PARTNERS - Fall 2018

PARTNERS USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

Inside the Evolving Issue of Addiction Unique Program Pairs Social Work Students with LAPD to Serve At-Risk Kids 5 Things Men Can Do to Help End Sexual Harassment and Assault BrainWorks: Innovative Research for Alzheimer’s Meet Interim Dean John Clapp

FALL 2018

PARTNERS alumni

“The complexities of physical illness are ever-increasing”

alumni MAKING WAVES

Akila Aisner, MSN ’18

Tina Atherall, DSW ’18

As one of the first nursing alums of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, Akila Aisner will soon become a family nurse practitioner.

A few years ago, he was working at a hospital in Marina Del Rey as a registered nurse (RN). As he developed relationships with his patients, he was often frustrated that he did not have the knowledge base—or professional stature—to treat them within the medical model. He decided to pursue his master’s degree so he could provide better care for his patients.

“As a nurse we treat a patient’s response to their illness,” Aisner said. “If they have pulmonary hypertension, the patient may be short of breath and we administer treatments to improve breathing. But as a nurse practitioner, I’ll be the one diagnosing the illness that’s causing the shortness of breath, and prescribing their plan of care.”

Training by social work professors in motivational interviewing, for example, has provided him with a unique skill. “Meaningful conversation encourages a patient to give more information,” Aisner said. “The process can motivate patients to commit to changes that will improve their quality of life.”

Aisner’s long-term goals have broadened too. Before becoming an RN, he earned an undergraduate degree in advertising and public relations. Now, he envisions launching national public health awareness campaigns to change how people take care of themselves and others.

“The complexities of physical illness are ever-increasing,” Aisner said. “I want to implement mass communication strategies to directly improve health literacy and motivate healthy behaviors.”

As a military spouse experiencing firsthand the effects of post-9/11 action in Iraq and Afghanistan, Atherall co-founded a nonprofit in 2006 while her husband was stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Although she knew her military community well, she realized she did not have the professional skills to support the complex issues of those coming home from longterm combat and enrolled in graduate school, receiving her MSW in 2010.

“I look back at it now,” Atherall said, “and the timing was perfect because there weren’t a lot of social workers doing this work in the early years of post 9/11 combat.”

When she decided to pursue a Doctor of Social Work (DSW), she chose USC because of its leadership, macropractice-based program and commitment to military social work. Once accepted, Atherall made a very purposeful career change so she could develop and implement her capstone project: tackling social isolation among military families.

“It was taking an opportunity to influence a funded project with the innovative practices of the DSW program,” Atherall said.

She started at Blue Star Families as a project manager, and is now the national director of community solutions, implementing, evaluating and scaling a pilot of her capstone project, Connected Communities. The experience taught her a lot about the value of investing in an advanced degree and in choosing a school with an impressive network.

“I am so grateful for my fellow DSW graduates who aligned with and supported me,” Atherall said. “The sweet sixteen—that’s what they call our pioneer cohort—are family for life.”

2 Alumni Profiles

11 Activism

4 resources

12 Brainworks

5 Career Tips

16 Meet John Clapp

6 Feature story

19 connect

Akila Aisner and Tina Atherall

For Social Work and Nursing Professionals

Increase Your Chances of Getting Promoted

Inside the Evolving Issue of Addiction

5 Things Men Can Do to Help End Sexual Harassment and Assault

Innovative Research for Alzheimer’s Disease

Our New Interim Dean

Dworak-Peck Connect, Reunions and Homecoming

From the Dean As we begin a new academic year, it is my privilege to welcome social work and nursing students to this exceptional school, and to update our alumni, partners and friends. In my new role as interim dean, I look forward to collaborating with faculty, meeting students and alumni, and working with supporters as we continue to provide education and research that meets the challenges of our rapidly changing society.

This issue of Partners highlights some of the ways that our school is seeking new understanding and solutions to long-standing problems, and raising the bar for the care we provide to individuals and communities that are affected by them.

The subject of addiction is one that I have personally been involved with for the majority of my career, and it is exciting to be part of one of the foremost research institutions in the world that is looking closely at this continuing crisis, and the ways in which larger societal issues may be contributing to its escalation.

Our current installment also takes a look at advances in community education for Alzheimer’s disease, new field placements within law enforcement and the continuing campaign to eradicate sexual harassment and assault, as well as updates and resources for our alumni.

I am acutely aware that social workers and nurses carry an increasingly heavy burden of service and advocacy these days to ensure that vulnerable populations do not get left behind, and I look forward to working together with you to continue to find solutions to our most urgent needs.

Sincerely,

John D. Clapp, PhD Interim Dean and Professor of Social Work

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PARTNERS alumni relations

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

for Social Work and Nursing Professionals

The USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, Department of Nursing and NASW-USC Unit expanded their programming throughout the past year, offering more than 50 in-person, online and live-stream opportunities for alumni and friends.

We listened to your needs and hope that you were able to access one of our custom-designed programs, featuring the latest research from our faculty, innovations in practice from our alumni and opportunities to receive continuing education and licensure support. Highlights include:

L.A./ VIRTUAL EVENTS

REGIONAL EVENTS

Master Class with USC Professor Emerita Barbara Solomon, DSW ’66, who led a conversation with Rep. Karen Bass, MSW ’15, about how social workers and nurses can inform policy and effect change.

Las Vegas: Supporting Children in Times of Crisis, a discussion of how the USC National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement is supporting local school and health professionals in the wake of the country’s deadliest mass shooting in modern history.

Motivational Interviewing for Change for Nurses, in which registered nurses learned how to utilize motivational interviewing, an evidence-based health behavior intervention.

Field Trip Featuring Lawndale Elementary School District (LESD) showcased our school’s five-year partnership with LESD in teaching and research while celebrating the 100 alumni who have completed their field internships through the program.

The BBS and LCSWs Speak and Law and Ethics Review Workshop presented overviews of the California licensure process and helped ASWs review and prepare for the California Law and Ethics exam.

San Diego: Social Work Day at Petco Park, a pre-game discussion about the Grand Challenge to Harness Technology for Social Good, featured the work of the USC Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society (CAIS).

San Francisco Bay Area: Master Class featured alumna and USC Trustee Suzanne Dworak-Peck.

Washington, DC: Policy Meets Practice‒A Social Work Roundtable, provided presentations about our national immersion programs, which provide opportunities for students to learn in communities different from their own.

SAVE THE DATE Be on the lookout for invitations and announcements via email and social media about these upcoming opportunities:

October 20

Documentary Filmmaking for Social Change with Clinical Professor Rafael Angulo: Meet monthly for an academic year and join fellow alumni in learning the skills needed to create short documentaries.

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November 14

The Healthcare Revolution: Engage with a panel of nursing and social work leaders discussing the revolutionary changes impacting the healthcare industry, how to seize opportunities within the disruption and hear their vision of a transformed system that focuses on interdisciplinary collaboration to improve the lives of our patients.

CAREER TIPS

alumni relations PARTNERS

INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING PROMOTED Are you ready for a promotion at work but feel that it is out of reach? Perhaps you are a Clinician I and ready to be a Clinician II. Or maybe you are a staff nurse and would like to be a charge nurse. What does it take?

It may be as simple as getting licensed as a social worker or becoming a nurse practitioner, but frequently it requires more than that. Here are a few tips for standing out and increasing your odds of getting that promotion:

1 2 3 4 5

Identify the promotion you want so you can be intentional. This will make you more aware of day-today opportunities that will help you gain the skills and experience you need for your next move.

Recognize that people who are promoted are already doing the new job. Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. Performing tasks found in the new job description will help management realize that the promotion will simply formalize what you have already been doing.

Demonstrate proactive behavior and solve problems, especially during an organizational crisis.

Ask your supervisor and others if there are any projects you can help with to further the organization’s goals. Present solutions during tough times, as crises can present opportunities for you to prove your worth.

Help your organization increase financial resources, save money, reduce liability or improve a service or process. These goals are important to management at nonprofits, governmental agencies and corporations alike. Be sure to document how you contribute toward these goals and share these achievements with management regularly, not just during your performance evaluation.

Build relationships with key organizational leaders. Develop connections with leaders across your organization, and not just with management in your department. Gaining support from decision-makers across departments will work in your favor and will help to ensure that your boss receives positive feedback about you from peers.

Work on building your brand as a promotable employee by being intentional about practicing the above strategies daily. Your efforts will be noticed and, little by little, your chances of being promoted will increase.

Or, if there is no room to move up in your organization, these strategies will help you build your resume with achievements that may result in getting the promotion you are seeking at your next organization.

What would you like to learn more about?

Contact us at swalumni@usc.edu with your ideas and suggestions.

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PARTNERS feature

Inside the Evolving Issue of

by Constance Sommer

Why do some people become addicts, and others do not?

Not Always As It Appears

Imagine an alcoholic parent who has four children. Each of those children would be considered at higher than normal risk for developing an addiction themselves—but only one does. That one might carry an addictive gene that is not present in their siblings’ DNA.

It is almost impossible to predict who will become an addict and who will not. But Jordan Davis, assistant professor in the Department of Children, Youth and Families, has surveyed people entering treatment, looking for the most likely predictor for their addiction. “The main predictor, the highest increase in odds of entering treatment for substance abuse, is post-traumatic stress disorder,” he said.

Or, the child with the addictive gene could also have suffered abuse, and gotten involved with friends who used drugs or drank copiously. Often it is a combination of triggers that sends one sibling into battle with an addiction, while brothers and sisters manage to steer clear.

“There are more pathways to addiction than people in the field might acknowledge,” said John Clapp, interim dean of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. “Predisposition doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to manifest.”

Over the years, addiction has been described as an individual moral failing, a disease of the brain, or a genetic inheritance. However, modern research says addiction is not an issue that can be reduced to one cause alone.

Clapp, one of the nation’s foremost addiction researchers in the field of social work, studies alcohol problem prevention.

He notes that the very word “addiction” is thrown around to encompass everything from a tendency to overconsume caffeine to an obsessive attachment to a smartphone. But for a behavior to rise to the level of addiction, it must meet two standards: first, a growing tolerance—one needs progressively more of the substance to achieve the desired effect. And second, withdrawal—when one stops using the substance, there are negative consequences, such as serious cravings or becoming physically ill.

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Abuse of drugs and alcohol generally meets those standards, according to Clapp. Gambling, on the other hand, is one of those practices that some in the addiction field believe meets the standard, and some do not. “It continues to be a healthy debate,” he said.

That means addiction casts a wide net in society.

“Addicts come in all shapes and sizes,” said Amber Richert, adjunct lecturer in the Department of Nursing.

Richert is a nurse practitioner in Baltimore, Maryland, and provides care largely to the city’s homeless population. Her clients, she said, generally fit the addiction stereotype: poor, minority, limited education. “But an addict can also be a Redondo Beach mom,” she said.

Although Richert’s patients live in desperate circumstances, their struggles are not profoundly different from those of clients with more resources who, 3,000 miles away, attend group and individual therapy at CAST Centers, a West Hollywood, California, outpatient treatment center where Cecelia Mylett, MSW ’92, is the clinical director.

Like Richert, who treats addiction as part of her primary care work, Mylett’s approach at CAST “is we treat the whole person. Where they are, what got them here and what they want to change. People are coming in here in pain, shame and suffering that they may not be aware of, but they know it’s affecting their lives and loved ones.”

Because some individuals seeking help from CAST come from affluent backgrounds, they may have used substances for quite a while before being confronted about the problem, according to Robert Oppenheimer, MSW ’92, a clinical therapist at CAST. “The nature of addiction,” Oppenheimer said, “is a lot of secrecy.”

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“at the core of addiction are people who have a dissatisfaction with their lives. however, the source of this dissatisfaction is not necessarily personal, but more at the structural level.”

The more power and money individuals with substance use disorders have can work to their detriment. Someone with wealth “can get their hands on whatever they want,” Mylett said. Furthermore, individuals who hold positions of power and authority are less likely to get called out on their addiction, at least in the workplace, because colleagues who might notice a problem are probably in subordinate positions and fear retribution.

Common Denominators For those living in impoverished communities, a lack of options can lead to a real struggle to stay sober.

Clapp recalls doing field work in a rural Ohio county where as much as 70 percent of the adult population was addicted to opioids. One of the main culprits was a lack of hope — there were very few jobs in the region and there was widespread poverty. “In cases like that, it quickly becomes clear that who you are, where you are and how you live help determine how vulnerable you are to addiction,” he said.

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Through her research with impoverished MexicanAmerican women victims of intimate partner violence in Texas, Alice Cepeda, associate professor in the Department of Adult Mental Health and Wellness, has witnessed a similar situation to that in rural Ohio. “They use heroin because it makes them forget about the everyday struggles they have to deal with,” she said.

Cepeda takes issue with the word “addiction,” as does her colleague in the Department of Adult Mental Health and Wellness, Professor Avelardo Valdez. Although addiction is a scientific term, Valdez said, there is often disagreement on what it actually means. He and Cepeda prefer to talk about different levels of dependence and the structural factors that contribute to it, including high rates of incarceration, lack of employment and education opportunities and limited treatment services.

There are particularly high levels of substance abuse dependence among the Texas women that Cepeda studies. The use of heroin and other illegal drugs has been

feature PARTNERS

intergenerational and present in these communities for decades. However, statistics are scarce. “We can’t say they are not dealing with the issue of dependence; it just has not been accurately assessed, documented and reported,” she said.

Valdez has found the same issues throughout the Latino communities he studies. Neuroscientists are looking to the brain for answers, but Valdez maintains that his research suggests that brain chemistry “pales in comparison” to the social climate and the emotional trials that can drag someone down the pathway to addiction.

“At the core of addiction,” Valdez said, “are people who have a dissatisfaction with their lives. However, the source of this dissatisfaction is not necessarily personal, but more at the structural level.”

A Path Forward The university has recently created the USC Institute on Addiction Science, a joint venture between the Suzanne

Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and the Keck School of Medicine (with various other schools contributing expertise as well). The idea is to create a large research center solely to study addiction. In addition, social work researchers are working on new and novel approaches to improve outcomes for those affected by addiction.

Jordan Davis is presently working on three separate research initiatives on substance abuse. He is conducting studies on the practice of mindfulness with at-risk youth, and has found that those who received mindfulness training, such as meditation, lowered their probability of relapse at nearly double the rate of those who did receive the training.

Together with the National Center for PTSD, part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Davis, in collaboration with colleagues at the RAND Corporation and the Veterans Administration of San Francisco, is developing an app that will deliver mindfulness interventions to veterans suffering from both PTSD and substance abuse who cannot or choose not to seek treatment.

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PARTNERS feature

Finally, Davis is researching treatment outcomes for heroin and opiate use, to see which types of treatment work best for which people. He notes that many substance abusers are also dealing with mental health issues. “Hopefully,” he said, “one day we’ll have individualized care.”

Like Davis, John Clapp is also involved in the development of mobile applications to address substance abuse. With a team of engineers and computer scientists, he is studying the system dynamics of drinking events, trying to understand why and how people get drunk.

The hope is to create apps that will let people know when they or their friends are at risk of slipping into drunkenness, preventing problems like drunk driving and alcohol-fueled violence and sexual assault.

At the heart of all of this research is improving care and saving lives. As society changes, so does the scope of its problems and solutions. The issue of addiction is evolving, and its diagnosis and treatment must evolve along with it.

Resources Please refer to the following resources if you or someone you know is struggling with addiction.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Help Line: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) www.samhsa.gov Alcoholics Anonymous www.aa.org Al-Anon Family Groups Help and hope for families and friends of alcoholics www.al-anon.org Narcotics Anonymous www.na.org Nar-Anon Family Groups A 12-Step Program for Families and Friends of Addicts www.nar-anon.org Substance Abuse Prevention www.youth.gov Partnership for Drug-Free Kids www.drugfree.org

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activism PARTNERS

5 Things Men Can Do to Help End Sexual Harassment and Assault Men can become better allies in the fight against systemic violence, sexual harassment and assault by supporting women—and promoting awareness among their male peers.

3. Take personal responsibility for speaking up against harmful behavior Broad cultural change begins with individuals, which means that it is essential for men to speak up when they encounter problematic behaviors in their day-to-day lives.

In the wake of recent sexual abuse scandals across various industries, a number of progressive movements—including the #MeToo movement and the Time’s Up workplace equality initiative—have arisen on a national and global scale to encourage conversation and mobilize change around this issue.

Because women experience assault and rape at an approximately 87 percent higher rate than men do, this has long been considered a women’s issue—but it is essential that men step up as allies.

1. Initiate open and honest conversations with other men

The first way that men can position themselves as allies to victims of sexual assault and harassment is by participating in challenging conversations, especially with other men.

In a safe setting, discuss what kinds of speech and behaviors are acceptable versus unacceptable, and do not be afraid to challenge assumptions that perpetuate a hostile or dangerous environment for women.

2. Self-evaluate and extend empathy

4. Understand your role in creating a more inclusive system

It is crucial that men understand the larger cultural forces at play that perpetuate these behaviors and enact change on a systemic level.

Research cited by the Harvard Business Review reveals that many men identify as allies in the fight against harassment in private but become uncomfortable expressing their support or intervening in public settings. Though many men worry about not knowing what to say—or worse, saying the wrong thing— what is important is that they say something.

5. Team up with allies

Another important way men can act as agents for broader change is by teaming up with others who are committed to eradicating sexual harassment and assault. Sustain an ongoing dialogue with friends, peers and family members, with the ultimate goal of encouraging more people to become active allies for the cause.

You can find groups in your area on the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s directory of organizations.

In addition to challenging their peers, men should strive to address the ways in which they themselves may be unknowingly contributing to a culture of disrespect.

Practice cognitive empathy—in other words, challenge yourself to see from the “other’s” perspective and reflect on your own attitudes, beliefs and behaviors surrounding gender and sex.

If you witness verbal or physical harassment, intervene if you feel safe doing so. Taking a direct approach may involve telling the perpetrator to stop; attempting to create physical space between the perpetrator and the victim; or asking the victim, “Can I help?” or “Would you like me to stay with you?”

Never hesitate to call 911 if you are concerned for the safety of yourself or others.

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PARTNERS research

African Americans are at a significantly higher risk than whites of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but participate in AD clinical trials at lower rates and experience disparities in access to care and opportunities for early diagnosis.

They also report lower levels of AD literacy than their white counterparts.

Karen Lincoln, associate professor and founder of Advocates for African American Elders, launched BrainWorks to promote AD literacy within the African American community through text messaging. Alongside a talk show-style AD education event, this study aimed to help individuals identify AD symptoms and encourage them to seek help from a physician or mental health provider.

BARRIERS TO AD LITERACY AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS:

24%

of African Americans have below basic literacy levels

Only

45%

of older African Americans are internet users

IN CONTRAST:

77%

of older African Americans own a cell phone

67%

of African American smartphone owners use their phone to research health conditions

PRIMARY GOAL OF BRAINWORKS: The goal of the study is to test the effectiveness of a culturally-tailored AD literacy program, with and without reinforcing text messages.

GENERAL TEXT MESSAGE

More than 5.4 million Americans have AD.

Sleep tight. Disrupted sleep is a possible risk factor for AD. Is nightly sleep deprivation slowing your thinking and affecting your mood?

You might be at greater risk of developing symptoms of AD.

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TAILORED TEXT MESSAGE

African Americans are 2-3 times more likely to develop AD than whites.

Every shut eye ain’t asleep. African Americans have more disrupted sleep than whites. Disrupted sleep is a possible risk factor for AD. Lower your risk and get good sleep!

EXAMINING TEXT MESSAGE-BASED EDUCATION FOR ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

research PARTNERS

This study helped us find out things in our daily behavior that may be early symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

FRANKLIN HENDERSON, STUDY PARTICIPANT

RESULTS OF THE STUDY Over the one-month follow-up period, participants had a mean ADKS of 21.19, or a 1.11 point increase in AD literacy compared to baseline mean ADKS score. The greatest increase in AD literacy occurred for those who received culturally tailored text messages.

55.1% of study participants stated that they would change their health behaviors because of the prevention tips they received

93.7% would recommend the program to a friend or family member

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PARTNERS LAPD + USC

Unique Program Pairs Social Work Students with LAPD to Serve At-Risk Kids

by Lynn Lipinski

L to R: Veronica Cardenas (HPAL case manager), Yessica Iturbide (social work intern), Alejandra Cardoso (HPAL executive assistant), Eymi Roa (HPAL senior case manager).

Growing up in Los Angeles’ Echo Park neighborhood, Yasmeen Surio, MSW ’18, did not have the best impression of the Los Angeles Police Department. Her family and friends had few positive interactions with officers.

“They were the enemy,” Surio said.

But as a first-year MSW student at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, she landed a field placement working with at-risk kids through the school’s partnership with the LAPD as a teaching institution. During an orientation session, Clinical Associate Professor of Field Education Rosemary Alamo encouraged her and the rest of the student interns to keep an open mind about working with law enforcement.

Surio remembered thinking, “This will be interesting.”

Two years later, Surio’s entire perspective toward the LAPD has changed, thanks to her internship with the LAPD Hollenbeck division’s innovative program designed to steer kids in a positive direction.

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“All this time I had a one-sided view of law enforcement,” she said.

“Now I see how social work and law enforcement can work together.

We both serve the community but in different ways.”

In a few weeks, she will start a full-time job working for the Hollenbeck Police Activities League (HPAL), the largest program of its kind in L.A. Among her duties will be overseeing social work interns from her alma mater. She’s thrilled to help grow the program and “teaching institution” partnership between the social work school and law enforcement.

Real life lessons Similar to the internships doctors go through to learn how to apply what they’ve learned to treating patients, the school’s teaching institution concept offers an enriched learning atmosphere for social workers in training. MSW students consult with their peers and mentors about cases and their work in individual and group therapy.

“They learn how to apply their studies in the field,” Alamo said.

Critically, it’s also an opportunity to collaborate with another discipline so much in need, Alamo said. “It’s a mutual learning process. Every day we’re exploring how social workers and law enforcement can join forces and support each other to the benefit of the community we serve.”

Stepping into another’s shoes is a key skill for social workers, and both Surio and fellow HPAL intern Priscilla Close, MSW ’18, gained new respect for police officers after taking part in a simulated crime training exercise. Both acknowledged that the experience of having someone draw a gun on them, even in a simulation, left them emotionally shaken and newly appreciative of the challenges faced by officers. “They’re making difficult and quick decisions based on the facts before them,” Surio said.

In a way, it is the same for social workers, too. Social workers enter into crisis situations and sometimes have to make quick decisions based on their observations, training and judgment. But it is not always easy. Some of the clients coming into HPAL are dealing with serious issues such as violent crime, suicidal thoughts or selfharm, like cutting. That’s why clinical professors mentor and guide students through their placement and help them apply research and coursework to real-world problems.

Close was surprised how well the codes of ethics for law enforcement and for social work aligned. “When social workers work together with law enforcement, we can make even more of an impact on the community.” She was so inspired by her work with HPAL that she’s decided to pursue a career that merges her passions for social work and criminal justice to make an impact in the communities in Los Angeles.

“

Since 2012, the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work has partnered with several agencies in an innovative program to infuse field placements with additional training. HPAL and other organizations, including ABC Unified School District and Anaheim Union High School District, have agreed to serve as teaching institutions, an approach to field education that brings together student learning, agency development and university research.

The partnership with the LAPD is unique and may be the only one of its kind in the United States. “No other school we are aware of has social workers working with law enforcement in the way we do,” Alamo said. She recalled presenting an overview of the program at a recent National Association of Social Workers conference. “Participants were astonished to hear how well it was working,” she said.

Part of its success stems from her own relationship with law enforcement, which stretches back decades, as well as that of Adjunct Lecturer Rick Ornelas, a former officer with the Los Angeles School Police Department and social worker who helps MSW students understand and work within the culture of law enforcement while increasing the community’s trust in its officers.

The bottom line to its success? The desire of the students and the teaching institution to work together toward a common goal.

“The LAPD wants us there and our students want to be there,” Alamo said. “Often, students are eager to finish their placements, but we see the opposite with HPAL. Our students often work over the summer or through the winter breaks as volunteers.”

It’s a mutual learning process. Every day we’re exploring how social workers and law enforcement can join forces and support each other to the benefit of the community we serve.

”

Breaking barriers For HPAL Executive Director Lorraine Garcia, the partnership with social work interns has helped by removing the stigma of seeking mental health counseling for youth and parents.

“We used to refer them to mental health services but would see only 25 percent or so take advantage of the help,” Garcia said. With social work interns able to conduct individual and group therapy sessions on site, that rate has skyrocketed to 90 percent, she said.

Officers benefit from viewing the youth and their parents through the social worker’s perspective, just as the MSW students learn to overcome any biases they have toward law enforcement.

“That’s the beauty of it. We are all at the table together and not afraid to look at things through a different lens and brainstorm ideas,” Garcia said.

L to R: Nancy Delgado (HPAL Volunteer), Eymi Roa, Andy Padilla (HPAL volunteer), Cynthia Godina (social work intern), Alejandra Cardoso.

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PARTNERS meet John Clapp

Chance Encounter Turns into Career for

Interim DEAN John D. Clapp

by Maya Meinert

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meet John Clapp PARTNERS

He calls it “dumb luck,” but any way you slice it, Professor John Clapp is one of the foremost addiction researchers in the field of social work, known internationally for his translational work in alcohol problem prevention.

And now he’s interim dean of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, leading the school into a new era in its nearly 100-year history.

“The school has been outward-focused for the past 10 years.

We’ve been very innovative and at the forefront of education and interdisciplinary social work,” Clapp said. “We’re continuously evolving. Now is the time to continue our momentum and hone the hard work of our faculty and staff to ensure our research, education and student experience excel.”

Research for the real world Clapp’s career in academia started as an undergraduate at San Diego State University, where he majored in psychology while taking part in a special research track. His interest in research piqued, Clapp chose the applied science of social work for his graduate studies at SDSU. He was initially interested in child abuse prevention but ended up working on an alcohol use prevention research project, which turned into a decadeslong career.

“What’s interesting to me about substance use is it’s a problem that you find everywhere,” Clapp said. “It is something that seems to be ingrained in every culture. It’s a source of extreme problems —health problems, social problems related to violence, and every kind of abuse you can think of. It’s also a source of celebration and joy, so it’s an inherently complex problem.”

He earned his PhD in Social Work from The Ohio State University. Clapp returned to his hometown to teach at his alma mater SDSU, where he was a part of the faculty for 16 years and directed the Center on Alcohol and Drug Studies for 10. He then served as professor and associate dean for research and faculty development at The Ohio State University College of Social Work and as director of the university’s Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery. In 2017, he joined the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work as professor and executive vice dean.

Clapp has published more than 100 journal articles in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Addiction, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, among many others, and was the founding co-editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research. He has been awarded more than $32 million in grants and contracts, including those from the National Institute of Drug Abuse, U.S. Department of Education and Conrad N.

Hilton Foundation, and has been principal investigator on over 20 projects.

This fall, Clapp and Adam Leventhal, professor of preventative medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, will serve as co-principal investigators for a new interdisciplinary addiction research institute encouraged by the USC Office of the Provost.

Clapp is currently working on developing a mobile application that will leverage smart technology to predict when someone is drunk or is making decisions that will lead them to drunkenness.

The app could also automatically order a ride to prevent drunk driving or identify the designated driver in a group. The target population for the app would be college students, one of the heaviest-drinking groups in the United States. To achieve this goal, Clapp plans to start testing the mathematical models he and his fellow researchers have developed to see if they hold up in real-world contexts.

“My research is consistent with a lot of the work that we’re doing here in that it is not easily put in a box—non-conventional approaches that are leveraging new methodologies and analytical techniques,” he said, referring to social work faculty’s establishment of the USC Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society and Children’s Data Network. “That’s where I see us shine as a social work program. We’re so interdisciplinary and we have so many people that are interested in smart technologies for interventions. These different kinds of methodologies to collect and analyze data puts us at the forefront of what’s going to be a new chapter in the science of social work.”

Looking ahead Clapp is dedicated to supporting the problem-focused research being done by faculty at the school—perhaps best reflected in their leadership of three of the Grand Challenges for Social Work in the areas of ending homelessness, achieving equal opportunity and justice, and creating social responses to a changing environment. The school recently ranked fifth in research productivity among all 76 degree-granting social work doctoral programs in the U.S. by Scientometrics using the h-index, which measures the influence and impact of research publications based on how productive faculty members are. This recent distinction gives Clapp even more reason to continue supporting the school’s research efforts, which also include aging, military and veterans issues, artificial intelligence, and much more.

He is also focused on enhancing the student experience.

“We’re looking at ways to make this a professional and educational experience so that at the end of the day, students are well prepared with a knowledge base they can draw on for years,” he

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PARTNERS meet John Clapp JOHN D. CLAPP

Areas of Expertise Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery

said. “We want to build a long-term relationship with students that carries on through their career.”

Clapp has already identified some specific areas where student involvement can be enhanced, including planning school-wide events that directly affect students, like town halls and orientation.

“Through these events and activities we also want to encourage them to connect with each other earlier in their academic life that will be of assistance during their time as students and will be the basis of professional support networks that will be so helpful in their careers,” Clapp said.

Clapp also plans to encourage the growth and sustainability of the school’s areas of excellence, including enhancing its flagship MSW program and the popular Doctor of Social Work degree program.

“Having had the opportunity to build in-demand, innovative online programs, we’re now looking at that experience and how we are going to evolve next,” Clapp said. “Our programs provide the tools and skills needed for our students and alumni to develop new solutions based on the core values of social work and nursing. We want to ensure we’re learning from our experiences so we can best position our graduates to develop better ways to advance the health and wellness of individuals and communities.”

Clapp also plans to expand integration of diversity, equity and inclusion into the fabric of the school, with an emphasis on the student experience. Renee Smith-Maddox, clinical associate professor and associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion, who also serves as chair of the Provost’s Diversity and Inclusion Council and co-chair of the Campus Climate Committee, will provide leadership for these efforts.

“Renee will be working on how we can do this in a way that actually changes how people experience each other in their professional environments and feel they have a voice that’s known, seen, heard and respected,” Clapp said.

Smith-Maddox will also be in charge of shepherding the implementation of the school’s Sexual Harassment Task Force’s final recommendations for the school, university and community at large. Among the recommendations, which are meant to serve as starting points for discussion, are creating a peer group to help students thinking about coming forward with allegations of abuse and identifying gaps in policies to improve prevention, identification and reporting of sexual harassment and misconduct.

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Harm Reduction Health Behavior Research Affiliations Co-Principal Investigator, USC Institute for Addiction Science (Present) Fellow and former Board Member, The American Academy of Health Behavior (Present) Advisor, The U.S. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (2013-2015) Fellow, Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare Awards 2018 Research Laureate, American Academy of Health Behavior Featured Articles, Publications, and Studies

Clapp, John D. (2018) “The Promise of Systems Science in Health Behavior Research: The Example of Studying Drinking Events,” Health Behavior Research.

Clapp, John D., Madden, Danielle R., Villasanti, Hugo G., Giraldo, Luis F., Passino, Kevin M., Reed, Mark, Puentes, Isabel F. (2018) “A System Dynamic Model of Drinking Events: Multi-Level Ecological Approach,” Systems Research and Behavioral Science.

Villasanti, Hugo G., Passino, Kevin M., Clapp, John D., Madden, Danielle R. (2017) “A Control-Theoretic Assessment of Interventions During Drinking Events,” IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics.

Madden, Danielle R., Rathi, Lata, Stewart, Ashley, Clapp, John D. (2017) “Contextual predictors of AUDIT scores among adult men living in India,” International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research.

Clapp, John D., Madden, Danielle R., Mooney, Douglas, Dahlquist, Kristin E. (2017) “Examining the social ecology of a bar-crawl: An exploratory pilot study,” PLoS ONE. Rossheim, Matthew E., Barry, Adam E., Thombs, Dennis L., Weiler, Robert, Krall, Jenna R., Stephenson, Caroline, Walters, Scott T., Reed, Mark, Clapp, John D., Suzuki, Sumihiro, Barnett, Tracey E., Cannell, M.B. (2017) “Factors Associated with Self-Estimated Breath Alcohol Concentration Among Bar Patrons,” Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research.

Kaka, Azeem S., Zhao, Songzhu, Ozer, Enver, Agrawal, Amit, Kang, Stephen, Rocco, James W., Carrau, Ricardo L., Teknos, Theodoros, Clapp, John D., Weed, Harrison G., Old, Matthew O., (2017) “Comparison of Clinical Outcomes Following Head and Neck Surgery Among Patients Who Contract to Abstain From Alcohol vs Patients Who Abuse Alcohol,” JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

Rossheim, Matthew E., Thombs, Dennis L., Pons-Gonzales, Kwynn, Killion, Jordan A., Clapp, John D., Reed, Mark, Croff, Julie M., Madden, Danielle R., Weiler, Robert (2016) “Feeling No Buzz or a Slight Buzz Is Common When Legally Drunk,” American Journal of Public Health.

Though Clapp knows his position isn’t permanent, he is taking this opportunity to keep the momentum going while providing stability.

Begun, Audrey L., Clapp, John D. (2016) “Reducing and preventing alcohol misuse and its consequences: A Grand Challenge for Social Work,” International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research.

“We will continue working collaboratively with our many partners, to build on the excellent foundation of our educational programs, worldclass research, and service to the greater community,” he said.

Madden, Danielle R., Clapp, John D., Hofstetter, Crichard, Irvin, Veronica L., Kang, Sunny, Hovell, Melbourne F. (2016) “Comparison of heavy episodic drinking patterns between Korean and Chinese immigrants,” International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research.

connect PARTNERS

Your Exclusive network Alumni Week: Nov 4-10 This fall, we will be launching Dworak-Peck Connect, an innovative online platform that links alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and its Department of Nursing. Through this supportive network, you can share work experiences, explore new career opportunities and even reconnect with peers and colleagues. Dworak-Peck Connect was built for you so you can connect and network specifically with social workers and nurses, find other practitioners with similar skills and career interests, and interact with all class years and programs around the world.

You will be able to access our professional development programming, network with new and existing connections, and utilize Dworak-Peck Connect as a platform to share career insights and opportunities with your social work and nursing peers.

Join the Dworak-Peck Connect community with these four steps: 1. Look out for an e-mail from swalumni@usc.edu with “Welcome to Dworak-Peck Connect” in the subject line. This email will contain a personalized link to set up your profile.

2. Build your profile and catch people’s attention by uploading a photo and writing a headline.

3. Decide how often you want to be contacted.

4. Share your areas of expertise.

Once you are part of Dworak-Peck Connect, you can: • Explore the community to connect with other students and alumni who share your interests.

• When you have found someone to connect with, click the Let’s Connect button to send a message or request a meeting.

• Can’t connect with someone in person? Use the video chat feature to connect.

• Use the discussion board to communicate with fellow alumni.

• You can also try joining one or more groups, which allow you to connect based on geographic region, areas of practice or identity.

Find additional tutorials, help and support for Dworak-Peck Connect at dworakpeck.usc.edu/career.

Join us as we celebrate the school’s first-ever alumni week! You will receive a special invitation to join our online platform, Dworak-Peck Connect, and there are other opportunities in-person and via livestream to take part in the fun.

November 7 Alumni Forum and State of the School Address Join alumna and USC Professor Emerita Barbara Solomon, DSW ‘66, and other special guests at the Radisson Hotel Los Angeles Midtown at USC or via livestream as we discuss the importance and challenges of transparency during periods of organizational change. Hear more about the state of the school from Interim Dean John Clapp and our plans to move forward, this year and beyond. This is your opportunity to be a part of the conversation—visit dworakpeck.usc.edu/events to learn how to register and submit your questions.

November 9 Social Work and Special Nursing Reunions Calling all undergraduate social work and nursing alumni! Join us for Reunion Weekend to relive your USC memories, create new ones and celebrate with your class, family and friends. This year, we are proud to welcome our undergraduate classes of 1968, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008 back to Troy for their 50th, 40th, 35th, 30th, 25th, 20th, 15th and 10th reunions, respectively. Learn more about all the festivities and register now at alumni.usc.edu/reunions.

There is a special opportunity for ALL undergraduate and graduate nursing alumni to reconnect with your professors and classmates! Join us on Nov. 9 at the Widney Alumni House at USC for a Department of Nursing reunion featuring Interim Chair Janet Schneiderman. Former faculty and nurses from all classes will join us to celebrate our recent accreditation and the first class of graduates from the Family Nurse Practitioner program. Register now at nursingreunion2018.eventbrite.com.

HOMECOMING Join alumni and friends on Nov. 10, 2018, to experience the ultimate Trojan Family get-together: USC Homecoming! We will host our annual family-friendly celebration on campus before the big game against the California Golden Bears.

Bring your Trojan spirit home and celebrate with your social work family this fall.

For more information, visit swaahomecoming2018.eventbrite.com.

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If your name or address is incorrect on this mailing, or if you received a duplicate copy, please contact 213.821.6423 or sowkadvn@usc.edu.

Listen.Up.People. podcast Are you looking for a podcast on the issues? Something to stir up your passion and commitment to advocacy?

Then the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work has the answer!

We’re talking about what’s going on and why it’s going on.

It’s time for people to listen up!

Contributors Managing Editor Joanna Scott

Editorial Maya Meinert Jessica Lee Harmony Frederick Scarlett Powers Osterling Judith Lipsett Graphic Design Brian Goodman Contributing Writers Constance Sommer Lynn Lipinski Maya Meinert Jacqueline Mazarella Michelle Marquis Dumas Joanna Scott Jane Viera Contributing Faculty Rosemary Alamo Alice Cepeda John D. Clapp Jordan Davis Karen Lincoln Amber Richert Avelardo Valdez

Find episodes and extended content at dworakpeck.usc.edu/listenup.

Contact the show at listenuppeople@usc.edu. We’d love to hear from you!

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