American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare Fellows attain research grants, weigh in on exclusionary zoning practices, and discuss crime and common traits of school shooters. 

Fellow Leads CBT Research Centered on Black Men

September 4, 2024 — Joseph Himle, PhD, Fellow, and University of Michigan Social Work professor, is leading a team of social work researchers to develop and evaluate a transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy for depression and anxiety, designed for and by young Black men. With grant funding from the University of Michigan’s Office of the Vice President for Research, their work will involve a partnership between the University of Michigan, The Ohio State University, My Brother’s Keeper, and Formula 734. 

Read more on The University Record. 

Fellow Comments on Cleveland’s Drop in Crime 

September 4, 2024 — Despite a few high-profile incidents, crime in Cleveland, Ohio has dropped this summer in comparison to 2023, reports Cleveland.com. Fellow and director of the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research at Case Western Reserve University Daniel Flannery, PhD, commented on the shift to the publication, saying the decline in the city’s crime rate is “generally good news.” And as the weather cools, Flannery expects crime rates to decrease even more in large part because more young people are in school.

Read the full article on Cleveland.com.

Fellow Calls for an End to Exclusionary Zoning in Illinois

September 4, 2024 — How do you tackle racial segregation in Chicago? Fellow and University of Chicago professor Harold Pollack, PhD, co-authored an opinion piece in the Chicago Tribune saying that addressing exclusionary zoning practices may be where to start. The article cites research that found that exclusionary zoning policies increase rents, needlessly raise home prices, and disproportionately affect Black residents. 

Read more in The Chicago Tribune.

Fellow Discusses Common Traits of School Shooters

September 6, 2024 — A Newsweek story on the recent mass shooting at a Georgia high school called on Fellow and University of California Los Angeles professor Ron Avi Astor, PhD, to synthesize common traits of school shooters. He said that shooters may seek to sow terror on a national level. “It’s not necessarily always to target one person, or just somebody with mental health issues,” he said. “The goal is to commit terror for every child and parent in the United States, and they use the media to do that.”

Read the full story on Newsweek.com.