From designing interventions to improve access to healthcare and well-being, to evaluating policies that address financial hardship, research at the UNC School of Social Work reaches across disciplines to shape meaningful, innovative solutions to society’s most pressing problems. Led by faculty from the School of Social Work, this event explores the wide variety of interdisciplinary projects researchers are conducting to improve systems and enhance the well-being of individuals and communities in North Carolina and beyond.
Presenters
Brianna Lombardi, Research Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work and Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, explores workforce barriers that limit access to integrated behavioral health and social care. She will present on research conducted through the Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center, a collaborative initiative that brings together experts from UNC’s Schools of Social Work, Medicine, and Public Health and the Sheps Center for Health Services Research.
Assistant Professor Bridgette Thom conducts research on the affordability of healthcare and reducing cancer-related financial hardship. She will present on intervention work to mitigate patient financial hardship that has been conducted in collaboration with UNC’s Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health and the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Associate Professor Sarah E. “Betsy” Bledsoe specializes in community-based research aimed at strengthening the mental health of adults, children, and families. She will present her research exploring ways to improve health and behavioral health services for mothers and children in rural North Carolina, conducted in collaboration with UNC-Pembroke, Duke University, and community agencies in Robeson County.
Professor Paul Lanier specializes in children’s mental health services research and system science. He will present about the Youth Mental Health Systems Science Hub and its work studying the youth mental health crisis in North Carolina, conducted in collaboration with UNC’s Schools of Medicine and Public Health and the Sheps Center for Health Services Research.