Aug. 25, 2022
Stepping In2Action for former inmates
Dan Hanneken photo by Rob Hill Dan Hanneken knows all too well that releasing a person from prison doesn’t free him from the problems, habits and environment that led to incarceration. Before learning that lesson, the assistant teaching professor in the School of Social Work served three sentences as a violent offender. Today, Hanneken, BSW ’06, MSW ’08, not only turns life experiences into teachable moments for social work students but also helps newly released inmates get back on their feet. In2Action, the residential transition program he founded and directs, provides drug-free housing for up to 50 former offenders…
Aug. 25, 2022
Location matters: Neighborhood shapes youth exposure to firearm violence and substance use
Illustration by Blake Dinsdale A youngster’s neighborhood often shapes their exposure to firearm violence or substance use — situations that raise their risk of becoming homeless, says Hsun-Ta Hsu, associate professor of social work. For earlier studies on suicide and HIV prevention among people experiencing homelessness, Hsu walked block by block identifying signs of blight — broken windows, sidewalks in disrepair, piles of garbage — because neighborhood-level data are difficult to find. The scarcity of information prevented him from conducting research on a larger scale. To help remedy the problem, Hsu and Jianlin Cheng of the College of Engineering developed…
Aug. 24, 2022
Bill Janes awarded $760,000 grant to advance ALS research and intervention
The Department of Defense awarded Bill Janes, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, a two-year $760,000 grant, alongside his collaborators at the University of Missouri, to advance ALS prevention and early intervention. This interdisciplinary project will combine an in-home sensor system, wearable smartwatch and electronic medical records to predict health outcomes for people living with ALS. “We are hopeful that this project can close a critical gap in ALS care. If we are successful, this system could help interdisciplinary ALS care teams to identify changes in health status before someone with ALS winds up sick, hospitalized or…
Aug. 24, 2022
An innovative model of social work
At the Integrative Behavioral Health Clinic, graduate students get real-world experience working with clients.
Aug. 24, 2022
Mizzou Social Work: Now and looking ahead
The School of Social Work plans reach out to ever broader bases of students and clients.
Aug. 24, 2022
Not just in case
Over the past century, social work has expanded to be about much more than casework.
Aug. 22, 2022
Botswana Blackburn named Health Sciences department chair
The MU School of Health Professions is pleased to announce that Botswana Toney Blackburn, PhD, has been named chair of the Department of Health Sciences (DHS). She has served as associate department chair since 2020. In addition to her role as department chair, Dr. Blackburn is a teaching professor and Honors-affiliated faculty member. “I am most excited about continuing to work with my DHS colleagues to teach the next generation of health care professionals,” Dr. Blackburn said. “By standing steady in times of change, I can help foster and build a collaborative learning environment between faculty, staff and students.” Dr.
Aug. 22, 2022
Kelli Canada receives grant for community-engaged research
Kelli Canada, associate professor in School of Social Work, received $10,000 from Washington University’s Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences for her project aiming to build a community-engaged research course for staff at Moberly Correctional Center and those who are incarcerated there. The project is titled “Improving Prison Living and Working Conditions through Community Based Participatory Research.” This mini class on research basics will engage its students with the skills they need to engage in the co-creation of interventions, testable research questions, research projects, grants and dissemination products. The project is in partnership with Dana Plunkett-Cafourek at the Missouri Department…
Aug. 12, 2022
Jo Britt-Rankin wins national Priester Award for Health Leadership
MU Extension and Health Sciences professor Jo Britt-Rankin was awarded the Jeanne M. Priester Award for Health Leadership during the National Health Outreach Conference. This award recognizes exemplary, impactful leadership in health and wellness, which Dr. Britt-Rankin exemplified during her tenure in the U.S. Department of Agriculture advancing health education within the Cooperative Extension System. Congratulations, Dr. Britt-Rankin!…
July 25, 2022