Brown School

Veterans are returning home to an abysmal economy and a tough job market. “After World War II, employers used to snap up veterans because of their tremendous skills sets gained in the service — whether that be technical, leadership, or other job specific aptitudes,” says Monica Matthieu, PhD, research assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and an expert on veteran mental health. “But now, veterans are facing higher unemployment rates than civilians as employers may be concerned about veterans’ struggle with the mental and physical health aftereffects of military service,” she says.

Hanging out with friends after school and on the weekends is a vital part of a teen’s social life. But for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders, social activity outside of school is a rarity, finds a new study by Paul Shattuck, PhD, autism expert and assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Perceptions and identity play a pivotal role in people’s access to and use of health and mental health care. “Helping people to be comfortable with the health-care service environment so that they seek it out when they know that they need those services is key,” says Vetta L. Sanders-Thompson, PhD, associate professor of public health at the Brown School.

Increased complexity in health care demands a greater body of knowledge for health social workers. The newly released Handbook of Health Social Work, Second Edition is a key resource for social workers, offering a comprehensive and evidence-based overview of social work practice in health care. “Social workers in health care are active problem solvers who must draw from knowledge at the social, psychological and biological levels to work constructively with other members of the health-care team,” says Sarah Gehlert, PhD, co-editor and the E. Desmond Lee Professor of Racial and Ethnic Diversity at the Brown School and the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis. “The Handbook covers practice and research areas ranging from chronic disorders to infectious disease, physical and mental disorders, and all areas in between.” US News & World Report listed medical and public health social work in their “Best Careers: 2011” article.

Susan Stepleton, PhD, former president and CEO of Parents as Teachers, recently joined the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis as director of its Policy Forum. A new initiative of the Brown School, the forum will host a series of programs and collaborations designed to enhance the quality of policy discussion and decision making in St. Louis, across the country, and around the world.

The Brown School’s Transdisciplinary Problem Solving course on global hunger and undernutrition hosted a Hunger Banquet Oct. 18 in Brown Hall Lounge to recognize World Food Day. Hunger Banquet guests were given tickets as they entered the event representing food allowances from different income levels around the world. Mirroring the current crisis, food prices rose throughout the event, limiting the amount of food people could purchase. Video features comments by Brown School students Tess Thompson and Susan Vorkoper. 

Front-of-package nutrition labels already exist on many foods in the U.S., but an Institute of Medicine (IOM) panel recently recommended standardizing and simplifying this information through a rating system modeled after the Energy Star program. “You shouldn’t have to be a nutrition scientist to make healthy food choices for your family,” says Matthew Kreuter, PhD, member of the IOM panel and director of the Health Communications Research Laboratory at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and other legislators are calling for baseball players to stop using chewing tobacco on the field and in front of their fans. “This is an important public health issue,” says Douglas Luke, PhD, director of the Center for Tobacco Policy Research at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. “Not only is smokeless tobacco use hazardous, but young people who use smokeless tobacco are more likely to also start smoking cigarettes.” Luke notes that smokeless tobacco use is a growing problem, particularly for the youngest baseball fans.

Washington University in St. Louis has received a five-year, $3 million grant to establish a new center to develop better ways to prevent and treat type 2 diabetes in high-risk patients, including American Indians and Alaska Natives, says Debra Haire-Joshu, PhD, director of the new center. 

Through the Social Change Grant program, students are encouraged to use their creativity and knowledge to find solutions to world problems. The program provides $5,000-$6,000 in funding for a summer service project. The many projects — from water purification in Uganda to family planning in India — will be highlighted during an Oct. 12 showcase in Danforth University Center.