Vitamin A study is top USDA research grant

Photo: Peter Morenus

Molly McGrane, associate professor of nutritional sciences, looks over a DNA microarray with Hyewon Kang, a Ph.D. student.

A groundbreaking UConn study investigating the effect of vitamin A on the metabolic function of the liver is the top national grant proposal in the USDA National Research Initiative program on improving human nutrition.

Molly McGrane, associate professor of nutritional sciences, is conducting the $300,000 study examining how vitamin A regulates gene expression in liver cells. Gene expression is the process by which a gene’s coded information is converted into a protein product that has a structural, functional or regulatory impact on cells, organs and the whole body.

The liver, which is the body’s largest solid organ, is the metabolic hub of the human body. “Having adequate vitamin A is required to have your liver function normally, since it regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins,” says McGrane. “Prior to our studies, we didn’t know that vitamin A had anything to do with the regulation of carbohydrate, lipid and potentially cholesterol metabolism.”

Vitamin A is absorbed during food consumption and transported throughout the body, eventually reaching the nucleus of cells of various tissues, including the liver, where metabolites of Vitamin A regulate numerous targeted genes.

All cells in the body have the exact same complement of genes — a liver cell is made of the same information as a muscle cell, for example — yet cells all perform different functions as they form into organs and parts of the body.

“Clearly the cells all work differently and what causes those differences is which genes are expressed and which genes are not,” she says. “The process of turning the genes on and off has to be regulated, and we’re still learning what the process of regulation is, but nutrients and their metabolites are clearly among the regulatory molecules involved.”

McGane hopes to identify the entire population of genes for carbohydrate and fat metabolism regulated by vitamin A, which could help lead to a better understanding of how they cause increased fat storage and other changes in the liver.

New major expands statewide presence

Photo: Peter Morenus

The future is now for careers in allied health professions.

A 2004 report by the U.S. Department of Labor says that of the 30 fastest growing occupations, 15 are in health-related careers such as physical therapy, diet and nutrition, clinical laboratory technology, medical technology and radiation therapy.

To meet what will be an increasing demand for trained and skilled allied health professionals, UConn plans to introduce a new major in allied health sciences that expands opportunities for students seeking a career in allied health fields.

An important highlight of the new allied health sciences major is a partnership between UConn and Connecticut’s community colleges.

“The new major builds on the guaranteed admissions program, which already exists for community college students in liberal arts or general studies to enter UConn’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,” says Fred Maryanski, interim provost.

Under this program, allied health graduates from the state’s community colleges with a 3.0 GPA will have guaranteed admission to UConn’s bachelor’s degree program in allied health sciences.

“This new program provides viable options and eliminates barriers so students can access allied health education and obtain a UConn degree,” says Joseph Smey, dean of the School of Allied Health. “We’re uniquely positioned to create this program because we are a comprehensive university with campuses across the state.”

Smey says the concept behind the new program is to allow allied health professionals who complete their associate degrees at a community college to begin their careers while continuing their education at UConn toward a bachelor’s degree. Eleven of the 12 state community colleges have allied health programs. Most graduates from these programs begin working at nearby hospitals, in physician offices or medical centers.

The allied health sciences major will initially be offered through UConn’s Tri-campus program located at the UConn campuses in Waterbury, Hartford and Torrington, then to the UConn campuses in Stamford and Avery Point, and eventually to Storrs, Smey says.

Volunteers save hospitals billions

Hospitals save more than $1 million each year because of volunteers, says a published study co-authored by a UConn marketing professor.

Photo: Peter Morenus

A hospital volunteer gives directions at the information desk at the UConn Health Center.

“Our research not only was able to put a numerical value on volunteerism but also showed that the health sector could not possibly afford to replace volunteers in today’s economy,” says Narasimhan Srinivasan, professor of marketing, who co-authored the two-year study with a colleague from York University in Toronto, Canada. The research was recently published in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.

The study was based on in-depth interviews with more than 800 volunteers, volunteer managers, and hospital administrators from 31 hospitals in the Toronto area. The number of volunteers in hospitals ranged from 125 to 3,240, with an average of 700 at each site. It found, among other things, that volunteers contributed approximately 70,000 volunteer hours to each of the 31 hospitals. This represented an average value of $1.2 million per hospital against an average investment of $185,405.

The American Hospital Association annually tracks information from the nearly 6,000 hospitals that meet requirements as registered hospital facilities. Extrapolating from the estimate of $1 million per hospital, the cost savings volunteers provide to hospitals in the U.S. works out to $6 billion a year, Srinivasan says.

John Dempsey Hospital at the UConn Health Center saved almost $1 million in 2003 through the help of volunteers performing a range of activities, from working the information desk to transporting patients, says Patricia Verde, director of the UConn Health Center’s departments of social work, chaplaincy, and volunteers.

The hospital’s 308 volunteers gave 50,741 hours of service, valued at $814,393. Although the study focused mainly on quantifiable data, the researchers also looked at qualitative issues.

“As hospitals grow larger and become more specialized and technologically sophisticated, the effective use of volunteers is vital to maintaining a personal touch,” Srinivasan says.

Opening a dialogue on palliative care

UConn is conducting an ongoing seminar series that brings together a range of health care providers to assist them in better understanding the needs of patients and their families coping with terminal illnesses.

The College of Continuing Studies is working in partnership with UConn’s Schools of Medicine, Social Work and Nursing and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences’ psychology department to conduct forums on palliative care, which extends the principles of hospice care to earlier stages of illness or disease.

“Palliative medicine is becoming mainstream not only as a skill set but as a subset of medicine,” says James D. Duffy, associate professor of psychiatry and head of the division of medical psychiatry at the UConn School of Medicine, who helped organize the seminars. “The conferences have a broader agenda than the training of health care professionals. It’s really about creating opportunities for various schools within the University and the community to come together for a dialogue around these issues and to share information.”

Three conferences have been held in the series, each with a different focus–ethics at end-of-life, the nature of grief and pain management. Participants have included social workers, physicians, nurses, clergy, volunteers and social advocates, and attendance has been growing, says Duffy.

“The multidisciplinary approach was excellent,” says Mary Wasacz, spiritual care coordinator for the Hospice & Palliative Care Center of Westchester in New York, who attended the seminars. “You need a team to have effective care. It’s not only for the patient, but it helps the family because they’ve had all this help and support. It makes the bereavement process a bit easier.”

Duffy says the seminars serve as a doorway to opening further discussions about palliative care issues. “It’s still a challenge to get palliative care concepts within hospitals,” he says. “We’ll be broadening the conversation.”

A promising new treatment for cancer patients

A UConn Health Center study finds that painful mouth sores caused by chemotherapy and radiation treatments were significantly reduced by a new medication in clinical trials.

Mouth sores, known medically as oral mucositis, afflict about 400,000 cancer patients every year in the United States and can cause a number of significant problems. Beyond considerable mouth discomfort, the condition can interfere with nutritional support during cancer treatment as well as pose a major risk of infection that can spread throughout the patient’s body.

The medication used in the study—a liquid that is swished in the mouth—reduced the incidence of the painful sores by 22 percent, says Douglas Peterson, professor of oral diagnosis in the UConn School of Dental Medicine and lead investigator of the study. He presented the findings earlier this year at the American Society of Clinical Oncology in New Orleans.

“Mouth sores can be one of the main reasons why patients suspend chemotherapy or head and neck radiation that may be saving or prolonging their lives,” says Peterson, noting that some cancer patients with severe mouth sores must be hospitalized and fed intravenously while being treated with narcotics to control their mouth pain.

The study followed 2,084 women with breast cancer who received three cycles of chemotherapy. Nearly 16 percent, or 326 of the patients, experienced serious mouth sores during treatment. Those women were then divided into two groups for the study, which showed the medication significantly reduced mouth sores during the chemotherapy cycle in which the mouth solution was given and that a significant protective effect carried over into the next treatment cycle, says Peterson.

The UConn study was conducted for Aesgen, Inc., a New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company, which will seek approval for the medication from the Food and Drug Administration, Peterson says.

 

Helping schools measure up

Illustration: John E. Bailey

At a time when assessment and testing are at the top of the national education agenda, UConn’s Measurement, Evaluation and Assessment (MEA) program is building a team of scholars that will affect education policy in the state and nationwide.

The Neag School of Education has added two recognized experts in item response theory, the main tool used in measuring the ability or achievement of students. Hariharan Swaminathan and Jane Rogers have collaborated on education research for almost 20 years.

“Jane and Swami bring a lot of expertise on how to develop items for high-stakes performance assessments,” says Ann O’Connell, MEA program coordinator. “We want to bring strong methodology and design to educational measurement.”

The MEA program teaches UConn students how to evaluate programs for effectiveness and how to develop large-scale assessment tests that are fair and accurate. The program has gained greater attention as school districts strive to comply with federal No Child Left Behind requirements,says Betsy McCoach, assistant professor of educational psychology.

“There’s such a focus on assessment and proficiency and getting students to a certain benchmark. How we measure that becomes more important,” McCoach says.

Rogers, who served as lead measurement statistician for the Educational Testing Service, the world’s largest private educational testing and measurement organization, specializes in the theory behind education test construction. “Many people believe tests don’t accurately reflect a student’s real ability. By training the people that administer the test, some of those misconceptions can go away,” she says.

Swaminathan, who holds a doctorate in psychometrics and statistics, says the education community must work to define a well-rounded view of performance.

“We need to look at student assessment and teacher assessment by not just providing standardized tests for them,” he says. “You also want to assess what they can do in a practical situation. As researchers we provide theoretical frameworks that we can apply to practical situations.”

 

Stern family establishes scholarships for women

Photo: Tina Covensky

Claire Morris Stern, Joseph Stern ’44 (ENG) and Linda Johanna Stern ’76 (SAH)

Talented women seeking careers in engineering, particularly those returning to complete their studies, will be able to pursue their goals thanks to a new scholarship established by the Stern family.

“The impetus and inspiration for this scholarship comes from the two wonderful women in my family, Claire Morris Stern and Linda Johanna Stern ’76 (SAH)—both returning students,” says Joseph Stern ’44 (ENG), who built a distinguished career as an engineer with RCA and CBS before launching Stern Telecommunications in New York City.

Stern, with his wife, Claire, and daughter, Linda Johanna, donated $25,000 to establish an undergraduate scholarship for outstanding female engineers. The Joseph L. Stern, Claire Morris Stern and Linda Johanna Stern Scholarship Fund targets academically outstanding, financially disadvantaged full-time undergraduate students who are returning to college following an educational interruption. Importantly, the scholarship favors female students—a reflection of the sentiment underlying its creation.

UConn has played a meaningful role for each member of the Stern family. Joseph earned his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering. Claire attended courses through the UConn Extension Services while working in Hartford and then continued to work toward her degree on the UConn campus in Storrs before completing her undergraduate and master’s degrees at New York University.

Linda Johanna resumed her education at UConn after several years of working and earned her degree in nutritional sciences. Today she is director of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital PROMESA program, a service, education and training organization that helps rural communities in Honduras to improve their health status, build housing and foster community development.

“A lot of people with dreams and intellectual gifts don’t always have the resources for a college education,” says Linda Johanna, who also is an adjunct instructor at Boston University School of Public Health and a preceptor at Harvard Medical School. “This scholarship can be that resource for many women.”

Recognizing a scholar’s lifetime of work

Reading a college textbook gave Ronald Rohner, professor emeritus in family studies and anthropology, a direction for what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. One section of the book discussed a theory called “parental acceptance-rejection,” the field of study that seeks to explain how parenting relationships are developed and what effects they have on both parents and children.

Thinking about the subject sparked a fascination and enthusiasm that has burned for 45 years inside Rohner, who was recognized earlier this year by the American Psychology Association, which presented him with its 2004 award for Distinguished Contributions to International Advancement of Psychology, in tribute to his lifelong work.

Rohner joined the faculty in 1964 and, except for a two-year span at a youth development center in Washington, D.C., has spent his career as a teacher and researcher at UConn. He is the author of nine books and more than 200 articles on topics related to parental acceptance-rejection theory. Today he is the director of UConn’s Ronald and Nancy Rohner Center for the Study of Parental Acceptance and Rejection.

Since its establishment in 1977, the Rohner Center has served as an international resource for family therapists, educators, parental rights organizations, clinicians and legal specialists on a range of topics, including child welfare, care for the elderly, school violence, child custody and other areas associated with parental relationships.

“We are looking to constantly expand the parental acceptance-rejection theory and looking at new questions,” Rohner says, noting that recently the center began to study intimate adult relationships by examining the acceptance-rejection theory to see how it applies in any kind of “attachment relationship” throughout a person’s lifetime.

Rohner says among the international parenting issues now under study at UConn is corporal punishment of children—how other nations are developing laws to prohibit it, how it relates to child abuse, and how it relates to the theory of parental acceptance-rejection.

Katter’s dream fulfilled

Photo: Peter Morenus

Nafe Katter, professor emeritus of dramatic arts

The October opening of the Nafe Katter Theatre, which seats the audience on three sides of its stage, realized a dream for the actor and teacher who wanted to provide UConn students with a challenging learning experience.

“It’s a fulfillment of a long-held dream,” says Nafe Katter, professor emeritus of dramatic arts and veteran of performances at the Hartford Stage, whose $1 million gift made it possible to create the 229-seat, 12,000-square-foot performing arts space in the School of Fine Arts. “It’s an opportunity for students to work in a space similar to the Hartford Stage, which means a lot to me because I know what demands this kind of theater makes on an actor as well as other artists.”

The Katter Theatre is the third UConn theatrical venue, joining the 493-seat Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre and the 116-seat Studio Theatre. It features a thrust stage that extends into the audience, providing closer audience-actor contact.

“The Nafe Katter Theatre will dramatically enhance theatrical productions at UConn,” says Gary M. English, UConn professor of dramatic arts and artistic director of the Connecticut Repertory Theatre, which is based in the School of Fine Arts. “This new thrust space will allow the CRT to produce an even wider range of work in an exciting new environment and will create an important new venue in Storrs for groundbreaking theater.”

Katter says the thrust theater format presents new challenges to all aspects of theatrical production—including directing, set design, lighting and costume design — because of the audience’s close proximity to the performers.

“Everything has to look so much more credible because the audience is so close,” he says. “It’s much different than sitting in front of a proscineum picture frame and being detached. Here you really feel like you’re a part of what’s going on. That creates a tremendous sense of involvement, excitement and response.”

Celebrating the code of Napoleon

Photo: Tina Covensky

Dean Nell Jessup Newton, speaks with Guy Canivet, chief justice of the Civil Supreme Court of France, during his visit to the School of Law.

Understanding how legal systems developed and how the law works in other nations is an important part of the comprehensive legal education provided by the School of Law. UConn law students heard first-hand about an important element in the development of Western law during a visit by the chief justice of one of France’s highest and most important appellate courts for civil matters on the 200th anniversary of the Napoleonic Code.

Chief Justice Guy Canivet, president of the Cour de Cassation, discussed the Napoleonic Code—the basis for most civil law systems in Europe, Africa and Asia. Speaking to a group of students and distinguished guests, he described the evolving European Union is “a formidable melting pot for the creation of new law for the whole of the old continent, a powerful machine for integrating the legal systems of each of the member states.”

Canivet leads the French court that rules on commercial matters such as contracts, torts and insurance. Two other high courts have responsibility for administrative and constitutional matters.

Peter Lindseth, UConn associate professor of law, says Canivet provided insight into the reasons the Napoleonic Code should be celebrated after 200 years.

“The talk was a very rigorous and frank assessment of the influence of the code over the course of two centuries,” he says. “The whole idea of the codification of law is bound up with the creation of representative government, the idea that a representative legislature could establish laws that would govern all people in society equally.”

“The visit by Justice Canivet and the address earlier this year by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg have enriched immeasurably our students’ learning experience and provided opportunities for us to showcase our campus and programs to these leaders in the law,” says Nell Jessup Newton, dean of the School of Law.

Clinical audiology degree debuts
Archaeological site map goes digital

Clinical audiology degree debuts

Photo: Peter Morenus

A new doctoral program in clinical audiology began this fall at UConn. The Au.D. degree program is one of only 53 nationwide and two in New England, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, a national certifying body for practicing audiologists—professionals who diagnose and treat conditions associated with hearing.

The UConn program was introduced to meet new national standards that will take effect in 2012, when the doctorate will replace the master’s degree as the entry-level requirement for those seeking to pursue clinical careers in audiology, says Harvey Gilbert, chair of the UConn communication sciences department, the academic home of the Au.D. program. The department continues its Ph.D. in audiology as a research-based discipline.

A key element of the Au.D. program is a collaboration with the neuroscience and otolaryngology departments at the UConn Health Center. Otolaryngology is the treatment of patients with problems of the ear, nose and throat.

“This collaboration will offer students the opportunity to see patients with a variety of medical problems that cause hearing loss,” says Kathleen Cienkowski, assistant professor of audiology.

“Audiologists may see patients who are deaf and have had cochlear implants or other kinds of surgeries,” she says. “And many audiologists work in hospitals or private practice settings when they graduate, so our students will get excellent experience at the Health Center.”

As a result, students who earn the UConn Au.D. degree will be well prepared to meet the nation’s growing demand for clinical audiologists, says Frank Musiek, professor of audiology.

“We’ll be able to turn out better clinical audiologists than ever before,” Musiek says. “Our students will graduate with a strong foundation in both diagnostics and rehabilitation.”

Audiologists may work in medical centers, physicians offices, nursing homes, school settings or industry. Their clinical obligations range from neonatal to the geriatric population. The UConn speech and hearing clinic has 1,550 patient visits per year.

Archaeological site map goes digital

State archaeological site files are being computerized to help address preservation concerns before new construction begins.

UConn is helping to speed the review of files, maps and other documents when planned new construction may threaten historic sites. Collaborative work between UConn’s geography and anthropology departments to computerize archaeological site files will help the preservation of historic sites around Connecticut.

Before new construction can be approved, many Connecticut municipalities require a review of land documents to identify whether there are historic or archaeological concerns that must be addressed. The state archaeologist, Nicholas Bellantoni ’80 M.A., ’87 Ph.D., has about 30 days to assess a construction project by reviewing thousands of paper maps and site files in order to make recommendations that often lead to field reviews and negotiations to address preservation concerns.

“This will allow us to handle the review much more efficiently,” Bellantoni says. “At a minimum, the computer will reduce our initial work from hours to minutes.”

“It is especially gratifying for geographers with interests in land use and settlement to see new technology being used to help rediscover and preserve the record of Connecticut’s early inhabitants,” says William Berentsen, professor and head of the geography department. “The collaboration will help our students and will help UConn serve the state in our role as Connecticut’s land grant university.”

Leanne Kennedy Harty, director of UConn’s Museum and Archaeology Center, says students will be critical to the undertaking.

“The project will rely heavily on the expertise of students to provide more comprehensive management of information to preserve the 5,000 known archaeological sites in Connecticut, many of which are vulnerable,” Harty says. “Their efforts will greatly increase accessibility for researchers and federal, state and local officials.”

Seeking alternative menopause treatments

The herb black cohosh is being studied by the UConn Center on Aging as an alternative treatment for menopause symptoms.

The UConn Center on Aging is studying the use of an herbal supplement to treat menopause symptoms.

“Natural supplements have been available on the market for years but, despite their popularity, it is unclear which ones work best,” says Karen Prestwood, associate clinical professor, who is conducting the research at the UConn Health Center.

Many women prefer natural treatments for menopause, especially after the National Institutes of Health ended a large hormone replacement therapy research project in 2002, indicating that long-term use of estrogen and progestin increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer, stroke or heart attack, Prestwood says.

The herbal supplement under study is black cohosh, which has been used by women for years to treat menopausal symptoms. The herb was used in American Indian medicine to treat a variety of illnesses, ranging from gynecological disorders to malaria and sore throats.

The study is open to women between 40 and 65 years of age who have gone through natural menopause and who are experiencing moderate to extreme post-menopausal symptoms. Treatments and lab testing are provided at no charge to volunteers, who may choose to receive a free three-month supply of the herbal supplement at the end of their participation.

The treatments are either a placebo or a black cohosh supplement in different strengths and in different combinations, with ingredients such as B vitamins, calcium, or cranberry juice.

“We will be looking at the effects on hot flashes as well as on other symptoms of menopause, like sleep disturbance and the ‘foggy brain’ feeling,” says Prestwood. “Women come to me wondering what they can do about their hot flashes and their other menopause symptoms, which can last for years,” she says. “It would be great to be able to offer them something that works without causing worrisome side effects.”

A summer caring for patients

Photo: Peter Morenus

Stephanie Hirsch, '05, (NUR)

An innovative internship program at UConn is helping ease the transition into a nursing career and also helping to address the ongoing nursing shortage.

The Summer Internship for Student Nurses was developed and implemented in 2003 under the leadership of Rosanna Colangelo, a UConn clinical instructor who is vice president for patient care services at Rockville General Hospital in Vernon, Conn., one of the four members of the Eastern Connecticut Health Network.

The program is open to UConn nursing students who have completed their initial clinical experience, a key part of their prescribed academic work. Students spend 10 weeks working both as nurses providing direct care for patients and as nurse assistants under the supervision of a registered nurse preceptor.

“It’s really impressive seeing the skills the student nurses come in with and then what they achieve,” Colangelo says. “They are accepted as part of the staff, know how they fit in and that gives them an appreciation of what’s involved in taking care of patients both as an aide and a nurse.”

Stephanie Hirsch ’05 (NUR) interned this year at Rockville Hospital in a maternity unit where, she says, she was able to see all aspects of the birthing process while taking care of new mothers and their babies.

“Now I really understand how the nurses work,” she says. “I’ll be learning different things in class this year. The internship has energized me to want to do more.”

The students receive stipends and tuition reimbursement for participating in the program. Colangelo says that although students do not have to commit to working within the Eastern Health Care Network to participate in the internship, participating hospitals that hire UConn graduates will save on the cost of training and orientation.

The program will gain national attention when a story about the internship appears later this year in one of the profession’s leading publications, Nursing Management magazine.

Pursuing a love of research

Lauren Aleksunes '02 Pharm.D., works in the research lab in the Pharmacy Building.

Photo: Peter Morenus

Lauren Aleksunes ’02 Pharm.D. was bitten by the research bug early. She enjoyed performing research in high school and by the time she was honored as a University Scholar majoring in pharmacy at UConn, it was clear what path her studies would follow.

“Posing and answering questions: That’s what is fun about conducting research,” says Aleksunes, who is the first UConn student to complete the clinical doctoral program in pharmacy and then continue on to pursue a traditional research doctoral degree in pharmacy.

Aleksunes also has the distinction of being one of only 50 recipients worldwide of a pre-doctoral fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which encourages science education through its grants and fellowships program.

“What she has been able to accomplish has brought great credit to UConn nationally,” says Robert McCarthy, dean of the School of Pharmacy.” She’s the most exceptional student I’ve ever known.”

Aleksunes is continuing work in a research area that she began as an undergraduate to better understand both pharmacology, the use of drugs to help patients, and toxicology, the adverse effect of drugs. Working with Jose Manautou, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences, Aleksunes is researching the effects of drugs on the liver. She is focusing some of her research on acetaminophen, best known in the over-the-counter brand Tylenol.

She brings an unusual combination of clinical and real world experiences to her research. In addition to working with patients during her undergraduate clinical rotation at a local pharmacy, Aleksunes volunteered and later worked at the UConn Health Center’s Connecticut Poison Control Center, where she answered questions from callers seeking information about toxic substances.

“I like to be responsible for positive outcomes for someone’s health,” she says. “Laboratory research is more removed from the patient, but it impacts a lot of lives. It just gives me a great feeling to conduct research that is going to be helpful to a large population.”

Doctoral program advances leadership role

UConn moves to a new level of leadership in the field of social work having received final accreditation for its doctoral program by the state Board of Higher Education.

“In educating people who will have the knowledge of research and scholarship, we’ll be bringing people into the field who can design and develop programs and take on leadership roles in areas such as child welfare and the needs of the elderly,” says Kay Davidson, dean of the School of Social Work.

A key area for research and scholarship is in the changing demographics of the nation, she says, noting that the United States continues to see dramatic changes in the diversity of its population. Social work scholarship will focus primarily on what effect these changes have on society as a whole.

The first group of UConn doctoral candidates completed their degree requirements this past summer, in time to have their degrees awarded from the fully accredited program, and included several students who had previously earned their master’s degree in social work from UConn. The social work doctoral program began in 2002 and this year welcomed its third group of students.

“The program has been well received by the professional community,” says Michie Hesselbrock, director of the program. “The MSW used to be a terminal degree for most people working in our field. Now to have more advancement opportunities in their careers, many find a Ph.D. is required even in non-academic fields such as government and health care.”

Doctoral candidates are bringing many years of field experience and practice back to the classroom. Hesselbrock says classes are small in size, which results in richer classroom discussions based on the students’ real-life work experiences.

The doctoral students also serve as a strong resource for UConn’s MSW program, Davidson adds, noting that the Ph.D. students have diverse field experience and are able to act as instructors and advisors within the master’s program.