CUSSW: News Index

Alumnus Jared Bernstein Appointed Chief Economic Advisor to Vice President-Elect Joseph Biden
Dr. Bernstein currently serves as the Director of the Living Standards program at the Economic Policy Institute. Read more

Four Alumni Named Emerging Social Work Leaders
Andrea Vaghy Benyola ’98MS, Qin Gao ‘05PhD, Julie Kim Richards ‘96MS, and Alison Snow ’04MS have been named the 2008 Emerging Social Work Leaders by the National Association of Social Workers New York Chapter. Read more

November 2008

Dr. Neeraj Kaushal Awarded Tenure at Columbia University School of Social Work
CUSSW is pleased to announce that Dr. Neeraj Kaushal, Associate Professor of Social Work, has been awarded tenure by Columbia University.
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Schools' Resources Important for Helping Children of Immigrant Families Succeed in the Classroom
Children of immigrants have a better chance of catching up with their peers if they attend a school with high-performing students, well-supported teachers and ESL programs according to a study by Dr. Wen-jui Han.
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Global Health Research Center in Central Asia Awarded NIDA Fellowship
Dr. Mahkbatsho Bahkromov, the Center’s representative in Tajikistan, has been awarded the National Institute of Drug Abuse INVEST fellowship. Dr. El Bassel, director of the Center at Columbia University School of Social Work, will be Dr. Bahkromov’s mentor.
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October 2008

New Alcohol and HIV Intervention Targets Former Foster Care, Homeless Teens in New York City
Dr. Ronald G. Thompson, Jr. will implement and evaluate One Plus One, a briefintervention designed to reduce alcohol use, HIV sexual risk behaviors.
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Social Intervention Group to Study Efficacy of Multimedia HIV Prevention Among Female Offenders in New York City
A $3.3 million, five-year grant was awarded to Dr. Nabila El-Bassel by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
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New Study Explores Alcohol Use and HIV Risk in the Dominican Republic
Dr. Vincent Guilamo-Ramos will use a $430,000 grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to develop a venue-based alcohol and HIV-prevention intervention for adults in the Dominican Republic (D.R.).
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September 2008

Columbia University Global Health Research Center of Central Asia to Develop an HIV Prevention Program for Injection Drug Users in Kyrgyzstan Dr. Anne E. Brisson, Director of Operations for the Global Health Research Center of Central Asia (GHRCCA) and associate research scientist at the Columbia University School of Social Work (CUSSW), will adapt and pilot an HIV prevention program for injection drug users (IDU) in Kyrgyzstan.
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Revisiting Loss: A Treatment for Complicated Grief
Dr. Katherine Shear, Marion E. Kenworthy Professor of Psychiatry in Social Work, will lead a one-day advanced clinical workshop on the treatment for complicated grief. The workshop will be held on Friday, November 7, 2008 from 9am-5pm at the Columbia University School of Social Work.
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Wen-jui Han Awarded Tenure at Columbia University
Dr. Han is a nationally recognized scholar whose research on child care, maternal employment, and child well-being has had strong implications for national public policy.
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Fred Ssewamala Receives Grant from the National Institute of Mental Health
The grant will be used to expand the SUUBI "Hope" Program to families in Uganda caring for children who were orphaned when their parents succumbed to the AIDS pandemic.
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August 2008

Ronald Mincy Joins New York State Juvenile Justice Task Force
An initiative by Governor Paterson, the Task Force will review and reform the state’s current policies and practices for providing care for incarcerated youth.
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July 2008

Dr. Nabila El-Bassel Awarded $3.5 Million Grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse
Professor Nabila El-Bassel, professor at the Columbia University School of Social Work and Director of the Global Health Research Center in Central Asia (GHRCCA), has received a $3.5 million, five-year grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse. The five-year grant will be used to conduct an innovative couples-based HIV/STI study in Central Asia.
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Dr. Katherine Shear Receives $2.6 Million Grant from the National Institute of Mental Health For A New Study On Treating Complicated Grief in Older Adults
M. Katherine Shear, M.D., Marion E. Kenworthy Professor of Psychiatry at the Columbia University School of Social Work, has received a $2.6 million five-year grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The grant will be used to conduct the first clinical study to determine the effects of two different models of treatment for complicated grief in older adults.
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June 2008

Taking Your Prescribed Meds is Still the Best Path to Alcoholism Recovery
While certain pharmaceutical drugs can reduce acute withdrawal symptoms and/or urges to drink alcohol, clearly they will not work if patients do not adhere to a regimen.
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CUSSW Welcomes Scientists for the HIV Intervention Science Training Program
The Social Intervention Group at the Columbia University School of Social Work (CUSSW) today welcomed the 2008-2009 trainee cohort for the HIV Intervention Science Training Program (HISTP).
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Ronald Mincy Awarded Tenure at CUSSW
Dr. Ronald Mincy, the Maurice V. Russell Professor of Social Policy and Social Welfare, has been awarded tenure by Columbia University.
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May 2008

Fred Ssewamala Promoted to Associate Professor at CUSSW
Dr. Fred Ssewamala has been promoted to Associate Professor at the Columbia University School of Social Work (CUSSW). Dr. Ssewamala has distinguished himself as a member of the CUSSW faculty with his asset-based social interventions and research in Uganda, sub-Saharan Africa, and the United States.
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Community-Based Collaborative Research is Key to Suicide PreventionSuicide is the eleventh leading cause of death for Americans. Although suicidal behaviors in the general population are often linked to mental health disorders, the risk can be potentially greater for individuals facing HIV/AIDS, drug-related problems, and incarceration.
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Congratulations 2008 Graduates
On May 19th, 404 members of the CUSSW graduating class of 2008 received degrees.
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CUSSW Students Honored with NASW-NYC Awards
Cory Jones and Nichelle Roberts, 2008 master of social work candidates at Columbia University School of Social Work, have been selected to receive awards from the National Association of Social Workers-New York City Chapter. The awards will be presented during the School’s Commencement Ceremony at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center on May 19.
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Westina Matthews Shatteen to Speak at CUSSW Commencement
Dr. Matthews Shatteen, Managing Director at Merrill Lynch, will address graduates of CUSSW at their commencement ceremony on May 19, 2008. The ceremony will be held in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center at 2:30pm.
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April 2008

Three Social Work Students Named Presidential Management Fellows
Three students at the Columbia University School of Social Work have been named a Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The program is highly competitive and selected fellows participate in a two-year paid internship working in the Federal government that includes leadership development, training, and rotations among various Federal agencies.
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Dr. Allen Zweben to Deliver Keynote Address at the 40th NASW-NYC Addictions Institute
Dr. Allen Zweben, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Research at Columbia University School of Social Work (CUSSW), will deliver the keynote address at the 40th Anniversary conference of the National Association of Social Workers-New York City Chapter’s Addictions Institute.
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February 2008

Social Work Professor Authors Guide to Parent-Teen Communication about Sex in Latino Families
Columbia University School of Social Work (CUSSW) associate professor Vincent Guilamo-Ramos and doctoral candidate Alida Bouris have authored a 24-page guide for practitioners to help Latino parents talk to their teenage children about sex. The guide was written for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and its Latino Initiative.
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Time Warner Chairman of the Board To Speak at the School of Social Work
Richard D. Parsons, Chairman of the Board of Time Warner, Inc., will speak at the Columbia University School of Social Work Wednesday Series lecture event on March 5, 2008.
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January 2008

School of Social Work Announces Wednesday Series Program Line-Up
The Columbia University School of Social Work announced today its Wednesday Series program for spring 2008.
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Photography for Advocacy
In a new exhibition at the Columbia University School of Social Work entitled "On Borrowed Time: Growing Up with HIV/AIDS in the United States" photographer Katja Heinemann explores the impact the disease has on young people.
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