AASWSW Fellow News: Opioid Crisis, HIV Prevention and Domestic Violence

Fellows explore public health strategies, homelessness solutions, and domestic violence prevention.

Local Solutions to Domestic Violence Offer Global Insights

February 19, 2025 — Fellow and Carol LaMare Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of Washington, Taryn Lindhorst co-authored a study analyzing how service providers in Nepal address domestic violence. Conducted with researchers from the University of Kansas, University of Idaho, and University of Washington, the study examined interviews and focus groups with government and NGO service providers in Pokhara, Nepal. The findings show that understanding the local context of domestic abuse can help international service providers to give better support. For instance, in Nepal service providers identify withholding economic support, medical care, social recognition as a family member and support for legal documents as co-existing alongside commonly-recognized forms of domestic abuse, such as physical violence, sexual and emotional abuse, or surveillance. 

Read the full article from The University of Kansas

Research on Family Homelessness Presented at Congressional Briefing

January 28, 2025 — One-third of people experiencing homelessness are families with children. Fellow and NYU Silver School of Social Work Professor Deborah Padgett, PhD, presented her research on family homelessness at a Congressional Briefing organized by the Clark-Fox Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis. Experts discussed the impact of housing instability on health and education, the need for integrated care, and evidence-based solutions like Housing First and rapid rehousing.

Read the full article from Clark-Fox Policy Institute.

$3M NIH Grant Funds HIV Prevention in Africa

January 24, 2025 — Fellow and William E. Gordon Distinguished Professor, Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, Fred Ssewamala is one of three researchers to receive a $3 million research grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to improve HIV prevention among adolescent girls and young women in Uganda. The study, Suubi4PrEP, focuses on expanding access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) while addressing economic and structural barriers that limit its use. The project combines traditional HIV risk reduction efforts with peer support and financial empowerment to improve adherence rates. 

Read the full article on WashU Source.

Chicago’s Opioid Crisis Response Shows Early Success

January 15, 2025 — Fellow, Helen Ross Professor at the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago, and Affiliate Professor in the Biological Sciences Collegiate Division and the Department of Public Health Sciences Harold Pollack, weighed in on research analyzing Chicago’s public health response to the opioid crisis. Recent initiatives, including expanded naloxone distribution at libraries and vending machines, overdose prevention programs, and the CARE emergency response teams, have helped reduce opioid-related deaths by 43% in Cook County in 2024. However, Pollack warns that the decline in deaths may partly reflect the devastating toll the crisis has already taken, as many of the most vulnerable individuals have succumbed to overdoses in prior years. 

Read the full article from Crain’s Chicago Business.