Communities That Care—a proven youth development model pioneered at the School of Social Work—continues to gain traction nationwide. Colorado is one of the most recent states to commit significant funds to this innovative system, allocating $9.1million over two years, funded by that state’s marijuana tax dollars.
Colorado commits more than $9 million to implement Communities That Care
Innovative Native American health study grounded in community participation
For decades, research on health issues in Native American communities has typically taken the form of medical surveillance. But Native people “are tired of being pathologized,” says Bonnie Duran, who directs the Center for Indigenous Health Research at the School of Social Work's Indigenous Wellness Research Institute (IWRI).
Improving food access and community cohesion for Native Hawaiians
Food access and nutrition among indigenous peoples can be highly dependent on family and community cohesion. This has led innovative researchers, such as incoming School of Social Work professor Michael Spencer, to design population health interventions that are culturally grounded, participatory, and build community capacity and self-reliance.
Dean Uehara selected as Washington state's social work educator of the year
Edwina Uehara, dean of the School of Social Work, was named the 2018 Washington State Social Work Educator of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers. A faculty member since 1990, Dean Uehara is the inaugural holder of the Ballmer Endowed Deanship in Social Work—the first endowed deanship in social work at a public university in the nation.
New research stresses positive aspects of race and culture in developing policy for youth
When researchers or educators talk about achievement gaps and developmental disparities, they invariably place black youth at the top of the list. But zeroing in on the negative factors related to race, ethnicity or culture means that positive connections are often overlooked, according to UW School of Social Work Assistant Professor Charles Lea.