The Center for Gambling Studies (CGS), through Director and Professor Lia Nower, has partnered with Kindbridge, a telehealth company for gambling and gaming treatment, to develop a standardized screening and treatment protocol for use across treatment settings. The CGS has also posited safe usage guidelines for non-educational technology use (video games, social media) among middle schoolers based on findings from a study in China led by Assistant Professor Vivien (Wen Li) Anthony.
The Huamin Research Center launched a survey on challenges faced by and the well-being of college students in China in 2020. The survey included about 1,900 college students from twelve universities across China to collect information on the experience, challenges, and well-being of students during COVID-19 pandemic. Data analysis is in process.
The Center on Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) continues to develop its research, education, and community engagement branches. VAWC has received several grants and contracts to conduct research and training in key areas such as campus sexual violence, youth-led violence prevention, and best practices for working with survivors with disabilities.
Kristen Powell, Assistant Research Professor and Associate Director of the Center for Prevention Science (CPS), and Andrew Peterson, Professor and Director of the CPS, received a $468,000 subaward grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration to evaluate New Jersey’s Initiative to Promote Integration of Primary and Behavioral Health Care, to promote full integration and collaboration in clinical practice between primary and behavioral healthcare, support the improvement of integrated care models for primary care and behavioral health care to improve the overall wellness and physical health status of adults with a serious mental illness or children with a serious emotional disturbance, and promote and offer integrated care services related to screening, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental and substance use disorders, and co-occurring physical health conditions and chronic diseases.
The Institute for Families (IFF) was selected to lead the New Child Welfare Worker Training Project, redesigning foundational learning experiences to better prepare newly hired frontline child welfare workers through a $451,000 award from the NJ Department of Children and Families. IFF also convened a coalition of campus champions, bringing together Rutgers faculty, staff, and alumni to explore how the university can improve access and opportunities for former foster youth. With the support of private donors, IFF launched the Camden Fellows Program, which will mentor students who arrive on campus after lived experiences in foster care or with homelessness. Additionally, IFF received a $600,000 contract to develop ICARE (Inclusion, Courtesy, Awareness, Respect, Empathy, and Support) for the LGBTQ+ community, which will conduct a needs assessment documenting how the NJDHS - Division of Family Development can improve state and vendor practices when serving LGBTQ+ consumers and while providing training and education to the community-based shelters that serve them.
The Center for Leadership and Management (CLM) continues to work with the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General and New Jersey Cares to produce a comprehensive program and implementation plan for an Opioid Response Team project that assists localities in the engagement and retention of individuals with opioid abuse disorders in treatment and recovery services, increase the use of alternatives to incarceration, and reduce the incidences of opioid overdose deaths. CLM is also designing management and leadership trainings for mid-level managers with the NJ State Division of Family Development and will be providing a youth leadership training session for the Rutgers Behavioral Youth Collaborative in early 2022. Additionally, CLM is developing certificates and workshops targeted to current emerging leaders and mid-level and senior human services executives.
