Hamovitch P.I.Pioneering Interventions

A researchpublication of the

USC School ofSocial Work

Hamovitch Centerfor Science in theHuman Services

Vol. 3, Issue 2

Summer 2013

What are the great challenges of the

social work profession in complex, diverse,

and open societies such as ours? What is the

profession’s contribution to the betterment

of human condition and disfunctionalities

of dynamic societies? The USC School of

Social Work has taken a leadership role

alongside other distinguished schools to

formulate Grand Challenges for social work

as a profession and science. This Grand

Challenges vision will have a considerable

effect on how we shape the direction of

social work research for the coming 10 years

and beyond. The featured article of the

current issue introduces the idea of Grand

Challenges in social work, particularly from

a research perspective.

Further, we are happy to report on

several research projects, some new and

some ongoing. The common denominator

of these initiatives is their advanced

designs and dedication to underserved

populations in the pursuit of examining and

developing increasingly effective social work

interventions to the benefit of those groups.

Finally, USC remains the most diverse

research university in the United States,

admitting the largest number of students

from other countries for the 11th year in row.

The Hamovitch Center plays a role in this

endeavor by accommodating many visiting

scholars and foreign PhD students every year;

this issue highlights some of their research

experiences here and how they become

goodwill ambassadors of the profession and

USC as they return to their home countries.

[ from the director ]

In neighborhoods afflicted by violence and poverty, in hospitals and substance abuse treatment centers providing care to ailing patients, and in many other settings in which the social fabric is fraying or worn, social work researchers and practitioners are striving to address issues that plague society.

Major challenges exist, including fragmented systems of health and mental health care, prob-lems of social stigma and oppression, and a need to reform the child welfare and foster care sector.

To frame these issues and bring clarity and guidance to the profession as the next decade

unfolds, a group of social work scholars is leading a Grand Challenges initiative to identify and highlight the most serious societal ills that social work can and should address.“Social work has the chance to capitalize on 100

years of history to make these changes, if we can be clear about what we have accomplished and what we could accomplish,” said Richard Barth, who serves as chair of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, which is coordi-nating the effort, as well as dean of the University of Maryland’s School of Social Work.

[ inside this issue ]

Assistant professor explores

family communication and risk

behaviors among children

page 2

Doctoral students net three

competitive fellowships to

support their research

page 6

Visiting scholars draw inspiration

from interactions with leading

researchers at USC

page 5

CHALLENGES | continued on page 10

Haluk Soydan, Ph.D.

Director of the Hamovitch Center

School leads effort to identify grand challenges of social work

[ news ]

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HEALTH JOY OF LIVING SECURITY

COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY SHELTER

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[ research spotlight ]

“Unless you tell kids what you want and what you feel is valuable, you don’t

know if they are taking away the right

message. What we want to be providing are modifiable skills on some level that are supported and

reasonable enough for people to use with their

children.”

Julie Cederbaum

For Julie Cederbaum, an assistant professor in the USC School of Social Work, engaging in the principles and practice of social work is a calling she has felt throughout her life.

Even as a teenager, the desire to give her time and services for the benefit of others seemed instinctive.“I didn’t know what motivated me,” Cederbaum

said. “I just felt very natural as a listener and in helping others with their problems. It was always really easy for me to talk to people I didn’t know and engage with others.”

In her current position at USC, Cederbaum examines family communication and parent–child interactions and their possible effects on risk behavior in adolescents. Although much of her research has been directed toward HIV prevention and education for young women, it also extends to general behavior patterns of all adolescents and the role of parental relations in promoting positive choices.“None of us are born with an innate ability to

parent,” Cederbaum said. “What is provided in terms of knowledge and skill building helps shape the way you parent. The typical practice of the past has been to intervene with kids or parents, but studies have much less frequently focused on resolving issues as a pair.”

Cederbaum seeks to convey how family values and belief systems are major intervening factors in adolescent choices concerning risk behaviors. Parents often assume their children are receiving the messages they desire because of the activities or behaviors in which the parents participate. But that assumption is often incorrect, and a more in-depth form of communication is required.“It’s about empowering parents to take the ini-

tiative to help shape their kids,” Cederbaum said. “Unless you tell kids what you want and what you feel is valuable, you don’t know if they are taking away the right message. What we want to be pro-viding are modifiable skills on some level that are supported and reasonable enough for people to use with their children.”

Empowering both sides of the parent–child relationship through better communication leads to healthier families, Cederbaum said. Adolescents come to understand what is expected

of them and why, which can induce a sense of safety and comfort in terms of openly discussing issues they are trying to resolve.“There is enough literature that shows kids will

prioritize what their parents say over the opin-ions of their peers if the parents remain present in their kids’ lives,” she said.

Most of Cederbaum’s early experiences in social work revolved around child welfare ser-vices. A Santa Monica native, she began working as a peer counselor at an adolescent transitional housing placement center during high school. As an undergraduate at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, Cederbaum engaged in community outreach as part of the women’s soccer team and studied abroad in Kenya, where she helped orga-nize the Food for Glue program, which encour-aged local teens to turn in bottles of glue often used as stimulants in exchange for food.

Cederbaum also held two internships during her master’s degree studies at UCLA. At El Nido Family Center, she worked with pregnant teens. At the LA Free Clinic, now the Saban Free Clinic, she received certification as an HIV coun-selor and test administrator, and also developed

CEDERBAUM | continued on page 3

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Julie Cederbaum

Researcher draws inspiration from work with parents and children

By Charli Engelhorn

an educational prevention curriculum and content for youth outreach efforts.

However, her experience at a housing program for families with an HIV-infected parent in Los Angeles, a position she took after completing her master’s degree, cre-ated the largest ripple in her career path.

Cederbaum noticed that children living in the program were engaging in the same risk behaviors that had put their parents at risk of contracting HIV.

In particular, the presence of a 16-year-old pregnant teenager made her realize that unprotected sex remained a serious issue for HIV-affected teens. This realization caused her to wonder what factors affected the deci-sion-making processes of these adolescents if having an HIV-infected parent did not serve as motivation to make better choices.“I came to recognize that parents were not

talking about HIV,” said Cederbaum. “I think that experience completely informed my rationale for going back to school and the research I ended up doing.”

During the following 6 years at the University of Pennsylvania, Cederbaum fine-tuned her ideas in a dissertation focused on mother–daughter commu-nication about abstinence and safer sex. Specifically, her research explored the dif-ferences between HIV-positive mothers and HIV-negative mothers in terms of their communications with their daughters regarding HIV-risk behaviors.

Coming to USC after earning her doc-toral degree was an easy decision, said Cederbaum, because of both the collegi-ality she sensed among the faculty and its proximity to her family. Returning to Los Angeles felt like completing a circle.

“Los Angeles is where all these ideas came from,” she said. “Coming back was almost like doing homage to the people who helped lift me to where I am. The experi-ences I had here really shaped who I am as a researcher, scholar, and thinker. To be able to utilize my connections and engage this community, which is so ripe for social change, is really amazing.”

While at USC, Cederbaum has received funding for a number of projects, including a grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse to investigate communication between mothers and sons about alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use. She is also cur-rently a coinvestigator on a project funded

As an assistant professor in the USC School of Social Work, Julie Cederbaum has focused her research on issues that

affect communication between parents and children on topics such as drug use and HIV prevention.

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CEDERBAUM | from page 2

As she continues to pursue her research interests, she hopes to develop strategies for parents to gain proactive knowledge and skills applicable to their everyday lives.

“We have so many punitive systems, but that is not the vision I have for how this work should be disseminated,” she said. “I don’t want it to be about troubled families and fixing them. The work should hopefully influence positive parenting and positive rela-tionships and promote family wellness as a requirement for family reintegration.” t

by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation exploring pregnancy, parenting, and foster youth. Cederbaum also works closely with Professor Suzanne Wenzel to adapt evi-dence-based HIV risk reduction interven-tions for use with homeless women.

In addition to her research, Cederbaum teaches two courses on topics related to social work and public health; she earned a second master’s degree in public health from the University of Pennsylvania while earning her PhD.

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Pathways to care

[ conference ]

Approximately 700 social work scholars and practitioners will gather in Los Angeles in June to share theo-ries and strategies to improve health and mental health research and prac-tice during an international conference hosted by the USC School of Social Work and the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.“This is the main international venue

for social work researchers and practi-tioners who work in health and mental health,” said Haluk Soydan, director of the school’s Hamovitch Center for Science in the Human Services and cochair of the conference. “It is coming to the United States for the first time, so we are really showcasing some of the best work that this country’s social workers perform.”

Slated for June 23 to 27, the 7th International Conference on Social Work in Health and Mental Health will have a specific focus on client-centered care. Soydan said the conference, held in various venues around the world since 1995, has typically reflected various aspects of its setting.“We are located in the heart of a very

urban and multicultural environment, which gives a special flavor to the con-ference,” he said. “We chose to have a great emphasis on health and mental health issues in the United States in general but also specific to our school and the Los Angeles region.”

This approach is highlighted by the conference’s symposia series on aging, cancer care, health inequalities and equity, health reform, homelessness, Latino health, military social work, and the recovery model. Guided by leading scholars in those key areas, the symposia will feature engaging discussion sessions with invited researchers, practitioners, and policy makers.

Local social work agencies and ser-vice providers will also have a chance to exhibit their accomplishments during field site visits to more than 30 com-munity locations throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan area, from Long Beach to Sylmar.

Soydan said those field visits are PATHWAYS | continued on page 5

[ news ]

Technology supports scholarly exchange

Scholars at the USC School of Social Work are taking advantage of innovative technology to engage with faculty and doctoral students at two other leading universities without ever leaving campus.

As part of an interuniversity colloquium with colleagues at UC Berkeley and UCLA, doctoral students and faculty members have been sharing their research and exchanging feedback on topics of aging, organizations and management, and child development using videoconferencing technology offered by the school’s Virtual Academic Center.“It gives our students exposure to

experts in other schools. It’s wonderful,” said Michàlle Mor Barak, director of the PhD program at the USC School of Social Work, where she also serves as the Lenore Stein-Wood and William S. Wood Professor in Social Work and Business in a Global Society. “That’s what scholarship is all about—breaking down barriers and cre-ating scientific collaborations.”

USC students and professors gathered recently in a classroom at the School of Social Work for the second meeting of the three-part series, during which doctoral students from each university gave short presentations on their research initiatives and sought advice and comments from other participants.

Hsin-Yi Hsiao, a USC student who

successfully defended her dissertation just days before the gathering, said the opportunity to interact with her peers and researchers at other institutions was valuable.“It’s good to get feedback from different

perspectives,” she said. “When I finished my study and looked at the findings, it was sometimes very hard to interpret them from my own mind-set.”

Her research on cultural and gender dif-ferences in work and family conflict across 24 countries resulted in some counterintui-tive findings. For example, national family leave policies did not seem to protect women from experiencing stress and con-flict between family and work responsibili-ties after giving birth.

Hsiao said advice from scholars during the meeting allowed her to reconsider how she interpreted the results of her work, in addition to broadening her perspective and providing some guidance for future research. In particular, one student from UC Berkeley suggested exploring the effects of subsi-dized child care on work–family conflict.“That is one thing I had never thought

about,” Hsiao said, “but it’s a very impor-tant element I should consider in the future.”

Students at the other universities also received suggestions for how to strengthen their research. Sara Pilgreen, a first-year

EXCHANGE | continued on page 9

Doctoral student Hsin-Yi Hsiao describes her recently defended dissertation to colleagues at UC Berkeley and UCLA

using technology made available by the USC School of Social Work’s Virtual Academic Center.

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reflective of the both the school’s emphasis on community partnerships and the conference’s focus on bridging the divide between research and practice.“This is realized by different means

during this conference, perhaps foremost by the abstract submissions,” he said, noting that more than 300 paper and poster presentations have been accepted.

“A considerable number of them are actu-ally accounts of practitioners and prac-tices rather than research outcomes.”

Finally, the conference will feature a keynote address by Elizabeth Clark, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers, as well as several plenary sessions by internation-ally renowned scholars such as Bengt Westerberg, former minister of social affairs and deputy prime minister of Sweden and current board chair of the University of Linköping and the Swedish Institute for Disability Research.

Other plenary speakers include Elyn Saks, who serves as the Orrin B. Evans Professor of Law, Psychology, and Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the USC Gould School of Law; Nancy Krieger, a professor of society, human development, and health at the Harvard School of Public Health; and Sarah Gehlert, the E. Desmond Lee Professor of Racial and Ethnic Diversity at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work and the Department of Surgery at Washington University.

More information is available at www.pathways2013.com, including an overview of the history of the confer-ence, a description of field visit locations, and a full program of events. t

PATHWAYS | from page 4

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Visiting scholars connect with researchersWhen Hongbo Li came to the USC

School of Social Work from China as a participant in the school’s popular Visiting Scholars program, she expected to put her head down and grind away at her dissertation research.

To a certain extent, she has prioritized her academic work, which focuses on comparing marketing efforts by public nonprofit organizations in China and the United States. But Li also found herself opening up to other aspects of American culture during her yearlong stay.“As a PhD student in China, I always

work. I don’t have much free time,” she said. “Nobody pushes me, but I push myself. When I came here, I was able to separate my life from my job. When I work, I work hard, and then I can have some fun.”

That is an encouraging result for Cherry Short, the school’s assistant dean of global and community initiatives. She has made a concerted effort to bring a stronger sense of cultural exchange and commu-nity engagement to the Visiting Scholars program, which typically enrolls 20 to 25 participants at any given time.

Although each of the participants is paired with a faculty member who shares similar research goals, Short said there is a greater effort to integrate them into the school, the university, and the culture of Southern California in general.“The idea is to be able to link people

with the same research interests and abili-ties with our faculty here and to allow our faculty to be a bit more open to under-standing different cultures with regard to their research,” she said. “Even though they have this relationship with a specific faculty member, we really try to engage them in a more holistic way.”

In addition to receiving advice and sharing ideas with Dean Marilyn Flynn, her faculty sponsor, Li said she has also benefited from interactions with her peers,

including her Ukrainian roommate and another visiting scholar from South Korea.

She admits she struggled at first with the English language but forced herself to engage with others and has seen significant improvements. That will be critical during the coming months as she interviews local nonprofit officials, including CEOs, board members, and employees.“If I want to do a field study, I have to

talk to people,” Li said. “So I found every chance I could to talk to people in English.”

Li plans to stay until September before returning to China to complete her disser-tation. Short said USC has invested heavily in cultivating relationships with Pacific Rim countries, and the Visiting Scholars

program has attracted numerous participants from China, Japan, and other Asian countries.

However, school leaders are reaching out to other regions as well, including northern Europe, Israel, India, and South America.

Many participants are invited by their faculty sponsor for stays ranging from six months to two years. Others seek out one of the school’s leading scholars based on their shared research interests.

Børge Skåland, a lecturer at Oslo and Akershus University College in Norway, is among the latter. Prior to pur-suing his doctorate, he taught at a school for children with serious behavioral issues.

When he began noticing incidences of violence or intimidation by students against his fellow teachers and realized they were receiving little attention, Skåland was intrigued by the lack of response from school officials and society in general.“Teachers and even social workers who

experience violence are often ostracized,” he said. “It is kind of looked upon as a deficit, that something is wrong with you if you have been exposed to violence. You are regarded as less competent and portrayed as weak.”

While exploring what happens to

[ news ]

SCHOLARS | continued on page 11

Elizabeth Clark, executive director of the National

Association of Social Workers, will deliver the

keynote address during the upcoming conference.

“The idea is to be able to link people with the

same research interests and abilities with our

faculty here and to allow our faculty to

be a bit more open to understanding different cultures with regard to

their research.”

Cherry Short

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[ student research ]

Doctoral students to benefit from competitive research fellowships

Three doctoral candidates in the USC School of Social Work are among an exclusive group of students selected to receive a graduate fellowship for advanced PhD scholars.

Lisa Davis, Mercedes Hernandez, and Diana Ray received fellowships featuring $30,000 stipends, in addition to tuition, fees, insurance, and possible travel grants for further research opportunities.

The fellowships, offered in three cat-egories, provide sup-port to USC students as they complete their PhD studies. Particular focus is given to programs in which research assistant-ships are not available and teaching is the main source of financial sup-port, said Meredith Drake Reitan, assistant dean of fellowships for the USC Graduate School.“The selection process

is highly competitive and only a small number of candidates were selected by an interdisciplinary fac-ulty committee,” she said.

Davis, Hernandez, and Ray are among only 58 students who received a fellowship out of hundreds of applicants throughout the university.

In addition to Endowed Fellowships and Dissertation Completion Fellowships, which have been awarded in past years, university officials introduced the Research Enhancement Fellowship. The $30,000 sti-pend included with each fellowship is also a substantial increase from the $23,000 award provided in previous years.

Davis received a Dissertation Completion Fellowship, which is intended to support students during the final stages and submis-sion of their dissertations. Her dissertation involves evaluating an innovative group intervention that combines mindfulness

training and psychoeducation to enhance the well-being and community functioning of individuals with schizophrenia and sim-ilar disorders.“The intervention is designed to help

people improve their self-regulatory capac-ities through mindfulness training,” Davis said. “The psychoeducation portion targets stress reduction, self-care, and goal setting. The fellowship will provide me with the nec-essary resources to recruit participants from a community-based psychosocial rehabili-

tation agency, implement the intervention, and eval-uate the results.”

John Brekke, Davis’ fac-ulty mentor and advisor and the Frances G. Larson Professor of Social Work Research, said her work on this project has the potential to significantly improve how mental health agencies deliver interventions to the seri-ously mental ill.“Lisa is doing very

sophisticated intervention development work with a highly vulnerable popula-tion,” he said. “These funds

can supercharge her dissertation, allow her to gather more data, and help her to produce more powerful publications from that data.”

Brekke said her research will increase Davis’ competitiveness in the job market and has implications for her productivity as a junior faculty member, a sentiment shared by Concepción Barrio, an associate professor who serves as a faculty advisor and mentor for Hernandez.“I think it is to their benefit to leave the

program completely equipped, not just in writing and conducting statistical analysis of data, but in how to undertake a study from conceptualization to the completion,” Barrio said. “This fellowship and experi-ence will carry [Hernandez] through as an

AWARDS | continued on page 7

Changing health

[ grant ]

A new project led by Erick Guerrero, an assistant professor with the USC School of Social Work, will explore how recent health care legislation affects the ability of substance abuse treatment programs to serve racial and ethnic minority clients.

In particular, Guerrero is interested in examining how the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known colloquially as Obamacare, will improve the integration of substance abuse treatment, mental health care, and HIV prevention pro-grams, as well as its effects on treatment outcomes among African-American and Latino clients. Guerrero’s study is one of just five federally funded grants in the country focused on these questions. “This area of inquiry is still devel-

oping, and it offers many opportu-nities to explore this historic policy legislation and its impact on people, particularly low-income racial and ethnic minorities,” he said.

Guerrero received a $428,327 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to support the first two years of the project. Successful achievement of milestones during the initial phase will lead to funding for an additional three years, totaling $1.1 million.

The phased nature of the project fits well with the framework of the ACA, which is slowly being introduced into the health care landscape over a matter of years. Guerrero hopes to establish a base-line understanding of treatment and care before the legislation is fully implemented to better understand its overall effect.

GUERRERO | continued on page 7

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By Charli Engelhorn

“Getting these fellowships and having this kind of work done

here is a feather in our cap as a doctoral

program. I think these students will be wonderful examples of the kind of candidate

for faculty positions we produce.”

Concepción Barrio

Guerrero plans to conduct surveys with approximately 750 staff members in 157 substance abuse treatment programs in Los Angeles County, including program directors, supervisors, and counselors. Information on organizational factors, such as expansion of the public health insurance program known as Medicaid and pressure from policy makers and regulators to provide health and mental health care under one roof, will be linked to data about all clients receiving treat-ment for substance use issues, an esti-mated 10,000 people annually.

Making those connections between national health care policies and how individual clients respond to treatment is an innovative component of the project, Guerrero said, and will provide a better understanding of how services can be delivered more effectively, particularly to low-income and minority clients.“This is a nice contribution to trying

to link historic policy initiatives with organizations’ practices and roles, such as leadership and readiness for change, to client outcomes that are reported by the clients themselves,” he said. “That’s what I’m feeling the most optimistic and excited about.”

In addition to collaborating with Lawrence Palinkas and Chih-Ping Chou at the USC School of Social Work, who are serving as coinvestigators on the project, Guerrero will work closely with representatives from the coun-ty’s Substance Abuse and Prevention Control division. He said county offi-cials have been involved in his previous research efforts and characterized the collaboration as critical to the success of the new project.

By identifying strategies to reduce health disparities, increase access to integrated care, and reduce HIV infec-tion rates in some of the more impov-erished areas of Los Angeles County, Guerrero said the project can create a roadmap for improving standards of care among other vulnerable popula-tions throughout the United States.“Everybody talks about the need, but

when you look at the kind of research that is funded and the interventions that are funded, they aren’t being imple-mented in these areas with low resources,” he said. “We just have to do a lot more work and make the extra effort to reach out to the neediest communities.” t

GUERRERO | from page 6

AWARDS | from page 6

independent researcher after she graduates.”Hernandez received a Research

Enhancement Fellowship, designed to pro-vide financial support to students whose research requires work in complex or distant settings or results in other unusual expenses. This fellowship is particularly helpful to Hernandez, who is conducting a mixed-method study on the role of protective fac-tors in intervention outcomes for Latino consumers with schizophrenia or families of individuals living with schizophrenia.“It is very challenging for doctoral stu-

dents who decide to collect their own data,” Barrio said. “It takes a great effort to locate participants and schedule interviews. [Hernandez] stands out because she goes beyond what normal students do, and her work speaks to her capacity to perform this sort of study.”

Hernandez said time-intensive efforts in the field required to complete her disserta-tion will be more manageable and the award will allow her to develop as a researcher focused on creating and enhancing psycho-social treatments for Latinos with serious mental illness.

Ray, who received the Oakley Endowed Fellowship, is also interested in issues that affect an underserved minority population. The Endowed Fellowships are awarded to students making good progress in both the quality and timeliness of their research and degree completion. Her dissertation exam-ines the complex dynamics that contribute to surprising physical and mental health out-comes among Asian Americans, an approach that involves conducting secondary analyses of a large, nationally representative data set.“I am seeking to answer whether there are

cultural protective factors that can mitigate

a decrease in health for Asian American immigrants after arriving in the United States,” Ray said. “How can social workers and those in behavioral health support the maintenance of cultural traditions to protect their health? The fellowship will allow me to dedicate a year of full-time study to delve into the nuances of these questions to hope-fully produce an accurate portrayal of this very heterogeneous segment of U.S. society.”

Karen Lincoln, Ray’s faculty advisor and mentor and an associate professor, said Ray’s research will contribute to knowledge about mental health and health disparities for this population.“Her work challenges us all to expand

our current thinking around treatment to include intellectual and theoretical frame-works that incorporate psychology, public health, and social work, as well as sophis-ticated quantitative methods,” Lincoln said.

Lincoln believes this fellowship will sup-port Ray’s future efforts and position her as a groundbreaking social work and mental health scholar whose work will be highly influential across health-related disciplines and behavioral sciences.

Ray said she feels unbelievably fortunate to have received the fellowship, and all three students believe the fellowship is a boon beyond their current endeavors and will benefit their professional careers.

Receiving these fellowships will clearly benefit the research careers of these three scholars, but the awards are also seen as a win for the USC School of Social Work.“Getting these fellowships and having this

kind of work done here is a feather in our cap as a doctoral program,” Barrio said. “I think these students will be wonderful examples of the kind of candidate for faculty positions we produce in our program.” t

PhD students Lisa Davis, Mercedes Hernandez, and Diana Ray (left to right) are among a select group of advanced

scholars at USC that received fellowships to support their research efforts as they complete their dissertations.

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Physical injuries and the psychological effects of war can have devastating consequences on the sexual functioning of service members and veterans.

Despite recent advances in protective gear, members of the U.S. military face a serious risk of genital injuries due to improvised explosives and other unique aspects of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Psychosocial challenges, such as posttraumatic stress dis-order and depression, can also exacerbate issues with sexual functioning and libido.

A new study led by the USC School of Social Work’s Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans and Military Families (CIR) is among the first to directly address the topic, which has been plagued by stigma and a relative lack of attention until recent years.“It’s always hard to get people to talk

about sex and problems with sex,” said Sherrie Wilcox, a research assistant pro-fessor who is leading the project. She noted military personnel may be even less willing to open up about problems with sexual functioning. “They have a certain culture that they are used to living with. There’s definitely stigma around the issue.”

Funded by a $650,000 gift from the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund via the California Community Foundation, the 18-month project will involve gath-ering data about the scope of the problem through literature reviews and surveys with veterans and service members.

Insight from that process will inform a training toolkit with resources for social workers and behavioral health profes-sionals, as well as a policy report with spe-cific recommendations for federal officials and veterans organizations.

Although previous research is very lim-ited, Wilcox and her research team found estimates that between 5% and 25% of recent veterans report issues with sexual functioning. An estimated 1,500 service members have experienced genital injuries, including infection caused by pulverized sand embedded in the groin area or mutila-tion caused by projectiles and other explo-sive devices.

Anthony Hassan, director of CIR and

an Air Force veteran, said the relation-ship between physical injuries and sexual functioning has emerged as a critical issue for service members returning home from conflicts in the Middle East.“It’s a more common injury in these wars

because of the use of improvised explosive devices for ground troops who are walking and patrolling,” he said. “It’s not unique to these wars, but there is more prevalence because of the types of weapons, as well as

advances in battlefield treatment.”Problems linked to these injuries can

be extensive, including diminished sexual function, infertility, loss of libido, chronic pain, and urinary dysfunction. Although protective equipment for the groin is avail-able to military personnel, compliance has reportedly been an issue due to discomfort.“For the traditional Army or Marine

Corps infantryman, it’s just another five pounds, it’s in the way, it makes you less mobile,” Hassan said.

He said there are efforts underway to redesign the gear, which includes a thinner garment worn at all times and a heavier device used by soldiers on foot patrol. Regardless, the equipment is largely designed to protect against debris from a blast rather than a direct explosion, and serious injuries remain a distinct possibility.

Beyond physical disfigurement, the psy-chological scars of war often disrupt sexual functioning and have negative effects on general quality of life. Wilcox said issues such as depression and trauma-related stress can affect sexual performance, which

[ grant ]

Study explores sexual functioning among veterans

“It’s a more common injury in these wars because of the use of improvised explosive devices for ground troops who are walking and patrolling. It’s not unique

to these wars, but there is more prevalence because of the types

of weapons, as well as advances in battlefield treatment.”

Anthony HassanCIR | continued on page 9

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Psychosocial problems and physical injuries can have negative effects on sexual functioning and libido among

military personnel, issues that will be explored in a new study at the USC School of Social Work.

can exacerbate those same psychological problems, creating a negative cycle that damages relationships with spouses and significant others.

In addition to reaching out to reconstruc-tive surgeons and contacts at military hos-pitals to locate those with physical injuries, the research team plans to conduct a survey with community-dwelling veterans to gain a better understanding of how sexual issues are perceived by military personnel in general. That information will inform a training toolkit focused on the most critical issues related to sexual functioning, as well as guidance for professionals on how to broach the topic with clients.“It’s about finding the best way for a clini-

cian to start the conversation,” Wilcox said.The toolkit, which will feature video

vignettes, case scenarios, resources, and assessment tools, will be embedded as a module in a course on human sexuality offered to master’s students at the USC School of Social Work beginning next year.“The objective is to educate providers so

they at least know how to do an assess-ment and be able to make appropriate referrals or know what treatment models and interventions are available,” said Doni Whitsett, a clinical professor and licensed social worker who teaches the course. “The educational component will also raise the awareness of social workers and sensitize them to the psychological and social issues of blast injuries.”

The toolkit will be offered to behav-ioral health care professionals, social work scholars and researchers, and other profes-sionals who work with military populations. The research team plans to hold a short training conference to raise awareness of the issue and disseminate materials devel-oped during the study.

Another significant component of the project is an effort to advocate for change at a policy level. For instance, Hassan said there is concern that Veterans Health Affairs is not providing advanced treat-ments for veterans who have suffered inju-ries to their reproductive and urinary tract systems, such as in vitro fertilization and counseling for spouses. Although health care insurance for injured service members covers some fertility care, it doesn’t pay for embryo implantation or specialized care for spouses in most cases, he said.

CIR | from page 8

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A policy report authored by the research team will address these and other critical issues that arise during the study and offer recommendations for federal policy makers on how to improve treatment and support for military personnel who face problems with sexual functioning.

Nancy Berglass, director of the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund (IADIF), said the absence of reliable research and data on the topic, as well as the stigma associated with discussing it, inspired the gift. The $650,000 grant is one of approximately 60 made by the fund, which has distributed nearly $250 million to various efforts to address issues faced by service members and veterans.“IADIF is the largest philanthropic inter-

vention in the lives of service members, vet-erans, and their families ever known in this country,” Berglass said of the fund, which was established in 2006 by a then-anony-mous donor.

Berglass and the donor felt CIR was well positioned to address issues surrounding sexual functioning among service members and veterans.“CIR is an excellent choice to lead this

project because of its equal reach into the world of veterans, military families, policy, academia and the community,” she said.

“Moreover, having access to leading subject-matter experts at the university makes this a very dynamic and doable project for CIR.” t

Sherrie Wilcox

EXCHANGE | from page 4

doctoral student at UCLA, is just begin-ning to develop her dissertation on why nonprofit health services organizations flourish in some low-income neighbor-hoods but fail in others.

She plans to examine sociodemographic variables, social perceptions, political influ-ence, gang activity, and other factors in an effort to determine why nonprofit organi-zations seem to thrive in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights but struggle in Watts.

Erick Guerrero, an assistant professor at the USC School of Social Work who has focused his research on similar issues surrounding substance abuse treatment in low-income communities, offered some suggestions to Pilgreen on how to frame the study, including a recommendation to consider the role of government funding.“Intellectually, it’s very stimulating,”

Mor Barak said of the colloquium series. “Having doctoral students and faculty from the three schools together in the same environment is fantastic.”

She noted that a similar collaborative effort had taken place years ago between scholars at USC and UCLA, but they met in person, a more time-consuming approach that would be difficult for institutions located farther apart. During a recent con-ference on doctoral education, Mor Barak connected with Jill Duerr Berrick and Laura Abrams, who lead doctoral programs at UC Berkeley and UCLA, respectively. The trio decided to test a virtual exchange.

“Our goal was mostly to give doctoral stu-dents exposure to presenting their work to other schools and getting some feedback,” she said. “It’s also an opportunity for the schools to scout potential talent and for students to see what their future employ-ment options might be.”

She credited the USC School of Social Work’s embrace of emerging technology, particularly through its web-based mas-ter’s degree program known as the Virtual Academic Center, for making it feasible to seamlessly share video and audio feeds.

Mor Barak noted that there is interest in developing more scholarly exchanges, not just among the three universities partici-pating in the current colloquium series.“It’s a terrific way of creating an intellectual

community around a certain topic, freeing us from physical limitations,” she said. t

hamovitch p.i. | usc.edu/socialwork/research 10 hamovitch p.i. | usc.edu/socialwork/research11

CHALLENGES | from page 1

“It’s an opportunity for our field to square its scientific and social justice aspi-rations and to communicate more effec-tively within the profession and to other professions and the general public about what social work is working on, what its capacity is, what its needs are to solve important problems, why it’s a fascinating and compelling field to be a part of, and what important advances to our quality of life could occur with advances in our social work science,” Barth said.

Inspired by similar efforts in the field of engineering and by organizations such as the Gates Foundation, social work leaders gathered in the fall of 2012 to begin the process of identifying the profession’s most pressing challenges, led by Marilyn Flynn, dean of the USC School of Social Work, and Eddie Uehara, dean of the University of Washington School of Social Work.

Flynn said those early discussions led to the creation of four general criteria that each challenge must meet to be considered. Challenges must be broad and integrative issues, solvable within 10 years, applicable to the profession of social work, and uni-versal and public in nature.

Using a similar approach, leaders in engi-neering identified four broad categories with 14 specific challenges, such as pro-viding access to pure water, making solar energy affordable, and preventing nuclear terror. In 2003, the Gates Foundation began focusing on 16 major global health challenges, dedicating nearly half a billion

dollars to issues such as creating effective vaccines, developing strategies to combat disease-carrying insects, and discovering biomarkers of health and disease.

Flynn said social work is in a comparable position to engineering, whose leaders in the United States felt a need to reinvent the profession at the turn of the century due to increasing dominance by individuals from Asia and a lack of women in the field.“Social work is at a crossroads,” she said.

“It has a large number of challenges in areas such as child welfare, it is constantly being challenged on all sides by other professions, and it has a gender problem, much like engi-neering, in that it doesn’t attract many men.”

By identifying key challenges, she said the profession can begin to restructure its curriculum and educational approach, faculty activities, and research projects. To determine how to engage with as many people as possible, Flynn said a handful of schools of social work are experimenting

with grassroots efforts to collect sugges-tions and integrate that information into the larger national initiative.

That process may be complicated but it’s feasible, said Philip Browning, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. He led a project to develop a new strategic plan for the department, which involved brain-storming sessions and discussions among thousands of members of staff.“How do you succinctly describe what

you want to do in a manner that is not so detailed that you lose interest but that you capture the spirit of what you want to do?” he said. “There is a need to think in a broad enough manner that you can attract the attention of a lot of people, but you have to drill down to the detail level with some of the challenges to make it specific enough that you see some actual changes.”

Browning described two distinct compo-nents of such a project: the final product and the process of developing that final product. He said considering how people will view the Grand Challenges Initiative in a decade or two is a critical component of its success.“Many times, the people who will actu-

ally be implementing that roadmap won’t be the people in the room who are coming up with those ideas,” he said.

As a participant in the initial stages of the initiative, Browning said he is hopeful that the project will lead to an even stronger working relationship between the

INITIATIVE | continued on page 11

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Leading scholars at the USC School of Social Work, including members of the Research Council (pictured), are playing a key role in outlining key challenges for social work.

“Social work is at a crossroads. It has a large number of challenges in areas such as child welfare, it

is constantly being challenged on all sides by other professions, and

it has a gender problem, much like engineering, in that it doesn’t

attract many men.”

Marilyn Flynn

teachers after they are threat-ened or assaulted by students, he came across several articles and a book by Ron Astor, the Richard M. and Ann L. Thor Professor of Urban Social Development at the USC School of Social Work, and his longtime colleague from Israel, Rami Benbenishty.

“They were the most thor-ough pieces of research I have come across that were looking at what is happening in the real world,” Skåland said.

He contacted the researchers directly and traveled to Israel in November before arriving at USC in January, where he has benefited from discussions with Astor about the American school system and perceptions of violence, among other topics.

He has also engaged with Charles Kaplan, the school’s associate dean of research, on issues related to an experience-based approach to research known as phenomenology.

Skåland lauded the universi-ty’s academic resources and said he appreciated being invited to several scholarly events and lec-tures, including a gathering of the International Association of Schools of Social Work.“There are lots of very good

literature and good scholars who have done research in the field,” he said, citing R. Paul Maiden, vice dean, and Beverly Younger, a clinical associate professor, as two examples.

Short said although many of the visiting scholars con-centrate on their own research rather than assisting faculty members with specific projects, they often report that the expe-rience helped them focus their work or take a new perspective as a result of discussions with USC researchers, something Skåland confirmed.“It has been a very welcoming

and positive experience for me, both meeting good people like Ron Astor’s research team and the inspiration of the high aca-demic level,” he said.

Short said school officials remain strongly supportive of the program, and she is hopeful it will continue to expand to other areas of the world, strengthening the global reach of the school and building on its status as a leading hub of research on social work.“It’s seen as a benefit and a

resource in terms of learning and sharing knowledge with people from other cultures,” she said. “It’s really a unique program.” t

SCHOLARS | from page 5

Department of Children and Family Services and researchers at the USC School of Social Work.

The school’s faculty members have partnered with county officials on numerous research projects, an effort bolstered by the creation of a research cluster on child development and children’s services.“I think our department has

come a long way in the last couple of years, but I think there is a lot more informa-tion we could use to validate what does and doesn’t work,” Browning said. “That process

can be spurred on by individ-uals who learn that sort of rigor in school and appreciate some of our data sources and how to capture information.”

He also believes setting a broad vision for the profes-sion will not only benefit social work scholars, but ultimately the individuals who depend on social services.“The end goal at some point

has to be not just the students, but what they do to improve the lives of children and other clients,” Browning said.

During early discussions among USC School of Social Work faculty members, Flynn

said several broad themes came up repeatedly, including chal-lenges related to health, human potential, and community.

Those concepts should serve as a general starting point for the initiative’s recently selected executive committee, which is led by John Brekke, the Frances G. Larson Professor of Social Work Research at the USC School of Social Work, as it begins developing a strategy to elicit ideas from the profes-sional community.

Flynn noted that although some preliminary work has been done to identify general areas of interest, the national committee is stressing a com-munal and grassroots approach to the project.“We want to be more organic

in how we develop these grand challenges,” she said. “We’re still formulating how we will organize input and then dis-seminate that information.”

Although the committee will be soliciting suggestions for individual challenges, one aspect of the initiative will be to ensure the themes fit together as a package, are representative of social work, and offer a sense of attachment and engagement to all members of the social work profession.

In the coming months, the committee will begin to engage with potential contributors through the media and social media to solicit and describe challenges, explain the profes-sion’s past accomplishments, and highlight how social work can build on its history.

Barth said the committee is hopeful that a set of specific challenges will be selected and announced to the public by early 2015.

The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare is already seeking suggestions at www.aaswsw.org regarding potential challenges. t

INITIATIVE | from page 10

“There is a need to think in a broad enough

manner that you can attract the attention of a lot of people, but you

have to drill down to the detail level with some of the challenges to make it specific enough that you see some actual

changes.”

Philip Browning

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Børge Skåland, a visiting scholar from Norway, has gained insight on issues related to

violence toward teachers and other professionals during his six-month visit.

Hamovitch P.I. is a publication of the USC School of Social Work. Send suggestions and comments to eric.lindberg@usc.edu

Hamovitch Center | 1149 South Hill Street, Suite 360 | Los Angeles, CA 90015USC School of Social Work | Montgomery Ross Fisher Building | 669 West 34th Street | Los Angeles, CA 90089

213.743.1701 | hrc@usc.edu | usc.edu/socialwork/research

Heather Halperin has been selected to receive the Lifetime Achievement award from the San Fernando Valley unit of the

National Association of Social Workers. The clinical associate professor has dedicated her career to issues involving children and families, as well as the education of aspiring social workers. In addition to assisting with field placements at the USC School of Social Work since 1983, Halperin has worked closely with families affected by child abuse, neglect, and violence. She also maintained a private practice in the San Fernando Valley for more than three decades.

Associate professor Maria Aranda received the California Elder Mental Health and Aging Coalition’s Older Adult Leadership and Advocacy Award in recognition of her efforts to improve the mental health and well-being of aging Latinos in the state. Aranda has led and contributed to multiple behavioral and epidemiolog-ical studies and has been widely acknowledged for scholarship on problem-solving therapy as a treatment for depression with older and middle-aged Latinos.

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Designed specifically for professionals, researchers, and

decision-makers, this International Conference in Los Angeles,

California, will explore exciting research and innovative practices focused on client-centered social

work amid the world-famous landmarks of Hollywood.

Featured Topics-Aging-Cancer Care-Destigmatization-Diversity-Health Care Technology & Information Systems

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Register Online:pathways2013.com

Save the Date:June 23-27, 2013

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University at Albany School of Social Welfare

Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Contributor

Research to Practice: Completing the Circle

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Endorsed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness

[ awards ] Clinical professor and associate dean of field education Marleen Wong received the George D. Nickel Award for Outstanding Professional Services by a Social Worker in recognition of her work with traumatized populations, including those affected by school shootings, terrorist attacks, and natural disasters. A preeminent expert in school crisis and recovery, Wong has developed mental health recovery programs and crisis and disaster training for school districts and law enforcement in the United States, Canada, Israel, and Asia.

William Vega, Provost Professor and executive director of the Roybal Institute on Aging, received the Rema Lapouse Award from the American Public Health Association. The honor is given annually in recognition of excellence in psychiatric epidemiology and the scientific understanding of mental health disorders.

Dean Marilyn Flynn received the first Provost’s Prize for Innovation in Educational Practice at the USC Academic Honors Convocation. The award honors achievements by members of the USC community who advance the university’s mission and pres-tige in higher education. Flynn’s accomplishments include estab-lishing the school’s military social work program and launching the Virtual Academic Center, the first web-based master’s of social work program at a major research university.