News Archive
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Growing up in poverty in New York City prepared Richard Carmona for an unexpected role later in his life.
“I never planned to be surgeon general of the United States, but the best training I had was to grow up as a poor kid,” said Carmona, the 17th surgeon general of the United States, who delivered this year’s Edward R. Roybal Memorial Lecture. “I know what it’s like to go to sleep with a toothache and a hungry stomach and not know what the next day will bring.”
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Before Lisa Higuera became a student at the USC School of Social Work, she worked at pro-bono law firm Public Counsel helping underserved families access an education for their children. A daughter of immigrants, Higuera wanted to help families like hers reach their children’s educational goals by eliminating social barriers.
However, it didn’t take long for her to realize there was a bigger problem that needed to be addressed.
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How can schools provide an optimal setting for both learning and growth that helps children overcome adversity?
It’s a question Ron Avi Astor plans to bring to the forefront of his work as a newly elected member of the National Academy of Education, an elite organization focused on advancing high-quality education research and policy.
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You’re happy to be alive, yet feel guilty that others weren’t as lucky.
You’re physically exhausted but unable to sleep.
You want to enjoy life, but have forgotten how to relax.
You want to be understood, but don’t want to talk.These are a handful of the paradoxes recently identified by USC School of Social Work researchers that combat veterans may experience and that could hamper a successful reintegration to civilian life if not properly addressed.
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Parents in five San Diego-area school districts can now download a mobile app that will help them find the programs and services their children need. Called WelConnect, the app is also designed to link educators and school leaders to community and military organizations offering programs for students and families.
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Suh Chen Hsiao wasn’t sure what to expect from students when she taught a class at Beijing Normal University. She thought they might act like “traditional” Chinese students who listen intently to lectures without much interaction with their instructors. After some coaxing, these Master of Social Work students quickly proved her wrong.
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The University of Southern California partnered with a nonprofit organization and donors to unveil what’s billed as the world’s largest mobile dental clinic in Pasadena on Feb. 6, offering free dental care to more than 100 area children.
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Struggling to translate military skillsets for the civilian workplace and developing an identity outside the military are not transitional challenges unique to American veterans.
In an exchange of ideas that could promote the well-being of all veterans—regardless of nationality—David Pedlar, research director at Veterans Affairs Canada, joined the USC School of Social Work as a Fulbright visiting research chair in military social work.
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A little more than a decade ago, Marv Southard faced a crisis that shaped his approach to leading the largest public mental health treatment system in the country.
In 2003, budget projections left the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health approximately $21 million in the red. Would the burden of those cutbacks fall on staff members who worked directly for the county or contracted community agencies that provided equally valuable services?
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From mass incarceration, climate change and an aging population to immigration, mental illness and rising income inequality, the most pressing issues facing America have something fundamental in common: the social factor. As a call to action on these and other urgent problems, the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW) has launched the Grand Challenges for Social Work.