Campus News

College of Social Work Receives Grant to Train Students, Professionals in Substance Abuse Response

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 24, 2016) — Under the direction of principal investigator, Carlton Craig, associate professor at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work, the college has received a $942,000 three-year grant to train social work graduate students, medical residents and community professionals in the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) evidence-based substance misuse model. This grant, from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), marks the second federally funded collaborative effort between the College of Social Work and the Department of Family and Community Medicine to prepare social workers and health professionals to respond to contemporary workforce challenges in health care.

The federal grant will fund a variety of training opportunities, including specialized coursework in the College of Social Work Clinical Social Work MSW concentration and the medical residency program in the Department of Family and Community Medicine; cross-listed hybrid electives open to students across the health colleges; and community-based training opportunities for professionals currently in the field. A variety of educational platforms will be used to enhance learning outcomes including online training modules, simulated patient activities, and faculty mentoring in skills-practice.

“We are excited to expand and create new interprofesssional training opportunities to prepare future behavioral health leadership in Kentucky, I can’t think of a better way to engage the community,” Craig said.

The collaborative team includes faculty from the College of Medicine including, Dr. Jonathan Ballard, Dr. William Elder, Dr. Carol Hustedde, Dr. Oscar Perez, and Andrienna Festie; from the Center of Excellence in Rural Health including Dr. Joe Kingery, CEO and medical director of the UK Northfork Valley Clinic; and from the College of Social Work including, Kalea Benner, director of Undergraduate Studies and assistant professor, Patricia Cook-Craig, associate professor, Ted Godlaski, associate clinical professor, Michele Tindall, associate professor, and Pamela Weeks, associate clinical professor.

MEDIA CONTACTG: Ann Blackford at 859-323-6442 or ann.blackford@uky.edu