AASWSW Fellow News: Honors, Healthcare Cuts, and Healing Addiction

Fellows weigh in on healthcare cuts, receive state and national honors, and explain how mindfulness therapy could combat addiction.

Fellow Weighs in on Federal Cuts to Healthcare

July 21, 2025 — The recent passage of President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” has raised questions about the future of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act after funding cuts and new rules take effect. Fellow and University of Chicago Professor Colleen Grogan, PhD, sat down with Chicago Health to discuss the law’s healthcare provisions and how they will affect access, quality of care, and the wellbeing of underserved communities.

Read the full article on Chicago Health

Fellow Honored with Outstanding Achievement Award

June 18, 2025 — Fellow and Associate Vice President of Social Work and Community Health at Rush University Robyn Golden, LCSW was awarded the 2025 Knee/Wittman Outstanding Achievement Award by The National Association of Social Workers Foundation. A Rush University announcement cited Golden’s work advocating for Medicare beneficiaries to be granted access to important social work services, and noted that in 2024, a Medicare rule change made social workers eligible as Medicare providers. Her contributions to improving patient-care, mental health policy, and the integration of social work were also mentioned.

Read the news release from Rush University

Fellow Receives Statewide Recognition in Ohio

May 26, 2025 — Fellow and Ohio State University Professor Dawn Anderson-Butcher, MSW, PhD, was named one of The Top 50 Women Leaders of Ohio by Women We Admire. The professional organization’s honor recognizes women whose leadership contributes to local and national progress. Women We Admire highlighted Anderson-Butcher’s internationally-recognized research, as well as her work as Executive Director of the Community and Youth Collaborative Institute and as chair of the Mental Health Education Integration Consortium.

Read the full entry at Women We Admire

Study Suggests Ways to Improve Addiction Care

May 21, 2025 — Mindfulness-based therapy has the potential to heal brain changes caused by opioid use and addiction, according to a study by Fellow and University of California San Diego Professor Eric Garland, LCSW, PhD and his colleagues. Garland explains their findings in Psychology Today, writing that a particular type of mindfulness therapy, Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE), helps regulate the cravings of addiction by increasing brain responses to positive stimuli. Citing a prior study, he said this therapy could lead to 42% less relapse and 59% less dropout from treatment compared to standard methadone addiction care.

Read the full article at Psychology Today