Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis

Liz Smith named Brown School �� speaker

admin — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 07:31:00 +0000

Liz Smith will serve as the �� speaker at the Brown School’s recognition ceremony on May 13, marking the completion of her master’s degree in social work and a brief break before returning in the fall to begin her doctoral program. A Massachusetts native, Smith didn’t initially plan a career in social work. After earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a conversation with her therapist helped reframe her interests. “My therapist at the time told me that what I described sounded more like social work than psychology. So, I began looking up social work programs,” she said. Smith learned about the Brown School through a friend in St. Louis. Soon after, things began to align. She applied for positions in the area and was flown...

The post Liz Smith named Brown School �� speaker first appeared on Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Brown School �� recognized for harm reduction practicum work

admin — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 17:37:55 +0000

As she prepares to graduate soon with a master’s degree in social work from ��, Isla Frazier says her practicum experience in a hospital-based harm reduction program has helped her translate research into clinical practice. Frazier was recently named the 2026 recipient of the Tasch-Kopolow Scholarship from PreventEd, an honor recognizing her commitment to achieving excellence in a professional career serving the substance use field. During her Master of Social Work program, Frazier completed her first practicum at the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri. She is now finishing her second placement with the Injection Drug Use Bridge to Health Program at the WashU School of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases, a hospital-based harm reduction initiative...

The post Brown School �� recognized for harm reduction practicum work first appeared on Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Naseh receives William H. Danforth St. Louis Confluence Award

Myra — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:01:22 +0000

By Diane Toroian Keaggy April 21, 2026 When newcomers to St. Louis succeed, the entire region succeeds, says Blake Hamilton, president of the International Institute of St. Louis. That’s why he agreed to join with Mitra Naseh, an assistant professor at the �� and founding director of the school’s Forced Migration Initiative, in her quest to foster belonging among the region’s large Afghan population and to find ways to better connect refugees to the services they need to thrive. “This work also reminds us that welcoming is not a measure of individual effort alone. It is a measure of whether our region is prepared to unlock talent, recognize credentials, support families and create pathways to mobility,” Hamilton told attendees at the 2026...

The post Naseh receives William H. Danforth St. Louis Confluence Award first appeared on Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Morrow-Howell authors guide to promote age inclusivity in higher education

admin — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 16:36:15 +0000

Nancy Morrow-Howell, the Betty Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy at the ��, has authored a new guide aimed at helping colleges and universities communicate more effectively about age and aging. The guide, “Age Inclusivity in Higher Education Quick Start Guide,” was released by the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). It builds on tools developed by the National Center to Reframe Aging and the Age lnclusivity Domains of Higher Education model. The guide presents strategies to enhance more age-inclusive messages and languages on campuses with the aim to promote more positive attitudes about age and more productive learning and work environments for people of all ages. The Age lnclusivity Domains of Higher Education model identifies seven institutional areas to focus on to create an age-inclusive...

The post Morrow-Howell authors guide to promote age inclusivity in higher education first appeared on Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Guaranteed income improved artists’ finances, innovation

Roger — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:53:47 +0000

A guaranteed income program for artists led to improvement in financial stability and reduced debt, but also improved their motivation and artistic output, finds a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. “Our main finding is that giving people cash not only helps them live a more secure life, it also provides a pathway toward personal, professional and artistic growth,” said Stephen Roll, an assistant professor and an expert on asset building and economic security. Roll is co-author of the paper “Empowering Artistic Labor: How Guaranteed Income Enhances Intrinsic Motivation and Fosters Human Flourishing,” published online in the journal World Development Perspectives. Roll and his co-authors examined data from the Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY) Guaranteed Income...

The post Guaranteed income improved artists’ finances, innovation first appeared on Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Marotta co-develops course to train pharmacy professionals for overdose prevention roles

admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:44:37 +0000

Phillip Marotta, an assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, has co-developed a course that prepares pharmacy professionals who are training to become community health workers in harm reduction, overdose prevention and substance use care. The course, “Integrated Community Approaches to Overdose Prevention and Substance Use Health,” was created by interdisciplinary team of faculty from the Missouri Pharmacy Association, the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis and the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy. Brown School alumna Emily Palm, who earned an MSW and MBA in 2024, also helped develop the course. The training provides evidence-based instruction on infectious disease prevention, medications for substance use disorders and strategies to address underlying factors...

The post Marotta co-develops course to train pharmacy professionals for overdose prevention roles first appeared on Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Clark-Fox Policy Institute event bridges research, community voices to advance refugee well-being in St. Louis

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 20:04:35 +0000

A new initiative designed to accelerate the translation of academic research into actionable policy drew a full crowd for its first event April 1 at Delmar DivINe. The session, hosted by the ��’s Clark-Fox Policy Institute Senior Policy Fellows program, brought together scholars, practitioners, and community members for a meaningful conversation about the experiences and well-being of refugees in St. Louis. In his opening remarks, Jason Jabbari, assistant professor at the Brown School and Clark-Fox Policy Institute (CFPI) faculty director, underscored the institute’s commitment to move research more quickly into policy impact. He emphasized supporting scholars who work closely with communities and are committed to translating evidence into action. “We’re here not just to share ideas, but to...

The post Clark-Fox Policy Institute event bridges research, community voices to advance refugee well-being in St. Louis first appeared on Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

New funding expands Brown School–linked suicide prevention initiative in Missouri schools

admin — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 22:06:45 +0000

A suicide prevention initiative that began at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis is expanding statewide under a new name, supported by new funding to strengthen how Missouri schools prevent and respond to �� suicide risk. The program, now known as the Missouri Hope Policy Academy, has received support from the Missouri Suicide Prevention Network, in collaboration with the Missouri Behavioral Health Council, to develop curriculum and evaluate the scaled-up effort. The academy helps school districts build stronger suicide prevention, intervention and postvention policies. The initiative builds on work that began in 2019 at the Brown School, when faculty researchers sought to better understand how Missouri school districts approached suicide prevention and response at the policy level....

The post New funding expands Brown School–linked suicide prevention initiative in Missouri schools first appeared on Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Leadership award named for Barry Rosenberg

Roger — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:15:14 +0000

The Jewish Federation of St. Louis has renamed its annual professional leadership achievement award in honor of Barry Rosenberg, a professor of practice at the ��. The award recognizes Rosenberg for his 37-year career in executive leadership within the Jewish community, 19 of which he served as president and chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. The Barry Rosenberg Professional Leadership Award recognizes outstanding professional leadership in a St. Louis Jewish organization. Recipients excel in their field, have introduced important innovations and are perceived as role models by other professionals and volunteers. This year’s winner is WashU alumna Jacqueline Ulin Levey, who has been the CEO of WashU Hillel since October 2009, enriching the lives and Jewish journeys of thousands of ��s and leading...

The post Leadership award named for Barry Rosenberg first appeared on Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Jason Purnell to speak at Brown School’s 2026 recognition ceremony

admin — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:15:37 +0000

Jason Q. Purnell, president and CEO of the James S. McDonnell Foundation, will be the featured speaker at the Brown School’s 2026 recognition ceremony. The event is set for 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 13, at the Athletic Complex Field House on WashU’s Danforth Campus. Purnell joined the McDonnell Foundation in 2023 after leading community health initiatives at BJC HealthCare, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health systems. He oversaw the system’s Community Health Improvement strategy, launching programs to address health equity and improve the physical, emotional, and financial well-being of underserved populations. He also advanced BJC’s role as an anchor institution, investing in community and economic development and promoting hiring and purchasing in 22 zip codes with high poverty rates...

The post Jason Purnell to speak at Brown School’s 2026 recognition ceremony first appeared on Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Font testifies on adoption programs before House subcommittee

admin — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:09:32 +0000

Sarah Font, professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and an expert on the child welfare system, testified March 26 before the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies on the topic of federal funding for adoption programs. The hearing, titled “Advancing Permanency in Child Welfare: Leveraging Federal Funding for Adoption Programs,” focused on improving adoption outcomes for children in foster care. Font told the subcommittee that states routinely fail to facilitate timely, safe and stable adoptions. She cited federal data showing children spend a median of 31 months in foster care before adoption, with some states averaging more than 45 months. According to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting...

The post Font testifies on adoption programs before House subcommittee first appeared on Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Morrow-Howell, Halvorsen appointed to organizations for older adults

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 15:51:01 +0000

Nancy Morrow-Howell and Cal J. Halvorsen, faculty members at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, have been appointed to serve on local organizations that support older adults. Morrow-Howell, the Betty Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy and co-director of the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at the Brown School, has been named to the board of directors of the St. Louis City Area Agency on Aging. Funded through federal, state, local and private sources, the agency coordinates community-based services for older adults and their caregivers in the city. She also has been appointed as a commissioner on the St. Louis County’s Older Adult Commission. The commission advises the county executive and County departments on matters relevant...

The post Morrow-Howell, Halvorsen appointed to organizations for older adults first appeared on Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

WashU Experts: Trump accounts must have auto enrollment

Roger — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 15:48:25 +0000

Widespread promotion has started for so-called Trump Accounts, including an ad during the Super Bowl. The accounts allow parents to opt in to claim investment seed money of up to $1,000 for their children. But that opt-in part is problematic, say two experts on child development accounts at Washington University in St. Louis. “Automatic enrollment is the difference between Trump Accounts functioning as a truly universal wealth-building policy and a policy that unintentionally leaves out many children,” said Michael Sherraden, the George Warren Brown Distinguished University Professor. “In the field of early wealth-building, automatic enrollment is the gold standard for achieving full participation.” The strongest U.S. evidence comes from the SEED for Oklahoma Kids (SEED OK) experiment conducted by Sherraden and the...

The post WashU Experts: Trump accounts must have auto enrollment first appeared on Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Halvorsen, Jovanovich receive Bauer Leaders Academy grant

admin — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 12:36:00 +0000

Cal J. Halvorsen, associate professor, and Joe Jovanovich, lecturer, both at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, have received a curricular innovation grant from WashU’s Bauer Leaders Academy. The grant will support Halvorsen and Jovanovich as they update the “Social Work Practice with Organizations and Communities” course, also known as “Practice 2,” to include new leadership learning components. The pair will revise the course syllabus over the summer, incorporating input from fellow instructors, ��s, and community partners, in preparation for the spring 2027 semester. The Bauer Leaders Academy, in partnership with the Bauer Leadership Center, offers selective grants to help faculty incorporate purpose and leadership themes into their courses.

The post Halvorsen, Jovanovich receive Bauer Leaders Academy grant first appeared on Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

CFPI launches Senior Policy Fellows pilot to accelerate research-to-policy impact

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 22:45:43 +0000

The Clark-Fox Policy Institute (CFPI) at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis has launched its inaugural Senior Policy Fellows pilot program, a new initiative aimed at accelerating the translation of academic research into actionable public policy that improves child and family wellbeing. While universities produce a wealth of policy-relevant research, many scholars lack the training, time, or institutional support to move their findings into policy arenas. CFPI’s Senior Policy Fellows model is designed to address that gap by providing structured support for faculty to engage directly with policymakers, communities, and practitioners. “Researchers are generating powerful evidence every day, but too often that knowledge doesn’t reach the people shaping policy,” said Jason Jabbari, assistant professor and inaugural faculty director...

The post CFPI launches Senior Policy Fellows pilot to accelerate research-to-policy impact first appeared on Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.