Social Work

Mind-body therapies alleviate pain in people prescribed opioids

A new study published Nov. 4, 2019, in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine details the first comprehensive look across the scientific literature at the role of mind-body therapies in addressing opioid-treated pain. The researchers found that certain mind-body therapies can reduce pain, as well as reduce opioid use, among patients treated with prescription opioids. “These […]


Cultivating Joy through Mindfulness: An Antidote to Opioid Misuse, the Disease of Despair

New research shows that a specific mind-body therapy, Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE), increases the brain’s response to natural, healthy rewards while also decreasing the brain’s response to opioid-related cues. The study, published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, examined data from four experiments involving 135 adults who took opioids daily for chronic pain. The study […]


Preventing addiction with insight from scruffy dogs and ancient meditation

When Ivan Pavlov was measuring dog slobber at the turn of the 20th century, he could not have imagined all the ways his classical conditioning research would shape the future of scientific discovery. Today, there is substantial research suggesting that conditioned behaviors—such as smoking after a meal—sustain unhealthy habits.  It follows that by preventing the […]


A whole new game at EAE Play

For inexperienced social workers, the first home visits could result in important decisions tainted with bias. But practice makes perfect, and students and faculty at the University of Utah’s Therapeutic Games and Apps Lab (The GApp Lab) are developing a virtual reality simulation for social work students that recreates a home environment so they can […]


U welcomes new dean at College of Social Work

The University of Utah has appointed Martell Teasley as the next dean of the College of Social Work. Teasley, who will begin his term on July 1, 2017, comes to the U from the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he served as chair of the Department of Social Work in the College of […]


U to graduate 8,566 students

University of Utah student Christina Andino will be among only 0.03 percent of foster youths who graduate from college when she receives a bachelor’s degree this year. After transferring to the U in 2015 from Salt Lake Community College, Andino is graduating with a Bachelor of Social Work and no student loan debt. While Andino […]


University of Utah now offers fully online degree programs

The University of Utah will offer fully online undergraduate degrees beginning in fall 2017. A new package of courses, called “Block U,” will be available online and will fulfill all general education requirements. This set of courses will complement the select majors currently offered in online format. “In the past, the U has offered several […]


U aims to build top Pacific Islander program

The University of Utah recently announced its intent to build the top Pacific Islander program in the continental United States. As part of the initiative, the U is in the process of hiring two new full-time faculty in Pacific Islander studies and recently created a new scholarship aimed at recruiting and retaining talented Pacific Islander […]


U celebrates 2016 Pride Week

Pride Week 2016 at the University of Utah runs Sept. 28-Oct. 6, and will feature photographer Jeff Sheng and QueerCrip fashion designer Sky Cubacub. This year’s theme, “Queering Safe Spaces” explores the meaning of safe spaces and how they affect those included or excluded within the LGBTQIA community. “The theme, Queering Safe Spaces, is important […]


New Center at U College of Social Work to Focus on Migration, Refugee Integration

A newly launched research center at the University of Utah’s College of Social Work aims to advance the understanding and practice of effective integration of new Americans. The Center for Research on Migration & Refugee Integration is the first academic center west of the Mississippi River focused on community integration of immigrants and refugees. It […]