About the Center
Research projects at the UT School of Social Work are administered through The Center for Social Work Research (CSWR). The Center was founded in 1974 to provide an environment that facilitates interdisciplinary, scientifically rigorous research endeavors. CSWR has since expanded to a state-wide and nationally recognized research center whose faculty members and researchers are known for their expertise in the areas of substance abuse, child welfare, poverty and welfare reform, domestic violence, mental and behavioral health, and related topics.
In the 2007-2008 academic year, CSWR administered over 90 research and training projects funded by extramural sources, with long-term research commitments of more than $22 million. Funders include a variety of federal, state and foundation sources. CSWR staff provide an array of services to assist faculty in the School of Social Work with securing and managing funding for research. Services range from consultation on research design and methods, statistics, data management, and protection of human subjects, to assistance with proposal preparation, budget development, and post-award management.
CSWR Director Dr. Mary M. Velasquez, Associate Dean for Research, is an internationally known NIH-funded behavioral health researcher and trainer. Velasquez leads the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute at CSWR, which specializes in the development, testing and implementation of interventions addressing behavior change using the Transtheoretical Model and motivational interviewing. Dr. Carol Lewis, Associate Director, has been with CSWR since 1993. Her research involves the evaluation of support services for pregnant and parenting adolescents and their families.
Other institutes at CSWR include the Addiction Research Institute and Gulf Coast Addiction Technology Transfer Center, Protective Services Training Institute, Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Institute for Grief, Loss, and Family Survival; Child Welfare and Education Collaboration Training Program, Life Care Institute, Inter-American Institute on Youth Justice, and the Institute on Restorative Justice and Restorative Dialogue.
Center Services
External Links
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
NIH-Human Participant Protection Education Training Course
Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research (IASWR)
