Brown School

Photo by David Kilper/WUSTL PhotoWendy F. Auslander, Ph.D. (left), works with St. Louis-area peer counselors in the “Eat Well, Live Well” program she pioneered with colleagues at the School of Medicine.As the cases of type 2 diabetes in African-American women increase at an epidemic rate, researchers are examining risk factors involved with this disease in order to create programs that will hopefully slow this growing problem. According to a recent study at the George Warren Brown (GWB) School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, African-American women at risk for type 2 diabetes experience long periods of depression due, in part, to a lack of economic and social resources. “At the beginning of our study, 40 percent of our sample of African-American women at risk for type 2 diabetes reported clinically significant depression,” says Wendy Auslander, Ph.D., professor at GWB and co-author of the study. “Unlike their nondepressed peers, these women reported fewer economic assets and greater economic distress. Issues such as unemployment, low self-esteem and a low appraisal of their economic situation contributed to their depression.”

Photo courtesy of Tom Paule PhotographyMarrying for love … and money.Becoming wealthy and creating a happy family are two key components to achieving the American Dream, but do marriage and children have any impact on your chances of becoming rich? “Marriage substantially increases a person’s likelihood of becoming affluent,” says Mark R. Rank, Ph.D., professor of social work at Washington University in St. Louis and co-author of a study out this month that looks at earnings over the course of a person’s lifetime. “Having children, however, significantly lowers the probability of becoming wealthy for all people,” Rank adds.

KhindukaAs part of Washington University’s Sesquicentennial, the George Warren Brown School of Social Work (GWB) is honoring six agencies through the Community Connections Project from 4-5:30 p.m. Nov. 12 in Brown Hall’s Brown Lounge. This event is free and open to the public. In addition to comments by Shanti K. Khinduka, Ph.D., dean and the George Warren Brown Distinguished University Professor, Stacey Nelson-Kumar, president of the GWB Alumni Board, and representatives from the honored agencies, items exhibiting the historical link between the agencies and GWB will be on display during the event.

George Eberle, former president and chief executive officer of Grace Hill Settlement House and Health Center, will lecture on “The Impact of Professionalism and Elitism on Neighborhood Capacity Building From the Settlement House Perspective” at 1:10 p.m. Oct. 30 in Brown Hall Lounge. The lecture is co-sponsored by Grace Hill and the George Warren Brown School of Social Work in honor of Grace Hill’s 100th anniversary. After Eberle’s keynote address, there will be a panel discussion featuring representatives from the United Way, Urban Strategies Inc., the St. Louis community and GWB.

GWB will host “Shaping the Future of Doctoral Education in Social Work: National Meeting of Doctoral Programs in Social Work.”

Photo by Mary ButkusStudents, faculty and staff bought lunch and raffle tickets for prize baskets at GWB’s Cafe United Way and United Way Rally Raffle.

Mary Butkus/WUSTL PhotoFoster care teens have a desire to attend college, study shows.A solid education is considered the foundation for a productive future, but for teens in foster care, education beyond high school is rarely a reality. In fact, a Westat study found that only 44 percent of 18-year-olds leaving the independent living program of the foster care system completed high school. But despite common thought, this dismal percentage is not due to a lack of educational aspirations among teens in foster care. According to a recent study at the George Warren Brown (GWB) School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, a surprisingly high percentage — 70 percent — of teens in the foster care system have a desire to attend college.

The fall speakers will address a broad spectrum of social issues, ranging from affirmative action to neighborhood capacity building.

The Global Service Institute (GSI) of the Center for Social Development (CSD) at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work will host its second international research forum, “Civic Service: Impacts and Inquiry,” Sept. 24-26. Symposium participants, drawn from more than 20 countries, will address the impact of civic service and will continue the discussion […]

The George Warren Brown School of Social Work’s fall lecture series will address a broad spectrum of social issues, ranging from affirmative action to neighborhood capacity building. The series will kick off Sept. 24 at 4:30 p.m. with a lecture by Amitai Etzioni, Ph.D., director of the Institute of Communitarian Policy Studies, on ” My Brother’s Keeper: Reflections of a Communitarian.”