WalletHub: Prof. Lombe on How States Can Support Underprivileged Children
In an article evaluating the best and worst states for underprivileged children in 2022, WalletHub interviews Margaret Lombe, PhD, an associate professor at Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW), to help answer critical questions about barriers and opportunities for reducing inequalities among children.
Excerpted from “2022’s States with the Most Underprivileged Children” by Adam McCann, originally published in WalletHub (Aug. 10, 2022):
Elected officials, for the most part, have an understanding of the needs of underprivileged children. The political will to act on behalf of these children, however, appears to be missing … [It’s] typical during times of tragedy involving a child that the media, the general public and policymakers talk about the wellbeing of children. Yet, even such issues do not always receive sustained attention. The cost of failing children through abuse and neglect is high and far reaching.
An expert in social work and global health equity, Prof. Lombe is director of BUSSW’s BRIDGE Program and a faculty affiliate at the School’s Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health (CISWH). Her research focuses on advancing the wellbeing of marginalized communities and bringing about system-level change through social and economic justice, empowerment, and participatory democracy. She is an advisor to the United Nations, a mayoral appointee to the Ryan White Planning Council for the Boston Public Health Commission, and co-editor of the Global Health Series book “Children and AIDS: Sub-Saharan Africa.”
Check out the full WalletHub article here.