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GCSW in the News

Enacting Better Laws Advocating with Survivors of Human Trafficking: MSW Student Rhonda Kuykendall
UH GCSW Student Rhonda Kuykendall shares her work to enact better laws advocating with survivors of human trafficking. As a survivor, she has spent decades working with TDCJ Parole Division to keep her trafficker in prison. She shares the work being done at Crimestoppers of Houston, allowing victims of crime to record their parole hearing testimony so they do not have to endure added trauma.

The Daily Cougar: UH College of Medicine’s Household Centered Care Program
Assistant Professor Chiara Acquati and Bernice Hernandez Becerra (MSW '16) are featured in a The Cougar highlighting the Household Centered Care Program, a collaborative program with the UH College of Medicine, College of Nursing, the GCSW, and the University of Houston-Downtown's BSW Program led by Dr. Dawn McCarty (MSW '95/ PhD '02).

Paths in Progress: Melanie Pang
Clinical Assistant Professor Melanie Pang (MSW '12) is featured in this podcast interview about her experiences as a professor, community organizer, and social worker.
BLACK IN AMERICA: COVID-19, Police Brutality, and Mental Health
Podcast interview with Dr. Sheara Jennings about her research collaboration with the Center for Justice Research exploring racial, social justice, economic, and health disparities brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oprah Talks with Brené Brown About the Power of Being Able to Name Your Emotions
Endowed Professor Brené Brown and Oprah's discussion touches on fear, building deeper connections, the state of our country, and much more ahead of Brown's her latest publication "Atlas of the Heart." 
Associate Professor Nicole Bromfield and Professor Allen Rubin were recognized by the University of Houston's 50-in 5 Campaign.
We Cannot Forget the Vulnerable Children of Afghanistan
Article penned by Associate Professor Dr. Nicole Bromfield in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on how to help vulnerable children in Afghanistan:
Brené Brown’s Empire of Emotion
How a Texan’s stories teach a nation to be vulnerable.
 
Three Professors Recognized in UH's 50-in-5 Initiative
Associate Professors Samira Ali, McClain Sampson, and Sarah Narendorf were recognized this year for the Grant Awards they received for their projects, centers, and initiatives. 
October 26, 2021
 
GCSW Professors Robin Gearing, Monit Cheung and Sarah Narendorf joined Dr. David Buck, senior author of the study and associate dean for community health at the UH College of Medicine in a study highlighting the possibilities of partnership health care. 
October 21, 2021
 
Mary R. Lewis Endowed Professor in Children and Youth Monit Cheung and PhD student Yu-Ju Hwang authored a study highlighting how animated movies can serve as valuable tools for parents and counselors alike to improve communication with children about tough issues.
October 14, 2021
 
$1.9M Grant to Bolster Behavioral Health Workforce
Associate Professor McClain Sampson has received a $1.9 million grant to train more social work and counseling psychology clinicians to deliver culturally competent behavioral health services in medical settings, addressing a critical statewide shortage of mental health professionals through the GLOBE program. 
August 12, 2021
 
HIV Organizations Pen Open Letter to DaBaby
Eleven national LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS organizations including SUSTAIN Wellbeing COMPASS Coordinating Center's Director/Assistant Professor Samira Ali and PhD Candidate Bec Sokha Keo signed an open letter to rapper DaBaby in the wake of recent homophobic statements and awkward attempts at apologies, requesting a private meeting to discuss the facts about HIV and how it is a preventable and treatable condition. READ the open letter via Variety, THR, USA Today, Out Magazine, and Rolling Stone
August 4, 2021
 
Health Affairs: Many US Citizen Migrant Children Living In Mexico Have Inadequate Health Coverage
Assistant Professor Sharon Borja leads a Health Affairs published research study with Associate Professor Jodi Berger Cardoso and PhD Candidate Natalia Girlardo Santiago looking into health care for U.S. citizen children who live south of the border. LISTEN to the podcast. READ the feature by the University of Houston.
July 27, 2021
 
Led by Assistant Professor Samira Ali, the SUSTAIN Wellbeing COMPASS Coordinating Center has received $2.9 million to combat the spread of HIV in the South as part of the new phase of funding for the Gilead COMPASS Initiative®.
July 15, 2021

Assistant Professor Quenette Walton, principal investigator and lead author of a study published in Child & Youth Care Forum, evaluated and identified effective strategies that can be used by health care professionals to improve mental health outcomes among low-income communities. 
July 3, 2021
 
UH Research: Understanding Mental Health Stigma in the Jewish Community
Professor Robin Gearing and his team are conducting research to better understand the stigma of receiving mental health assistance within the Jewish community of Houston.  
May 30, 2021
 
UH Research: Reduce Justice System Involvement for Individuals with Mental Illness
Assistant Professor Juan Barthelemy and Professor Robin Gearing are collaborating with the Fort Bend County Behavior Health Services to reduce those that have mental health or substance abuse problems from justice system involvement. 
May 29, 2021
 
Houston Public Media: UH Moment
Associate Professor McClain Sampson was featured as part of HPM's UH Moment highlighting her work to combat infant and maternal mortality rates in Houston as part of UH Healthy Start Initiative.
May 28, 2021
 
The Cougar: Feminist Writer Talks Social Work at Virtual Event
Feminist writer, public speaker, and community activist Feminista Jones answered questions about mental health and the experiences that families go through as part of the GCSW's Eyes On Abolition series. 
April 2, 2021
 
Harvard Political Review: From the Border, into Foster Care
Associate Professor Jodi Berger Cardoso is featured in this article exploring the crisis at the southern border and the issues of migrant children being sponsored into the U.S. foster care system. 
March 19, 2021

UH Healthy Start Initiative Entered the Healthy Start Family in 2019 
Associate Professor and Principal Investigator of the UH Healthy Start Initiative, Dr. McClain Sampson, and Program Manager Eulalia Gillum are interviewed about the largest program in Houston designed to explicitly address these longstanding perinatal health disparities. 
March 1, 2021
 
Indo American News: UH Receives $5 Million To Combat HIV/AIDS
Assistant Professor and Director of the SUSTAIN Wellbeing COMPASS Coordinating Center Samira Ali was recently awarded $5 million from Gilead Sciences to continue their work in combatting the challenges in treating and addressing HIV/AIDS in the south.
February 24, 2021

Houston Chronicle: UH Gets $5 Million To Combat HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the South
Assistant Professor and Director of the SUSTAIN Wellbeing COMPASS Coordinating Center Samira Ali was recently awarded $5 million from Gilead Sciences to continue their work in combatting the challenges in treating and addressing HIV/AIDS in the south.
February 24, 2021

NBC: Study Finds Latino Students Live In Fear Even When Deportations Are Low
Associate Professor Jodi Berger Cardoso co-authored a recent study that found that students in Rhode Island and Texas experience a heightened sense of anxiety and other mental health issues when immigration policies are negative and strongly enforced. 
September 1, 2020
 
Houston Public Media: Two-Thirds of Harris County Latino Students Fear the Deportation of Someone They Know 
Associate Professor Jodi Berger Cardoso worked on a recent report that surveyed the effects of anti-immigration rhetoric on Latino high school students.
September 1, 2020

SOCIAL RESPONSE: UH Graduate College Social Work Launches Mask Drive
Graduate College of Social Work alumni, faculty, and staff launch mask drive creating and delivering hundreds of masks to Houston Agencies and Social Workers.  
April 29, 2020

Donna Amstberg, Clinical Assistant Professor Director, Trauma Education Program discusses the effects of social isolation on families and the need for more resources in Texas.
April 28, 2020

Donna Amstberg, Clinical Assistant Professor Director, Trauma Education Program shares how Stay-at-home orders that keep families in close confinement can increase tensions in even the most harmonious relationships.
April 7, 2020
 
Here's What to do if You're Stuck with an Abuser: Isaiah Factor Uncensored FOX 26 News
Watch Alum Chau Nguyen (MSW '10) sat down with Isaiah Carey to discuss a few tips to have in mind if you need to flee a domestic violence situation quickly.
April 3, 2020
 
Need for Support Groups During COVID-19 Outbreak
Watch Alum Liza Barros Lane (PhD ’18) Assistant Professor of Social Work, UHD talk to FOX 26 Houston about Solidarity Circles, a support group to help community members connect with each other and cope with the extraordinary circumstances surrounding COVID-19. The project was created by faculty and students at University of Houston-Downtown's Social Work Program.
April 3, 2020
 
Brené Brown: The 60 Minutes Interview
Brené Brown, the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair in the Graduate College of Social Work sat down with Bill Withacre of 60 Minutes to discuss the success of her books, online lectures, her newly launched podcast and why people should not associate vulnerability with weakness.
March 29, 2020
 
How are we Protecting the Jail Population from Coronavirus?: The Isiah Factor Uncensored FOX 26
Dean Alan Dettlaff recently discussed the need to protect the Harris County Jail population from a COVID-19 outbreak by releasing inmates and suspending arrests in non-violent crimes. 
March 26, 2020
 
Coronavirus Will Hit Houston Jails Hard Unless We Release Low-Risk Inmates and Suspend Arrests of Nonviolent Offenders [Opinion]
Dean Alan Dettlaff recently published opinion piece in the Houston Chronicle calls for action from state and local officials to save the lives of vulnerable prison populations as the spread of coronavirus worsens.
March 25, 2020