Dr. Rita Stageman received a Department of Education grant to enhance outcomes for children with disabilities and their families through enhanced training and education of social work students to prepare for work in the K-12 school system. In partnership with Flagstaff Unified School District, she has created field placements within FUSD’s special education program. She has also guided revisions to the NAU social work curriculum to enhance disability content, including the development of a new special topics course on childhood disabilities. Dr. Stageman is working with a graduate research student to explore characteristics of social work graduates who enter disability and school employment settings.
Additionally, Dr. Stageman received an intramural grant to transform her child welfare class into a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CURE) course, promoting accessibility for first-generation and historically underrepresented students to generate novel research and disseminate findings. This teaching approach has proven effective in encouraging students from diverse backgrounds to pursue graduate-level education.
Finally, Dr. Stageman continues to research the influence of state policies on health equity for pregnant and parenting individuals with substance use disorders. Her latest NIH proposal, which aims to develop a comprehensive national dataset of relevant state policies, is scheduled for review this month.