The Action Research Podcast

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Priscilla Kennedy to explore her dissertation journey, which examines the lived experiences of social work students engaging in a course focused on structural racism, specifically as it manifests in the system of mass incarceration. Dr. Kennedy discusses how social work education must evolve to address structural racism and the importance of preparing social w...

This episode highlights the intersection of school-based mental health, community well-being, immigration, and the integration of decolonized and culturally grounded approaches to social work practice and mental health service provision. Podcast Guests: Arlene Bjugstad (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Arlene has mo...

"Charge Up!"—a team-based intervention aimed at bolstering mental health and housing stability for youth transitioning from homelessness to housing. It's crucial to note that a significant portion of young adults facing housing instability also grapple with mental health issues. However, existing Rapid Rehousing programs often lack dedicated mental health services. Through the Charge...

In this episode, we will explore the coping style among middle school youth and also assess how that is related to symptoms of depression and anxiety over time to develop preventive interventions for schools. Caitlyn Mytelka is a recent Ph. D. graduate from the GCSW and is a licensed social worker in Texas. She has a bachelor’s degree from NYU and a Master’s in social work from UT Austin. Caitlyn’...

In this episode, podcast host Anil Arora shares how the H.E.A.R. Lab team is creating change in how traditional dissemination occurs with one-pagers, social media, newsletters, and the launch of the lab's annual Walk N' Listen this month. The host acknowledges the current events that continue to impact individuals differently and how listeners can step up to be open-minded in these situati...

In the pursuit of understanding the surge in health issues and fatalities among Black women in contrast to other racial and ethnic communities, we lend an attentive ear to the narratives of Black women, delving into their experiences during the perinatal period, and diligently assess the factors that underlie the heightened rates of morbidity and mortality in their communities. Integrating the inv...

Healthy Start is a national program that helps improve the lives of mothers, infants, and families before, during, and beyond pregnancy. Through coordinated care case management, home visits, outreach, and education, Healthy Start seeks to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates, increase access to prenatal care, and remove barriers to service. Houston has high rates of infant and maternal mort...

Researchers at the University of Houston are training undergraduate pre-med students and providing free cognitive tests to Houston’s senior community that participants can bring to their primary care providers. These tests are usually inaccessible with a long waiting list. The group has also partnered with Vietnamese doctors and nurses in Houston to disseminate one-pagers about Alzheimer’s disease...

Dr. Lindamarie Olson is a recent PhD graduate from the GCSW, advocating for a more responsive and just system for youth who have experienced trauma and have found themselves in contact with the juvenile justice system. Olson’s dissertation looked at the effectiveness of neurofeedback in treating trauma symptomatology, as well as internalizing and externalizing behaviors of youth who were in reside...

In the first episode of Season 2, host Anil Arora speaks to Dr. Samira Ali about dissertations, racial justice principles, and positionality.    Dr. Ali’s scholarship focuses on community-based participatory research (CBPR), primary and secondary HIV prevention, and the impact of structural conditions on youth and women’s health behaviors in global and local settings. Specifically, in a recent pro...

Guests Dr. Quenette Walton and Priscilla Kennedy talk about the importance of using qualitative methods when measuring the effects of Covid-19 and racism on Black women’s mental health and identity. Dr. Quenette L. Walton, LCSW is an Assistant Professor and Co-Director of the Maternal Health Equity Research and Training Center in the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston. Dr...

This episode focuses on the research experience of two youth experts and two researchers from UH who use a community-based participatory research design to prioritize AAPI youth voice. They seek to build knowledge about how AAPI teenagers across diverse ethnicities experience civic engagement and what they perceive as barriers and supports to their civic activities. Selena Wang is a second-generat...

Hate crimes are crimes that target an individual based on an aspect of their identities like gender or sexual orientation, religion, or race. Besides hurting the victim, these crimes are meant to intimidate anyone that identifies with the victim. Hate crimes are often hard to prosecute as definitions of hate crimes vary by state and federal government, with many definitions being very narrow.  The...

We connect with Devonte Hill, Community Health Worker, Aly Kramer Jacobs, Ph. D. student, and Dr. Sarah Narendorf, Associate Dean of Research at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work to talk about law enforcement interactions with young adults experiencing housing instability.  Their research was co-created by scholars who experienced housing instability and explored the challe...

This episode of the Action Research Podcast begins with your host Anil Arora having a conversation with Dr. Sarah Narendorf and Jody Gardner about the inception of the HEAR Lab while also sharing about activities the HEAR Lab does to create public impact scholarship. Learn more at uh.edu/socialwork/actionresearch