In addition to leading the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, Dean Luis H. Zayas is a proud active mental health practitioner. In this role, he is an expert in the mental health evaluations of immigrant families facing deportation as well as refugee and asylum-seeking mothers and children in detention centers. Last September, Dean Zayas […]
Spring 2020
Older adults and marijuana
The latest surveys and research indicate that marijuana acceptance and use among older adults are increasing. Explanations for this trend include the aging of the Baby Boomers—whose attitudes toward psychoactive drugs are more relaxed than those of their predecessors—and the growing number of states with medical and recreational marijuana use laws. And yet, despite this […]
Being first-gen
The transition from high school to UT Austin wasn’t easy for social work major Grace Farley. As a first-generation college student, the application process was a challenge in itself. But becoming a full-time student brought even more stress and pressure. Farley eventually learned that adjusting to college life isn’t an overnight process. She is now […]
American dream at stake
Master’s student Anayeli Marcos was one of four Dreamers interviewed by USA Today last November, when the U.S. Supreme Court took up the Trump administration’s plan to end DACA. This program (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA) was established during the Obama administration. It has provided a reprieve for some undocumented immigrants who, like Marcos, […]
Collaboration with Chile
Professor Rubén Parra-Cardona co-led the training of the first generation of Chilean interventionists in GenerationPMTO. This is an evidence-based, structured intervention designed to help parents strengthen families at all levels. The Chilean trainees will become certified in culturally adapted versions of this intervention.
A bittersweet burden
Doctoral student Christian Vazquez is part of an interdisciplinary team that received the President’s Award for Global Learning in Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean region for 2020. The team will receive up to $25,000 and fully-funded travel to implement the project, “A bittersweet burden: Understanding causes and consequences of diabetes complications using design-thinking in Puebla, Mexico.”
Advocacy matters
Professor Michele Rountree is one of the co-instructors of Community Classroom, a UT Austin initiative that offers advocacy training and resources for concerned residents in low-income neighborhoods. Spearheaded by the Center for Community Engagement, this eight-week course cost $50 or less (depending on financial circumstances), and there’s only one prerequisite: a passion for making a […]
New LGBTQ-affirming training curriculum for healthcare settings
In 2016, researcher Amy Lodge from the Steve Hicks’ Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health administered a survey to staff at Texas local mental health authorities. The goal was to assess providers’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes on culturally affirming care to LGBTQ populations. Lodge found that a majority of providers felt that gender identity […]
Health and Latino children with IDD
Children and adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the United States are more likely to be obese than non-disabled children. In addition, Latino children have higher rates of obesity than white children. Despite these disparities, there is very limited research on health and obesity among Latino children and adolescents with IDD. Professor Sandy Magaña […]
A second chance
Social work major Qusay Hussein was featured on a Guardian article about people who are given a second chance in life. Hussein, a native of Iraq, suffered life-threatening injuries as the victim of a suicide bombing in 2006, when he was 17 years old. He lost half of his face and his vision. He came […]