NASW Legislative Advocacy and Education Day in Harrisburg an uplifting experience for students and faculty

NASW Legislative Education and Advocacy Day (LEAD) 2024 brought dozens of Pitt Social Work students, staff, and faculty to Harrisburg on Tuesday March 19th, 2024. The group, led by Field Assistant Professor Alicia Melnick offered the students a unique opportunity to meet with state representatives and advocates from across the state. The group marched with other advocates from City Island to State Capital, listened to a group of Legislative aides and a representatives speak about passing two bills on increasing minimum wage to $15 and pushing for multi-state licensure, and met with State Representative Dan Frankel. Read the story, hear from students, and see photos from the event.

Two professors promoted

Congratulations to new Associate Professors Nev Jones and Leah Jacobs! Their new appointments will begin in September.

Jones Conference Chair for 2024 ISPS-US Annual Conference

Assistant Professor Nev Jones is the conference chair for the 2024 ISPS-US Annual Conference, ' New Beginnings: Reimagining Psychosis Services & Systems in the US', to be held here in Pittsburgh, Nov. 1st-3rd and the RFP is now available. This ISPS-US annual conference aims to generate substantive conversation about the current state of psychosis and inspire thoughtful conversations about future change. Panels and presentations will feature leaders across the areas of activism/advocacy, research, policy, and clinical practice.

Introducing the 2024 Community Engaged Scholarship Forum honorees

Read the Pittwire story about this year's CSEF honorees including Dr. Aliya Durham and the CHURCH Project. Read more.

Year of Discourse and Dialogue will continue into 2024-25

Several School of Social Work faculty, staff, and doctoral students received funding in the second round including: Stephanie Eckstrom, Daniel Abusuampeh, Sommer Blair, and Cruzilious Contreras-Amezuca. Read a full list of projects in the University Times.

BASW student will represent Pitt at the 2024 ACC Meeting of the Minds

Five undergraduate students will represent the University of Pittsburgh at the 2024 ACC Meeting of the Minds, which is being held April 5-7 at the University of Notre Dame. One of those is BASW student Priya Gupta, presenting “From Resource Scarcity to Psychological Toll: Challenges Faced by Mental Health Crisis Workers”

The annual research conference features diverse avenues of creative inquiry at the 15 Atlantic Coast Conference member schools. Read more.

From Practice-to-Research-to-Practice: Leveraging Reciprocal Partnerships to Advance Racial Justice in Education Across Contexts and Ecological Levels

In their new study ‘From Practice-to-Research-to-Practice: Leveraging Reciprocal Partnerships to Advance Racial Justice in Education Across Contexts and Ecological Levels’, James P. Huguley, Cecily D. Davis, Esther M. Stief, Rachelle H. Haynik, Monica A. Henderson, Bianca R. DeBellis, Sommer O. Blair, Anthony P. Williams, Marcia M. Sturdivant, Darryl T. Wiley, and Melvin C. Cherry explore racialized barriers to Black student success in the Greater Pittsburgh area in both public and private school contexts. The researchers focus on barriers such as: limited rigor; teacher quality; racism from adults; racism from peers; and economic and social isolation. They then highlight how parent involvement and community partnerships such as the Pittsburgh College Access Alliance (PCAA) can ameliorate those barriers, and how findings from this study are fueling the next phase of the PCAA work. Read more.

There goes the neighborhood? The public safety enhancing effects of a mobile harm reduction intervention

In their new study ‘There goes the neighborhood? The public safety enhancing effects of mobile harm reduction intervention’, authors Alex L. Fixler, Leah A. Jacobs, Daniel B. Jones, Aaron Arnold, and Emily E. Underwood test the impact of four mobile buprenorphine clinics in Pittsburgh on neighborhood arrest rates. Although buprenorphine is a gold-standard medication for opioid use disorders (MOUD), many people with these disorders do not access it, and one of the barriers to access has historically been a “not in my backyard” (NIMBY) resistance to substance use service sites. Chief among NIMBY concerns is that substance use services will increase crime rates where they are placed. However, the results of this study indicate that these concerns may be unfounded. Read more.

Symptom contributors to quality of life in schizophrenia: Exploratory factor and network analyses

While many evidence-based practices (EBPs) devote significant effort to reducing positive symptomatology for those experiencing schizophrenia and associated disorders, emerging research argues that other symptoms, (such as cognitive deficits, negative symptoms, and affective symptoms), are more likely to impact quality of life (QoL) Findings suggest that strongest indicators of QoL are negative and affective symptoms rather than the commonly treated positive symptoms. Providers and researchers should prioritize the development and implementation of interventions that address the entire spectrum of schizophrenia symptoms to effectively promote the highest possible QoL for those experiencing schizophrenia. Read this publication by authors Samuel M. Murphy, Ana T. Flores, Jessica A. Wojtalik, Matcheri S. Keshavan, and Shaun M. Eack.

Using EMA to explore the role of Black adolescents' experiences in activity spaces in momentary negative emotion and marijuana use

In her new study ‘Using EMA to explore the role of Black adolescents' experiences in activity spaces in momentary negative emotion and marijuana use’, Jaime M. Booth explores the impact of daily racism for Black youth, and how these stressful experiences can influence patterns of marijuana use. She also highlights the mediating effect of social support on marijuana use for Black adolescents. Findings in this study suggest that youth use more marijuana on days that they experience spaces that are violent or racist, and that they may be using marijuana to cope with the stress that arises when they are inhabiting those spaces. Read more.

Infant oral health education curriculum for medical, nursing, and social work trainees

In their recently published study ‘Infant oral health education curriculum for medical, nursing, and social work trainees’, Jacqueline M. Burgette, Emyli Peralta, Cynthia Chew, Katherine I. Watson, Alene M. D'Alesio, and Daniel Rosen showcase the impact of a program on infant oral

health for trainees in social work, nursing, medicine, and dentistry. Participants were presented with information on topics such as what causes cavities, as well as strategies for dealing compassionately with client fears. The study met with an overall positive response, and points to future opportunities for interprofessional learning. Read more.

Alumnus appointed to University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees

MSW alumnus and State Representative Aerion A. Abney, D-Allegheny, has been appointed as a Commonwealth Trustee on the University of Pittsburgh’s Board of Trustees. Read more.

CASA hosting MelRo, 'Trauma to Triumph' at UPB tomorrow

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of McKean County will host internationally recognized speaker MelissaRoshan (MelRo) Potter at Pitt-Bradford on Tuesday, in recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month.

MelRo’s keynote presentation, “Trauma to Triumph,” will take place 6 to 8 p.m. at Harriett B. Wick Chapel. This event is co-sponsored by the School of Social Work. Read more.

Alumnus named Catholic Central High School principal

MSW alumnus Thomas "Bo" Graham was named principal at Catholic Central High School A Steubenville resident who has been a deacon in the church since 2016, Graham will bring many decades of experience to the position. He served as a full-time professor at the Franciscan University of Steubenville for 30 years and as dean of academics at Eastern Gateway Community College for five years. and Bishop John King Mussio Junior High School. Read more.

Pitt Tonight dedicates an evening of laughter to Women’s History Month

The Frick Fine Arts auditorium reverberated with the infectious laughter of a jubilant audience. In a celebration of Women’s History Month, female writers assumed full control of the March 23 episode of Pitt Tonight. Maggie Packard, a senior social work major and a writer for Pitt Tonight, said the sketches aim not only to entertain, but also to resonate with women on a personal level. She said humor is certainly a key component of the skits, but each joke is crafted with an underlying message. Read more in the Pitt News.

¡TUMBAO! Celebration of Afro-Latin Music Comes to Resonance Works in April

Resonance Works will present ¡Tumbao! A Celebration of Afro-Latin Music, which takes place at 3:00PM on Sunday, April 28, 2024, at the First United Methodist Church, Bloomfield. This interactive recital, curated by acclaimed soprano and activist and MSW alumna Zuly Inirio, redefines traditional perceptions of the classical vocal music landscape. She will be joined by two fellow Pittsburgh-based artists, pianist Amaury Morales and percussionist Hugo Cruz.

Racial Equity Consciousness Institute (RECI) Facilitators Academy - Save the Date (July 15-19)

Join us for an immersive, empowering, and transformative experience at the RECI Facilitators Academy from July 15 - 19 at the University of Pittsburgh’s Center on Race and Social Problems. This five-day train-the-trainer program prepares participants to become certified facilitators of RECI’s Structured Cognitive Behavioral Training (SCBT) framework for racial equity consciousness development. Learn how to facilitate our signature cohort learning series, "Illuminating The Vaccine For Racism: Instituting A Structural Cognitive Behavioral Training Framework To Embody Grounded Personal and Collective Racial Equity Consciousness," and empower yourself and others to cultivate equitable, inclusive, and antiracist communities.

Interested? Click here to fill out our Interest Form! Our team will follow up with instructions and details on how to register for the cohort!

Check out this recap video from last year's RECI Facilitators Academy!

Take the Career Center Survey

Calling all University of Pittsburgh Students! Your voice truly matters.

At the Career Center, we are fully committed to continually enhancing your career development experience, and for that, we need YOUR input! To gather valuable insights directly from our student community, the Career Center is excited to launch a new initiative.

🔍 What's happening?

• We’ve designed a quick, 10-minute survey to gather your thoughts and feedback.

🎁 What's in it for you?

• By taking our brief survey, you’ll be entered into a draw where three lucky students will each win a $50 gift card!

Your voice matters! Let's make a difference together!