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News Archive

Research

  • It's a pop quiz straight out of Workplace Relations 101.

    Q. Tapping out replies to email on your smart phone during a morning meeting will earn you a reputation as a:
    A) Multitasker intent on maximizing the workday.
    B) Rude jerk who doesn't care about others.
    C) It all depends.

    Q. Flirting with that cute temp in your cubicle pod will lead to:
    A) Dinner and a movie.
    B) An emergency meeting with the human resources department for a mandatory sexual harassment refresher course.
    C) Could be either.

    Answer Key: C, C

  • The University of Southern California School of Social Work, ranked among the top 10 social work schools in the United States, is revolutionizing the field of social work through its innovative use of advanced technology to train and prepare future social workers. Whether using patient avatars to train students on the mental health needs of soldiers returning from war, or delivering education via a newly opened, web-based Virtual Academic Center, the USC School of Social Work is breaking new ground in social work practice.

  • USC students who developed a video game that encourages children to exercise while educating them about nutrition captured the top two prizes in a national competition.

    Nearly a dozen USC students and faculty members flew to Washington, D.C., to accept the award on Sept. 29 in a ceremony at the White House.

    "Trainer," a game that takes users to an enchanted island where they care for creatures who have dietary and fitness needs, took the grand prize and the GE Healthymagination Student Award for a total of $20,000.

  • USC Provost Professor William Vega, one of the nation's leading experts on health disparities affecting ethnic minority groups, has received the 2010 Excellence in Hispanic Mental Health Research Advocacy and Leadership Award from the National Resource Center for Hispanic Mental Health.

    Vega, the executive director of the USC Roybal Institute on Aging at the School of Social Work, was honored for a distinguished research career that has contributed to improved mental-health outcomes for Latinos, organization officials said.

  • William A. Vega, the executive director of the Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging at the USC School of Social Work, gave the opening keynote presentation at the 2010 International Conference on Aging in the Americas.

  • U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer delivered high praise for the USC School of Social Work's military social work program and its students now preparing to serve the nation's war veterans during a Sept. 17 visit.

  • William A. Vega, the executive director of the Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging at the USC School of Social Work, discussed the U.S. healthcare system and health disparities in low-income communities of color at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Public Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 14.

  • A clinical researcher completes a landmark study on schizophrenia with real-world implications for patient care. She publishes the results in a prestigious medical journal, collects compliments from colleagues and waits for her work to reach the healthcare providers on the ground.

    Unfortunately, the wait will last about 20 years.

  • The Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) has selected John Brekke to give the 2011 Aaron Rosen Lecture at its 15th annual meeting in January, recognizing his career accomplishments in mental health services research.

    "This is a very prestigious honor for only the most outstanding scholars," said Marilyn Flynn, dean of the USC School of Social Work. "It is highly appropriate that SSWR acknowledges John's cumulative achievements to advance the profession and society as a researcher and educator."

  • In addition to lugging overstuffed backpacks loaded with books and binders to school each morning, students from military families are also carrying with them the invisible weight of a parent at war.