The Institute for Collaborative Health Research and Practice partners with many local and national organization in their research and clinical practice.
Interested in affiliating? Contact Qi Chen at qichen@utexas.edu.
Local Affiliations:
Texas Center for Disability Studies: The mission of TCDS is to serve Texas as a catalyst so that people with disabilities are living the lives they choose in supportive communities. The Center emphasizes cultural and linguistic diversity as a foundation that guides its work.
My Healing Place: My Healing Place is a non-profit organization focused on grief and trauma with the mission to assist children and adults as they move from loss to life, transforming their grief through therapy, support, education, training and consultation. My Healing Place provides services to individuals and families who have experienced a loss due to the death of a loved one from illness, miscarriage, accident, suicide, or violence; along with those who have experienced loss due to divorce or separation.
Wonders & Worries: Wonders & Worries works with families in all stages of survivorship, who are affected by any serious or chronic physical illness. Wonders & Worries provides individual and group support services for children ages 2-18 and parenting support for parents and caregivers. Services are offered free of charge in a variety of school and community-based settings, with program services provided by professional child life staff in both English and Spanish.
Hospice Austin: Hospice Austin is a nonprofit organization that eases the physical, emotional and spiritual pain of any person in our community facing the final months of a serious illness by providing expert and compassionate care, education and bereavement support. Hospice Austin offers the most extensive bereavement program of any hospice in Central Texas, including individual counseling, a variety of support groups, and a free summer camp for children grieving the loss of someone they love. Services are open to anyone in our community who needs them.
National Affiliations:
Social Work, Hospice & Palliative Care Network : A network of professionals who specialize in palliative and hospice psychosocial care. Their mission includes championing professional development, new research and ongoing activity in palliative and hospice social work. The organization advocates for the voice of care providers across interdisciplinary fields within the hospice and palliative care community. Members focus on enhancing psychosocial care for the seriously ill, enhancing quality of life, providing support to family and friends, fostering discussions about decision-making, and nurturing coping through the trauma of illness and its associated grief and loss.
Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers: APOSW strives to advance pediatric psychosocial oncology care through clinical social work practice, research, advocacy, education, and program development. Among their goals include advocating and developing national and international policies to enhance the lives of children with cancer and their families by providing clinical interventions and developing programs aimed at enhancing the lives of families facing childhood cancer. The organization partners with other related organizations to advance psychosocial well being of patients and families through research and incorporation of evidence-based practice. They also serve as a resource for cultivating communication within the childhood cancer community through educational and networking opportunities.
Association of Oncology Social Workers: As the world’s largest professional organization entirely dedicated to the psychosocial care of people affected by cancer, AOSW works to increase awareness about the psychosocial effects of cancer by advancing the practice of psychosocial interventions aimed at enhancing quality of life and recovery for persons with cancer and their families. They offer educational enrichment regarding the study of psychological and social effects of cancer through research and continuing education. They also advance professional collaboration and advocacy in efforts to improve the lives of families going through cancer.
The National Academies of Practice: Founded in 1981 to advise governmental bodies on the national healthcare system, this group of distinguished practitioners and scholars, elected by their peers from fourteen different health professions, serve as the only interprofessional group of healthcare practitioners and scholars dedicated to supporting accessible, affordable, coordinated quality healthcare for everyone. To achieve these goals, they hold national forums and publish policy paper on pressing interprofessional healthcare topics related to current, future concerns about practice, education, policy and research.
The American Cancer Society: The American Cancer Society is a nationwide, community-based voluntary health organization with a mission to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. To achieve this mission, they provide research, education, advocacy and service geared towards preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer.
American Psychosocial Oncology Society: Formed in 1986 to bring together professionals working in the psychological, behavioral and social aspects of cancer, including nurses, social workers, psychologists, counselors, clergy and psychiatrists, they offer an annual conference for sharing new research and new clinical innovations and publish the Psycho-Oncology journal. The organization aims to raise awareness of health professionals and the public about the psychosocial, social, spiritual, and behavioral domains of cancer.
The California State University Institute for Palliative Care : The Institute strives to prepare current and future palliative care workforce while educating the community about the benefits of palliative care. Their instructor-led and self-paced online learning modules help individuals living throughout the country and anywhere in the world who work in health systems, skilled nursing facilities, hospices, case management and physician practices. They advance the healthcare field by preparing for the growing needs of chronically or seriously ill people in all care settings.
Critical Mass: The Young Adult Cancer Alliance: The mission and passion of Critical Mass lies in unifying voices and eliminating barriers. Critical Mass is an alliance of non-profits, medical institutions, patient advocacy groups, government agencies, clinicians, researchers and dedicated individuals – all united by a shared passion to improve the lives of young adults with cancer. By joining together, Critical Mass believes that we have the power to create a world where young adults with cancer have no barriers to survive and thrive.