leaders. Below is a list of the work current students and alumni have done, a testament to the quality of our students and the program's commitment to excellence.

These students will be presenting their work at the most important public health event of the year: The 137th Annual Meeting and Exposition hosted by the American Public Health Association (APHA). The event will take place in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, November 7-11, 2009.

Attend their presentations and find out why the MSW/MPH program at BU is shaping the next generation of PHSW leaders.