Professor Linda Sprague Martinez & Colleagues Use Virtual Reality to Teach Medical & Social Work Students About Social Health Determinants
Social Determinants of Health (SDoH), a group of factors that includes housing, income, employment, and education, are often the reason for variations in health outcomes and rates of hospitalization. Although SDoH screening during medical visits has been adopted by many health systems, medical education has continued to focus on the identification and treatment of disease […]
BU Researchers & Colleagues Share How to Center Racial Equity in Substance Use Research
One of the most effective ways to improve social work research is to share the unexpected lessons we learn along the way with the greater research community. A recent paper published in the American Journal of Public Health about the Helping to End Addiction Long-Term Communities Study (HEALing Communities Study or HCS) provides an overview […]
NASW Social Work Talks: Kristina Whiton-O’Brien (SSW’95) Discusses Vot-ER, Social Work, & Civic Health
In a recent interview for “Social Work Talks,” the National Association for Social Workers’s podcast, Kristina Whiton-O’Brien (SSW’95) discussed the tools that Vot-ER is providing to social workers and health care providers to promote better civic health. Whiton-O’Brien is a BU School of Social Work alumna, and former assistant director of online advising and field […]
BU Social Work and Medical Students Provide Covid-19 Support Through THRIVE Call Center
At Boston Medical Center (BMC), the region’s largest safety-net hospital, when patients are diagnosed with COVID-19 and sent home to quarantine, they often have concerns that reach far beyond their symptoms. How will they get food and medicine if they can’t leave the house? What if they fall behind on their rent and utilities? These […]
Dean Delva Joins Expert Panel: “Addressing Social Needs to Improve Health” Hosted by UPenn Health Economics Institute, 3/5
Hosted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, “Addressing Social Needs to Improve Health” is a virtual conversation with BU School of Social Work dean Jorge Delva, Caroline Fichtenberg and Kathleen Noonan, moderated by Rachel Werner. Dean Jorge Delva is a nationally recognized expert on substance use disorders and ethnic health […]
Professor Copeland Contributes to Attorney General’s Report Calling for Action on Racial Justice and Equity in Health
Professor Phillipe Copeland, an expert on racial justice, is a key contributor and consultant on the new report, Building Toward Racial Justice and Equity in Health: A Call to Action, issued by Attorney General Maura Healey. The report advances a far-reaching set of recommendations for reducing health inequities that impact communities of color in Massachusetts. […]
A Researcher’s Perspective: Christina Lee, PhD
When Christina Lee, PhD, a licensed psychologist, joined BUSSW as an associate professor in 2019, she brought with her a clear expertise in intervention science, addiction psychology, and health disparities research. As the first director of the Research Core at BUSSW’s Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health, she continues her pioneering work on […]
Using VR to Address Social Determinants of Health
A pilot project co-led by BUSSW professor Linda Sprague Martinez uses virtual reality (VR) as a teaching tool An estimated 70% of variation in health outcomes and rates of hospitalization are attributable to Social Determinants of Health (SDoH), a group of factors that includes housing, income, employment and education. Although SDoH screening during medical visits […]
Public Health Social Work in Action: Bridging Divides to Transform Healthcare
Profile of Bonnie Wennerstrom, MSW, MPH, Healthier Washington Connector, Seattle, WA Bonnie Wennerstrom is a 2011/2012 graduate of the MSW/MPH Program at Boston University, where she majored in Clinical Practice at the School of Social Work and Maternal and Child Health at the School of Public Health. Bonnie chose an MSW/MPH program as a result of […]
HealthCity: The Kind Approach to Engaging People in Treatment for Substance Use Disorder
Alumna Devin Larkin (SSW’07, SPH’09) explains how she’s lowering barriers to care in a new installment of CISWH’s HealthCity series By Mariah LeStage | Article on BMC’s HealthCity Starting on a path to substance use recovery might not begin with checking into detox, or even speaking with a medical professional. It could be as simple […]