Lead Story

HBRT Director Dr. Mary Velasquez discussed cannabis use in pregnancy in a new episode of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) podcast, Social Work Talks. Dr. Velasquez was joined by Dr. Roger Zoorob, a subject matter expert for the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and the Richard M. Kleberg Senior Professor and Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Their conversation was moderated by NASW Senior Practice Associate, Makeba Royall.

In the episode, Drs. Velasquez and Zoorob discuss their growing concerns about cannabis use in pregnancy and its potential harms due to increased use among young people, including women who are or may become pregnant, because of its legalization in many states. They also discuss the risks of cannabis use to a developing baby, which can include low birth weight and a higher risk of stillbirth. Exposure to cannabis in utero may also lead to problems with memory, attention and behavior in children as they develop. Another important topic was social workers’ essential role in prevention, including having conversations with clients about cannabis use, and conducting screening with all clients, including women who are pregnant.

UT Austin, NASW, and AAFP are all partners in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiative to address cannabis and other substance use during pregnancy. This collaboration is the only one of its kind to put social work at the center of prevention practice, along with colleagues in pediatrics, obstetrics-gynecology, nursing, and medical assisting.

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Cannabis Use in Pregnancy (NASW Social Work Talks podcast)

HBRT Teams with CDC and NASW to Address Prenatal Substance Use

Cannabis: As Drug Becomes More Mainstream, Experts Sound the Alarm About its Dangers (NASW Social Work Advocates)

Cannabis Use in Pregnancy (AAFP, Family Practice Management)

The Health Behavior Research and Training Institute (HBRT) team presented at two sessions of the 2025 Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) International Research Conference in Seattle.

HBRT Co-Directors Drs. Mary Velasquez and Kirk von Sternberg presented “Preventing Substance Exposed Pregnancies (SEPs): Results of Two Randomized Clinical Trials,” which showcased findings from HBRT’s CHOICES Plus studies.

Anna Mangum, MSW, MPH, Senior Health Strategist at HBRT, presented on a panel showcasing the many SEP prevention and other resources developed in collaboration with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) as members of the FASD National Partner Network, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Network’s collaboration and resulting resources aim to help prevent alcohol and other substance use during pregnancy and provide care for individuals with FASDs and their families across the lifespan.

Since 2014, HBRT and NASW have worked together with support from CDC to train and educate social workers in the prevention of alcohol-exposed pregnancy and FASDs. Under the current four-year grant, HBRT and NASW have continued their partnership to address alcohol use as well as other substance use during pregnancy.

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HBRT Teams with CDC and NASW to Address Prenatal Substance Use

Cannabis Use During Pregnancy (NASW Social Work Talks podcast)

Preventing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (NASW Social Work Talks podcast)

Danielle Parrish, Ph.D., MSW, has been appointed Associate Director of the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute (HBRT) and Professor at The University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin) Steve Hicks School of Social Work (SHS).

She brings an impressive research and clinical background in substance use disorders and behavioral health to HBRT and SHS – where she earned her doctorate in 2008. Parrish was previously the director of the Baylor IMPACT Lab – Houston and professor at the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University. She is the current editor-in-chief of the Journal of Social Work Education, and co-author of Practical Implementation in Social Work Practice, published by Oxford University Press. She earned her BA and MSW at California State University in Fresno.

Parrish’s return to UT-Austin represents a homecoming of sorts, as she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at HBRT under the supervision of Drs. Mary Velasquez and Kirk von Sternberg. In addition, Dr. von Sternberg and Dr. Parrish are currently co-principal investigators (PIs) on the National Institutes on Drug Abuse-funded study, “CHOICES-TEEN: Efficacy of a Bundled Risk Reduction Intervention for Juvenile Justice Females.” The $3.2 million award tests the efficacy of the CHOICES intervention to reduce risk of alcohol- and marijuana-exposed pregnancy in adolescent women on probation.

Along with her role as PI on CHOICES-TEEN, Parrish has five other active research grants, totaling more than $5.5 million in funding. And she’s brought along her research team from Baylor to HBRT. Jillian Landers and Flor Avellaneda are continuing in their roles as postdoctoral fellows, while Cherise Williams is joining HBRT as a project coordinator/behavioral health specialist and Emily Lawrence is joining as a research associate/behavioral health specialist.

As Associate Director of HBRT, Parrish looks forward to collaborating closely with Drs. Velasquez and von Sternberg in conceptualizing new, innovative research that addresses substance use and substance-exposed pregnancy prevention. She is also interested in identifying new prevention approaches informed by the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior of Change, as well as expanding the reach of prevention and health behavior change interventions using technology.

“This invitation to work in a leadership capacity with Drs. Velasquez and von Sternberg is, in short, a dream come true for me,” Parrish said. “I deeply value the intentional interdisciplinary, cross-institution research they do that has had such broad impact on the field…[T]hey have created an institute that not only conducts high-quality intervention research, but that also moves these findings into broad community impact through training, the development of high-quality training resources, and sharing of their knowledge and expertise with frontline practitioners. This approach aligns deeply with my own passion as a social work researcher, which is why I am so thrilled to have this opportunity to join this HBRT leadership team.”

HBRT’s Diana Ling and Anna Mangum and partners from the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) exhibited their work on two Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded projects at the 2024 NASW National Conference in Washington, D.C., June 19-22.

Materials shared from HBRT’s $1.3 million award to address substance-exposed pregnancy include a badge card to help social workers discuss alcohol use with clients and a pocket card on alcohol screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment. They also shared an opportunity to join a national network of social work partners to prevent substance-exposed pregnancy. In addition, HBRT and NASW showcased their work on Connect to End COVID-19, a $3.3 million initiative to support social workers and their clients in informed vaccine decision-making, which includes seven NASW national webinars and 25 NASW state chapter trainings.

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HBRT Teams with CDC and NASW to Address Prenatal Substance Use

HBRT Partners with CDC and NASW to Promote COVID-19 Vaccination

HBRT’s Dr. Mary Velasquez, Dr. Kirk von Sternberg, Anna Mangum and Diana Ling attended the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Partners Meeting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, where they presented their work with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) on the CDC grant, “Engaging Social Workers in Preventing Alcohol- and Other Substance-Exposed Pregnancies (SEPs).” Makeba Royall, NASW’s primary liaison on the project, also attended, highlighting social work’s critical role in primary prevention of SEPs.

The meeting, which was held April 25-26, had four main objectives:

1. Facilitate a common understanding of key priorities and focus across FASD partner groups.
2. Showcase key accomplishments and progress on project activities.
3. Cultivate and strengthen relationships to identify opportunities for collaboration within and across partner groups.
4. Provide opportunities for specific discussions about progress, ways to overcome challenges, and future activities.

Other grantees at the meeting included the American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and FASD United.

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HBRT Teams with CDC and NASW to Address Prenatal Substance Use

HBRT recently filmed a series of videos demonstrating motivational interviewing (MI) and screening and brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) in inpatient hospitals.

The videos demonstrate MI and SBIRT for alcohol, opioid and marijuana use, and are aimed at health care professionals, including physicians, nurses, and social workers. The series will feature an introduction with HBRT director Mary Velasquez in conversation with Carlo DiClemente, co-developer of the Transtheoretical Model of Change. More information coming soon!