USC University of Southern California

News Archive

  • 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.”

  • This year’s Network of Korean-American Leaders (NetKAL) gala and summit focused on the theme of innovation, asking “what’s next?” when it comes to developments in everything from technology and business to politics and popular culture.

    Held in San Francisco on Oct. 17-18, the annual event brought together leaders in technology, media, law, business, education, entertainment, politics and social networking to recognize the achievements of Korean Americans and the significant role they’ll play in leading innovation here and abroad.

  • In the weeks before Veterans Day, one of the assignments I give my USC graduate students who are preparing to become school social workers is to organize an activity that involves schools in honoring those who have served our country. The Military Child Education Coalition estimates that close to four million children of veteran and military families are currently in our public schools.

  • If you didn’t know it, you might think it was a party.

    There’s music, food, a live talk show complete with host, guests and video clips – even a “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” type game show with prizes. People ask questions, they engage each other, they laugh.

    But looks aren’t always what they seem.

  • Over her 35-year career, Hortensia Amaro has taken the time to mentor a large cadre of scholars and researchers, helping them grow into change agents whose work has touched people across the globe.

    From developing internationally recognized measurement tools for gender-based power relationships to creating a model for HIV prevention in child brides in India and models for treatment of homeless individuals with serious mental illness, the work these students went on to do has profoundly impacted communities far and wide.

  • It’s safe to say Marilyn Flynn is in esteemed company.

    The dean of the USC School of Social Work is among six individuals with distinguished and successful careers in social work who were inducted into the California Social Work Hall of Distinction during a recent ceremony that recognized their exceptional contributions to social justice and social welfare.

  • Pamela and Mark Mischel have been involved with the USC School of Social Work for over a decade—first as proud parents and now as one of the school’s first supporters of the Yellow Ribbon Scholarship Fund.

    “Even though we don’t have any direct experience with the military, these issues are very near and dear to our hearts,” said Pamela, who also sits on the school’s Board of Councilors.

    “These young men and women have given so much, and we want to do our small part to be able to help,” Mark said.

  • As the wife of a disabled veteran, Krystal Lerner knows first-hand the struggles many veterans face and the impact that can have on those closest to them.

    Lerner remembers the frustration she personally experienced going through the Veterans Affairs system trying to get her husband connected with services.

    “I made three pages worth of phone calls to people, and everyone kept referring me to someone else,” she said.

  • Late-life depression exerts significant physical and emotional burden on older adults, their families and health care systems. Studies indicate that older adults face unique challenges in battling depression. Unlike younger individuals with depression, older adults have a decreased likelihood of remission than younger populations, are more prone to suffer from functional disability and are less likely to receive quality mental health care.

  • In the sweltering summer heat of California’s Central Valley, with the low throb of a swamp cooler rumbling through the frame of her grandmother’s Victorian house, Marleen Wong learned a secret that would change the course of her life.