PRC Faculty & Staff Highlights
McMorris Awarded Excellence in Postdoctoral Advising Award
HYD-PRC faculty Barb McMorris, PhD, was awarded the Excellence in Postdoctoral Advising Award from the U of MN Graduate School. The award focuses on those who help to improve the climate and culture of postdoctoral training via community building, advising/mentoring, professional and career development, and leadership opportunities. Nominations for this award are solicited from postdoctoral fellows, with McMorris receiving 7 letters or recommendation. McMorris has mentored or advised over 35 postdoctoral fellows and graduate students since 2012. She is described as being “a researcher with remarkable integrity,” “empathic teacher,” “approachable,” and “dedicated.” She connects the research experience of the postdocs she supervises to the social impact their work can have. She regularly includes postdocs in her own research on violence, aggression, sexual risk-taking, school disconnection, and substance use disorders in vulnerable populations of young people.
Oliphant Obtains “Mental Health First Aid for Youth” Certificate
HYD-PRC Community Outreach Coordinator, Jenny Oliphant, EdD, MPH, received a certificate from the National Council for Behavioral Health for “Mental Health First Aid for Youth.” This program teaches individuals how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders in youth.
PRC Evaluation Team Supports Program aimed at Educating Incarcerated Youth and Young Adults about Responsibilities of Parenthood
HYD-PRC Evaluation team members, Rebecca Shlafer, PhD, MPH, Shari Plowman, MPH, Kara Beckman, MA, and Jill Farris, MPH, are partnering with the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to support the evaluation of their grant, “Charting a Course for Economic Mobility and Responsible Parenting.” This funding will support the development of a program providing education to youth and young adults who are currently incarcerated about the financial, legal, and emotional responsibilities of parenthood. The Minnesota DHS was one of eight agencies across the nation to receive this 3-year grant.
Shlafer Receives Grant Focusing on Parental Incarceration and Homelessness
HYD-PRC faculty Rebecca Shlafer, PhD, MPH, received a grant through the Engagement Scholarship Consortium. Her project, “Parental Incarceration and Homelessness: Identifying Intersections to Drive Policy Solutions”, will use data from the MN Student Survey to examine the intersections between youths' experiences of parental incarceration and homelessness.