fiscal year 2008-2009 aculty Development and Research Grants
Alberto Cardelle Associate Professor Health Studies Dr. Cardelle joined the ESU faculty in 1999. Immigration Policies, Acculturation, and Social Capital: An International Comparison Amount awarded: $6,450 Overview: The nation’s immigrant population (legal and illegal) reached a record of 37.9 million in 2007 and immigrants now account for one in eight U.S. residents, the highest in 80 years. However, the health and welfare of these immigrant communities has received less of the focus than the labor needs the immigrants fill. From a public health perspective, there is literature showing that there is a relation between acculturation and health status. This proposal by Dr. Cardelle is to develop and test a research methodology that can identify policies and strategies that facilitate the acculturation process of immigrants. This study will work with organizations providing services to immigrants in order to sample households in both Pennsylvania and Galecia, Spain. The results of this study will be a descriptive analysis that will look at trends between acculturation, levels of social capital, and “pro-integration” immigration policies. From this, a report will make recommendations of potential policies that may positively impact acculturation and social capital and therefore immigrant health and well being.
Laurene Clossey Assistant Professor Sociology Dr. Clossey joined the ESU faculty in 2007. Utilizing Appreciative Inquiry to Facilitate Organized Transformation in a Mental Health Agency Amount requested: $6,392 Overview: A new consumer-driven approach to psychiatric care, the Recovery Model, has been implemented, but not without controversy. Mental health agencies across the country are struggling to shift from the traditional medical model systems of care to the consumer-driven care that promotes client rehabilitation and recovery. Dr. Clossey has proposed a study designed to determine how an organization’s culture can be changed so that participants are able to embrace this new model. To do this there will be a field test of an organizational tool called the Appreciative Inquiry at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center. More specifically, the study will shed light on whether this tool may be an effective method for moving beyond the obstacle of meeting the state mandate to implement the Recovery Model and obtaining staff buy-in. The end goal will be to demonstrate whether Appreciative Inquiry was able to help overcome staff resistance to recovery oriented care as well as whether it facilitated the implementation of the Recovery Model.
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