Category: Lead Story

Dr. Kirk von Sternberg, Professor and Co-Director of the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute, was selected as a 2026 National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Social Work Pioneer, a prestigious honor recognizing his significant contributions to the social work profession and outstanding service as a role model to future generations of social workers. As a…

HBRT Director Mary M. Velasquez has been named the inaugural Lori Holleran Steiker Endowed Faculty Chair in Substance Use and Recovery by The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work. The $3.5 million gift from Revolution Recovery (formerly known as Austin Recovery) provides permanent support for excellence in research, teaching and programming in…

HBRT Associate Director Dr. Danielle Parrish has been selected as a Fellow in the prestigious American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW). Dr. Parrish also serves as the Steve Hicks Professor in Addictions and Substance Abuse Services at The University of Austin School of Social Work. AASWSW is a national leader in social…

The HBRT team published “Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) for Risky Alcohol and Other Substance Use: Best Practices for the Prevention and Treatment of Substance-Exposed Pregnancy in Girls and Women of Reproductive Age,” in the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Fall 2025 Practice Perspectives newsletter. The article adapts a recent literature…

The Health Behavior Research and Training Institute team and partners from NASW and NASW Foundation participated in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Impact Week in Washington, D.C. HBRT presented, “Strengthening Social Work Education to Prevent Substance-Exposed Pregnancy,” at the Impact Week poster reception and also took part in the FASD National Partner Network meeting for…