Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Collaborative Anti-Racist Perinatal Care: A Case Study Of The Healthy Birth Initiatives–Providence Health System Partnership, Roberta Hunte, Susanne Klawetter, Monique Gill, Desha Reed-Holden, Kevin Cherry

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article describes a case study of the partnership between Healthy Birth Initiatives, a community-based organization (CBO) and Black-led public health nurse home visiting program, and the maternal health division of the Providence Health System located in the Pacific Northwest. This study’s purpose was to explore the formation, significance, and impact of this partnership from the perspectives of staff and leadership members from both organizations. We conducted a case study through qualitative interviews with staff, participant observation, and debrief of leadership meetings. We completed a hybrid deductive–inductive thematic analysis of the data, followed by member checking with study participants and …

Abolition And Social Work: Dismantling Carceral Logics To Build Systems Of Care, Durrell M. Washington, Brittany Ribeiro Brown, Diana Ballesteros, Rebecca Lynn Davis

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Social work has historically operated as an extension of the carceral state, embedding policing, surveillance, and punishment into youth-serving institutions under the guise of care. This paper examines carceral seepage—the infiltration of punitive logics into social work practice—across child welfare, education, and juvenile legal, revealing how these systems function as interconnected circuits of criminalization rather than support. Using abolitionist frameworks, we critique social work’s complicity in punitive interventions and address common concerns about safety, scalability, and sustainability. Instead of reforming oppressive institutions, we argue for a fundamental transformation of social work, advocating for non-carceral models such as community-led crisis response, …

“Who All Gon Be There”: The Relationship Between Racial Identity, Perceived Social Distance, And Anxiety Among People Of African Descent, Veronica R. Mixon

All ETDs from UAB

Mental health disparities among people of African descent are an important public health issue within the US. During COVID, between 2020 and 2021, anxiety symptoms among African American adults increased, which led to an overall increase in anxiety and depression rates (Vahratian et al., 2021; CDC, 2023). Despite this increase, only 39% of African Americans who experience mental health difficulties, receive treatment. The pandemic made it difficult for people to come together and there were heightened experiences of racial distress due to the events surrounding George Floyd. Prior research has shown that experiences of racism, isolation, and cultural disconnection have …

The Effect Of Mesoscale Frontal Waves On Landfalling Atmospheric Rivers And Their Associated Precipitation Over The Green River Watershed, Washington, Joseph Michael Riedl

Dissertations and Theses

In this study, the effect of mesoscale frontal waves (MFWs) on extreme precipitation (EP) in the Upper Green River Watershed (UGRW), Washington is investigated. 205 EP days (>95th percentile) are identified in the UGRW between the years 1980 and 2021. To characterize the range of large-scale meteorological conditions associated with EP days, the self-organizing map (SOM) approach is used to cluster daily integrated water vapor transport (IVT) on EP days. To further diagnose the meteorological drivers, composites of several other diagnostic fields are constructed for each SOM node and the preceding days. Together, these results illustrate common orientations of …

Opportunities And Barriers To Engaging Caregivers In Firearm Suicide Prevention: Findings From Focus Groups With Caregivers Of Veterans, Katherine Macwilliams, John Marmion, Dee Blascyk, Sharon Urbina, Rachel Moyers, Gala True

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Firearms are involved in more than 70% of U.S. Veteran suicides. Caregivers, defined as family members or concerned significant others, can play an important role in firearm suicide prevention through initiating conversations about secure firearm storage with Veterans. Our objective was to explore caregivers’ experiences with lethal means safety (LMS) conversations and identify perceived barriers to caregivers discussing LMS with healthcare providers and with Veterans. Methods: We conducted focus groups with 32 caregivers with experience caring for a Veteran at risk for suicide. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: We identified three primary themes: 1) caregivers recognize …

Survival Impact And Sociodemographic Correlates Of Colon Cancer Surgery, Refusal, Paola Berrios Jimenez, Angel Aguayo Merly, Ramin Shekouhi, Berkay Demirors, Jade C. Bowers, Vishal Abhimutt Mahesh, Anjali Yadav, Bansi P. Savaliya, Reed Popp, Syeda Hoorulain Ahmed, Esinam Ekpeh, Guido Chiriboga, Emmanuel Gabriel

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background/Aim: Surgical treatment for colon cancer is often curative when diagnosed early. This study evaluated the sociodemographic characteristics and survival outcomes associated with refusal of surgery among patients with colon cancer. The objective was to identify disparities to improve patient outcomes. Patients and Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) data from 2004 to 2019, including 1,048,575 patients with colon cancer. Variables analyzed included demographics, tumor characteristics, treatment facility type, and geographic and socioeconomic factors. Descriptive statistics were assessed using Wilcoxon Rank Sum and Chi-square tests. Survival outcomes were evaluated using Kaplan–Meier analysis and …

Artificial Intelligence, Age, And Dynamic Ticket Pricing: A Mixed-Methods Study In Professional Sports, Joshua Greer, Nicholas Zoroya

Global Sport Business Journal

Abstract

This study investigates how age moderates fan perceptions of artificial intelligence (AI) and dynamic ticket pricing (DTP) in professional sports. Using a mixed-method design, data was collected from a self-administered online survey (N = 57) and triangulated with secondary sources, including industry reports and academic literature. Survey participants were divided into four generational cohorts and responses were analyzed across three constructs: perceived fairness, accessibility, and willingness to pay. A one-way ANOVA revealed a statistically significant difference in willingness to pay across age groups, F(3, 53) = 3.41, p = .015, with the most pronounced disparity between the youngest and …

Cricket, Capitalism And Class: From The Village Green To The Cricket Industry, Martin Barrett

Global Sport Business Journal

Author Chris McMillan, through Cricket, Capitalism and Class: From the Village Green to the Cricket Industry, provides a definitive and compelling critical sociological investigation of modern cricket’s rise from an English leisure pursuit and role in the expanding capitalism of Empire to today’s multi-billion-dollar cricket industry. This account is constructed through a largely Marxist reading of the sport’s entwining with the processes of capitalism and class. Specifically, class and the class structures reproduced by and through cricket are seen as critical in reproducing a system favorable to both historical and contemporary exploitation and expropriation. As the book transitions from exploring …

Book Review: Interrogating Integration: Sport, Celebrity, And Scandal In The Making Of New Germany, Sangchul Park

Global Sport Business Journal

This review discusses Interrogating Integration: Sport, Celebrity, and Scandal in the Making of New Germany by Kate Zambon. Through discourse analysis of media narratives, Zambon demonstrates that athletes and celebrities of immigrant or minority backgrounds become symbolic figures whose successes and failures test the nation’s integration project, with case studies including the 2006 World Cup, the Sarrazin debate, and the Integration Bambi Awards. The book’s originality lies in moving beyond legal or policy frameworks to foreground mediated narratives, offering clear and coherent arguments supported by a logically organized structure. While the absence of comparative perspectives and audience reception studies leaves …

Tackling Gaps In Action For Climate Empowerment Through Subnational Ace Hubs, Kim Jessica Wahnke

COP30

Key notes

Context: Climate scepticism and misinformation have become more rampant than ever, political will and popular support is eroding

Problem: National efforts on ACE remain under-resourced, disorganised and fragmented

Precedent: The NRW ACE Hub pilot builds on the strength of subnational governments but has work to do with regards to accessibility and past activity integration

Solution: Subnational ACE Hubs are regional platforms for the coordination of local actors and the co-design and integration of past ACE activities

Impact: Reduce divisions between stakeholders, close education gaps, advance community-driven climate ACE action

Call to Action: Implementation of ACE hubs through coordinated …

Empowering Healthcare Providers With Ai-Based Climate Health Risk Training, Mohamed Saleh Abdelsalam Abdallah Mahmoud

COP30

Climate Change (CC) is an emerging threat to human health and livelihood, increasing the burden of health-related illnesses, vector-borne diseases, and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Due to the gaps in capacity building and education, limited curricula, and time constraints, Health professionals (HCPs) and healthcare students are unprepared to address the climate-health nexus. The urgency for a climate-health training and research in applying ACE principles with digital tools, particularly AI and mobile platforms, in order to reach health care resilient systems. Using global evidence and a real-world case study such as WHO-reported Early Warning and Response System (EWARS), which is piloted in …

The Usability And Implementation Of Flood Prevention Strategies In Response To An Evolving Climate With Insights From Hurricane Harvey And The Kerala Floods., Morgan Greenleigh

COP30

This literature review combines literature on global flood prevention, hard engineering, Nature-Based Solutions, IFRM and policy to examine current strategies and case studies. It begins by examining the key role that hard engineering plays in the current main forms of flood prevention and then analyses its weakness when it comes to the increasing frequency and severity of weather events. The review then explores the growing importance of NBS and how its development can significantly reduce flooding whilst also having a plethora of other benefits. A portion of the review is dedicated to emerging technologies such as EWS and IFRM. The …

The Role Of The Private Sector In Climate Change Adaptation For Agriculture And Water Management, Esperanza Hughes-Salinas

COP30

This report investigates how small to large agricultural enterprises can be encouraged to promote adaptive practices in agriculture to align with the Sharm El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda (SAA). Without global food and agricultural systems adapting to climate change, the risk of malnutrition, hunger and death increases dramatically, Two main issues account for the slow scale-up of adaptive practices in this sector: the astronomical gap in financing, and the education gap in farmers with small to medium-sized holdings. The SAA highlights that the private sector has a significant role to play in adaptation, and the World Bank has identified that the agricultural …

A Global Mutirão In The Classroom: A National Curriculum Policy For Bangladesh To Build Youth Capacity For Green Jobs In Alignment With The Saa And Ace, Shariful Islam

COP30

As one of the world's most climate-vulnerable nations, Bangladesh faces a serious threat that widely impacts its large youth population. This policy paper points out a main gap: the country's national curriculum does not properly teach students about climate change. This makes young people unprepared for the future and for new jobs in the green economy. This paper looks at successful climate education programs in other developing countries, like Kenya and the Philippines, and suggests a new policy for Bangladesh based on those examples. The paper recommends a strategy that combines a national law with local, hands-on learning. The main …

Moving Toward Net Zero: Transforming Global Transport With Clean Technologies, Kareem Abdullah

COP30

The transportation sector is one of the main and indispensable causes of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 23% of them. It is one of the fastest-growing sectors, and action must be taken quickly [1]. In this paper, we will discuss the current challenges in this sector and propose some solutions to reduce emissions in the context of sustainable development and climate action. First, we will discuss the reliance on biofuels, particularly successful policies in the European Union and Brazil. Second, we will discuss the use of renewable energy and EU legislation. Finally, this paper will present a core recommendation: using …

Bridging The Mitigation Gaps : Technology And Climate Finance In An Equitable Global Transition, Iten Hassan

COP30

Mitigation has been the scope of all international climate negotiations ; nevertheless, COP30 Agenda highlights the urgency in scaling up the ambition in reducing CO2 emissions , shifting towards renewable energy sources, mitigating for the 1.5°C and the Net-Zero target. This Policy Paper aim is bridging the gaps between The Global North (Developed) countries and The Global South (Developing) countries by exploring the main challenges that face both developed and developing countries when mitigating , using London and Egypt as prime examples, respectively; nevertheless, it proposes solutions for both countries in terms of the key pillars for the implementation techniques …

The Mediterreanean We Share: Enhancing The Eu-Mediterranean Cooperation In Education And Capacity Building For A Resilient Climate Action, Achref Ininou

COP30

The Euro-Mediterranean region is facing growing inequalities, and regional resilience is being put to the test as we deal with escalating climate challenges. Although the significance of education and capacity building is emphasized by frameworks like SDG 4 and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, regional efforts are still dispersed, short-term, and frequently not monitored and evaluated. Through inclusive education, the development of green skills, and regional cross-border collaboration, this policy paper highlights that people, especially youth, must be at the center of climate strategies. Strong monitoring and evaluation systems are necessary, though, to guarantee the long-term viability of these …

Young Indigenous Women And The Low-Carbon Future: Female Political Representation And Knowledge In The Energy Sector In Brazil, Fernando Da Gama

COP30

The transition to a low-carbon economy is an ethical imperative in the face of the climate crisis, demanding actions that encompass social justice, gender equity, and Indigenous leadership. It is therefore urgent to include young Indigenous women in the design and implementation of sustainable energy solutions, as demonstrated by case studies in the Brazilian Amazon. Despite the central role of Indigenous peoples in environmental protection, international climate finance still overlooks community-based initiatives, allocating less than 1% of global resources directly to these populations. Indigenous women face additional challenges due to gender and technical access barriers. There is a clear need …

"From Global Stocktake To Global Delivery: A Policy Roadmap For Cop30 Implementation" How Can We Hold Stakeholders Accountable And Foster Global Collaboration?, Joshua Underhill

COP30

The Earth is facing a climate catastrophe. According to NASA (2024), the Earth's average surface temperature in 2024 was the warmest on record. The same article outlines that the Earth is about 1.47 degrees Celsius warmer than the preindustrial period1. A core mechanism designed to address this challenge, and other key concerns, is the Global Stocktake GST, which is a process within the Paris Agreement assessing collective progress towards key goals.

This policy paper will primarily focus on the history of the global stocktake, before delving into the future of the GST, the NDC, and global mutirao, all with the …

Accountability Systems For Post-Gst Implementation: Strengthening Global And National Governance To Ensure Transparency, Compliance, And Equity In Delivering The Paris Agreement, Binama Nyacyesa

COP30

This policy paper, developed by the Rwandan delegation in the COP30 Simulation, proposes the establishment of a comprehensive accountability architecture in order to translate the outcomes of the Global Stocktake (GST) into transparent, equitable, and enforceable climate action. Building on this year's COP Presidency's emphasis on mutirão, which is inclusive collective action, this paper outlines different governance mechanisms that could strengthen compliance, both at global and national levels, integrate Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) into their monitoring frameworks, and embed adaptation tracking in line with the Sharm El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda (SAA). Using Rwanda's track record in governance and regional leadership …

From Dialogue To Delivery: Engaging Non-State Actors In Gst Follow-Up, Aya Mohamed

COP30

Climate action is falling short where it matters most, on the ground, because those doing the work are often excluded from the system's tracking progress. The Global Stocktake (GST), meant to assess global climate efforts, remains focused on national governments, leaving out non-state actors (NSAs) who lead much of the real-world delivery. This exclusion stems from structural gaps in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the lack of formal ways for NSAs to engage meaningfully. Existing tools, like voluntary platforms and consultations, are not enough, they lack enforcement and true integration. This paper proposes two practical solutions: AI-powered Nested Climate Accounting, …

Cop-30 Simulation Report Ignite And Insight: A Global Mutirão, Anes Saadi

COP30

The first Global Stocktake (GST) certifies that there is a widening gap between our collective ambition and the real-world deliveries. And while the COP29 did set a new climate finance floor of US$300 billion/yr by 2035, the science however showed that this is far below developing country needs, and the current trajectories still overshoot the Paris 1.5 C limit. With the most recent updates, Article 6 market rules are now in full operation. That is inclusive of a mandatory 5% "share of proceeds" for the Adaptation Fund; it is an underused lever to channel resources to the frontline communities (UNFCCC, …

Strengthening Climate Empowerment In Pharmacy Education And Practice: A Literature Review, Hend Ahmed

COP30

Pharmacists are increasingly acknowledged as essential contributors to climate resilience as climate change poses ever-increasing challenges to global health. Within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) provides a framework that is focused on capacity building, public engagement, and education. The application of ACE principles to pharmacy practice and education to advance sustainability is examined in this article. It looks at national projects that support ACE objectives like Kerala's pharmacy-led waste management campaign and the Greener-NHS programme. The review finds gaps and opportunities for incorporating climate action into pharmacy through …

The Climate League: A Competitive Governance Model To Enhance Ndc 3.0 Ambition And Delivery, Mohamed Noby

COP30

The first Global Stocktake (GST) has confirmed that the world is off-track; where current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are far from sufficient to meet the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target. Despite decades of climate negotiations, an ambition gap, implementation deficit, and climate finance shortfall continue to hinder meaningful progress; driven largely by a focus on securing commitments rather than ensuring their implementation and real-world impact. This policy paper identifies the governance gap at the heart of these failures and proposes a new framework: The Climate League. which aims to transform climate action into a dynamic competitive process by ranking countries based …

Schools As Hubs For Cultivating Climate Literacy And Action In Egypt, Kenzy Al Ruwaini

COP30

Partial reforms within the national education system across Egypt during 2022 as Egypt worked towards better fulfilling its promises to becoming more sustainable. These reforms aimed to better build students' capacity and their involvement in climate initiatives. However, noting the important role of schools in student development, this paper puts forward a call for more comprehensive reforms that aim to target more than just students' theoretical understanding. Remarking the vitality of a changed understanding and interaction between the students and the environment. As well as ensuring that the students learn to become active members of their community with a profound …

Youth And Gender Equity In Decision Making, Nada Chaabene

COP30

With the COP30 choosing “mutirão”, which means collective community work, as their central theme (COP30, 2024), the president of the conference in Brazil emphasizes that it’s an opportunity to connect global actions and create a mobilization chain of the expertise of people from various communities and from different sectors to move from negotiation to concrete action (COP30, 2024). This cannot be done without a proper representation of all the underrepresented communities of young people and women, as discussed in the Sharm El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda (SAA).

This paper explores the ongoing challenges of inclusive representation in decision-making spaces like the COP. …

Bachelor's Degrees And Earnings In The Mountain West, 2022, Anthony Arroyo, Sydney Mitchell, Lara Karaalp, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet presents 2022 data on the median annual earnings of bachelor's degree holders for specific fields of degrees (FODs) across the five Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. This fact sheet also examines the share and earnings of individuals with less than a bachelor’s degree compared to bachelor’s degree holders in the three Mountain West metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) appearing among the 30 largest MSAs in the United States: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ; Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO; and Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV. The “Field of Bachelor's Degree in the United States: 2022” report from the U.S. Census Bureau …

Phasing Out Fossil Fuels And Accelerating Renewable Energy Resources, Pakiza Khalid

COP30

This paper examines the challenges and opportunities in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the phase out of fossil fuels and acceleration of renewable energy. The 3 areas of interest discussed are: fossil fuel subsidies, electric grid infrastructure and decarbonisation challenges in industrial and transport sectors. The two policy recommendations include development of a national just transition framework and integration of energy storage systems in grids. This paper is directly aimed at governments and policy makers.

Athletes As Ace Ambassadors: A Framework For Integrating Sports Personalities Into Climate Communication Strategies, Abderrahim Baalla

COP30

Global institutions face a critical "volume-over-impact" communication crisis, where thousands of official reports and meetings fail to translate into public engagement. This systemic issue is directly applicable to the climate sector, where conventional communication struggles to cut through the noise. This failure particularly undermines Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE), as it hinders efforts to raise awareness and provide vital climate education to the public, especially youth. To address this gap, this paper proposes the 'Athletes for Climate Empowerment (ACE) Ambassadors' Framework. Based on successful models like the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador program, this framework provides a practical pathway to formalize and …

Circular Climate Empowerment Policy: Transforming Uco Into Biodiesel, Green Jobs, And Inclusive Climate Education Through Community-Led Action, Aisyah Nabihah

COP30

The world is entering a critical phase in the climate crisis, with temperatures soaring past 50°C in some regions and the global average already an increase of 1.1°C compared to the pre-industrial levels. Rising emissions continue to disrupt ecosystems, threaten coastal populations, and endanger water security. While fossil fuels remain the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, waste mismanagement and educational inequality are two often-overlooked forces undermining climate resilience. For example, 1 liter of Used Cooking Oil (UCO) can pollute 1,000 m³ of clean water. This policy paper introduces an alternative path: leveraging community-led circular economy models to drive grassroots …