School Updates
Dr. Yodit Betru, Dr. Jaime Booth and Dr. Aliya Durham
Research Title: Partnering with Black Mental Health Providers to Support Assessment and Evaluation of Practice
Community Collaborator: Vitamin C Healing and Hand to Hand Counseling Services (Sharice Nance)
Location: Homewood
We used human centered design as an innovative approach to engage Black mental health professionals in the Pittsburgh area to understand their needs related to assessment and evaluation in their practice. Through this participatory process, providers identified priorities, shared experiences, and collaborated to generate potential solutions while building community.
Dr. Mary Ohmer
Research Title: ReCAST (Resiliency in Communities after Stress and Trauma)
Community Collaborator: Vitamin C Healing and Hand to Hand Counseling Services (Sharice Nance)
Location: Hazelwood Initiative in Hazelwood, and the Brashear Center in City neighborhoods of Mt. Oliver, Arlington, Arlington Heights and St. Clair
Our RECAST Collective Efficacy Intervention collaborates with community partners and residents to train youth and adults to prevent violence and foster collective efficacy, which happens when residents trust one another, share norms and values and work together to intervene to address issues such as crime, violence, safety and supporting young people. Research shows that collective efficacy is associated with less crime and violence and improved health, mental health and community wellbeing.
Center on Race and Social Problems
Research Title: Black Pittsburgh Satisfaction and Retention Survey
Community Collaborator: The Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP)
Location: Hill District
The Black Pittsburgh Satisfaction and Retention Survey gathered comprehensive data on the experiences and aspirations of Black/African American residents, providing valuable insights into the factors influencing their choices. This information will inform targeted strategies to enhance economic opportunities and support services, ultimately aiming to retain and attract Black talent in the region.
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Rauktis
Research Title: Using Human-Centered Design to Address Pet Food Security: A Case Study of Ellie’s Pet Food Pantry
Community Collaborator: Ellie's Pet Food Pantry
Location: Homewood, Central Northside
I work at Ellie’s Pet Food Pantry at HARP, where we provide pet food to low-income residents, lder adults, people with disabilities, and unhoused pet owners across Allegheny County. This year, I redesigned the pantry using a human-centered, One Health approach—work that was recently published to highlight how our model reduces food anxiety and improves efficiency.
Dr. James P. Huguley
Research Title: Parenting While Black (PWB): Growing and Healing Together
Community Collaborator: Parenting While Black (PWB): Growing and Healing Together
Location: Homewood
Parenting While Black (PWB) is an interactive program and curriculum that provides primary caregivers with tools to simultaneously support their children’s healthy development and their own wellness. The program includes 8 group-based sessions that use a combination of presentations, activities, and discussions to promote successful parenting in four key areas: 1) Promoting positive racial identity 2) Helping children cope with experiences of discrimination 3) School and home-based educational involvement as Black parents 4) Intergenerational mental wellness and racial stress coping.
Dr. Sara Goodkind
Research Title: Black Girls Equity Alliance Juvenile Justice Action Team
Community Collaborator: Gwen's Girls
Location: Northside (but they will soon be moving to a newly-renovated building in Wilkinsburg)
The Black Girls Equity Alliance Juvenile Justice Action Team coordinates community-led research and advocacy to keep young people out of the legal systems. This work led to the development of Caring Connections for YOUth, a pre-arrest diversion initiative run by Gwen’s Girls and includes a National Institute of Justice-funded evaluation of this initiative.
Leveraging AI to Support Peer Providers in Safety Net Behavioral Health Settings
Associate Professor Dr. Nev Jones is co-PI on a $700,000 NSF-funded project to refine and evaluatePeerCoPilot, an AI tool designed to help front-line peer providers in behavioral health organizations. The project is a collaborative effort with co-PIs Hong Shen and Fei Fang from Carnegie Mellon University and Peggy Swarbrick from the Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey. PeerCoPilot helps providers deliver personalized wellness plans, AI-driven community resource navigation, and follow-up support, making it easier to connect people with the supports they need, without replacing the human relationships central to peer work. Early testing showed that the tool is easy to use and perceived as helpful by peer providers and the next phase will develop a peer provider training programme, expand implementation across New Jersey and explore PeerCoPilot adaptation for organizations and communities across the US.