School of Social Work News
Lisa Wexler Awarded Grant from the National Institute of Mental HealthProfessor Lisa Wexler was awarded an NIMH R01 grant for her project “Efficacy-Implementation Study for PC CARES in Rural Alaska” through the NIH Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health. The trial evaluates the impact of Promoting Community Conversations About Research to End Suicide (PC CARES) on adult participants and the adults and youth they are close to, and who could benefit from the intervention. This project contributes to the long-term goal of translating suicide prevention research into culturally responsive community practice to reduce suicide risk and promote youth well-being in Alaska Native communities.
“I am excited about our new project, which trains and supports local leaders in sharing suicide prevention best practices within their communities in order to spark community-led actions,” said Wexler. “We believe that the project builds a sustainable way to offer community members tools through PC CARES that they can use to promote positive community change that promotes mental wellness and reduces suicide risk.”
PhD student Lauren White will be leading a project aim. “The implementation aim on this grant is among the first NIH funded studies that use Implementation Science frameworks to assess the contextual determinants of implementation in a rural Tribal community. By studying how PC CARES is carried out with our partners, we will also build general knowledge of what Tribes and interventionists need to know about using newly developed evidence-based interventions to drive healthy change in Native communities,” said White.
- May 22, 2024
- Lisa Wexler’s Research NIH News in Health Cover Story
Professor Lisa Wexler’s research is featured in an article on resilience, which is the April 2022 cover story of NIH News in Health. Wexler discusses how tapping into protective factors — including cultural traditions such as ceremonies, teachings and practices — can help build resilience.
- April 6, 2022
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- Lisa Wexler Discusses How Research on Gun Violence Can Save Lives
Professor Lisa Wexler spoke with the podcast Nature on the importance of research into gun violence. “I think it can save lives. The impact for this sort of research can be nearly immediate,” she said. Wexler studies how communities in Alaska can reduce suicide rates in Indigenous youth by promoting gun safety measures. “If you can make it ten minutes harder to get a lethal means - in this case a loaded gun - you can save lives because a lot of suicides are impulsive, particularly youth suicides.”
- July 27, 2021
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- Lisa Wexler Receives Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Grant
Professor Lisa Wexler has received a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Grant for her project, Family Safety Net: Developing an Upstream Suicide Prevention Approach to Encourage Safe Firearm Storage in Rural and Remote Alaskan Homes. The study will support, encourage and assess safe firearm storage practices relevant to Alaska Native families. Alaska has suicide rates far above national averages, including a teen suicide rate among Alaska Natives 18 times higher than the rate for other American teens.
- September 28, 2020
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- Lisa Wexler Discusses Suicide Prevention in Remote Alaskan Communities
Alaska Public Media interviewed Professor Lisa Wexler about her work with a new suicide prevention model titled Promoting Community Conversations About Research to End Suicide. The program is a community health intervention designed, supported and implemented by remote communities in Northwest Alaska to decrease suicide. “The whole process is all about self-determination and about people deciding for themselves what they want to do and how they want to do it,” Wexler said.
- March 11, 2020
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