New Colloquium Series: “Culture, Context, and Behavioral Health Disparities”

This colloquium series is supported by a grant from United States Department of Health and Human Services (Health Resource Service Administration). This three-year Graduate Psychology Education training grant is designed to increase the number of  behavioral health care providers who serve low-income, rural, Hispanic and Marshallese residents in Washington and Benton counties. A key partner in this project is the Community Clinic at St. Francis House, located in Springdale, Rogers, and Siloam Springs.

The Graduate Psychology Education colloquium series will focus on the many factors and systems that impact behavioral health for medically underserved populations, including legal, political, religious, familial, and economic systems. Speakers will be both university researchers as well as local community leaders who work closely with medically underserved populations.

Directing the Graduate Psychology Education project is Dr. Ana Bridges of the department of psychology in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. She describes the project as a great opportunity for the university and for the state of Arkansas: “We will be training the next generation of psychologists to do things differently, to make their services accessible to under-served communities. It will mean getting out of their offices and moving into primary health care settings. It will mean joining forces with doctors, nurses, and other health care providers to build a complete health care team.”

Currently scheduled topics and speakers:

• Thursday, Sept. 30 at 4 p.m. in Memorial Hall, Room 114
  "Reducing Health Disparities through Integrated Behavioral Health: A Model for Training," Ana Bridges (University of Arkansas), Cambre Horne-Brooks and Kim Shuler (Community Clinic)
• Thursday, Oct. 21 at 4 p.m. in Memorial Hall, Room 114
  "Forming and Summing: Program Evaluation Concepts and Applications to Clinical Services Provision," John Stevenson, University of Rhode Island
• Thursday, Dec. 2 at 4 p.m. in Memorial Hall, Room 114
  "Immigrant Communities and Community Resources," Kevin Fitzpatrick, University of Arkansas.