Susan Buchino, assistant professor in UofL’s School of Public Health and Information Sciences, has consulted with Louisville Metro since 2019, providing research and programmatic evaluation on multiple homeless initiatives. Her research resulted in a report on solving street homelessness in Louisville, and her work continues to make an impact. Now, Buchino will coordinate the city’s homeless initiatives as the recently-named Homeless Services Director.
UofL News caught up with Buchino to discuss her new joint appointment, and how her research is serving as a foundation for positive change.
UofL News: Why did you decide to take on the city’s new role of Homeless Services Director?
Buchino: Homelessness has a tremendous public health impact, and it’s an issue that has a solution. Our community has a shortage of affordable housing, and COVID has only exacerbated housing instability. Since the city has prioritized funding housing initiatives with American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds, there is a real opportunity for creating systemic changes and making progress. I’m hopeful that by being in a leadership position, I can raise awareness of the root causes of houselessness while being part of enacting solutions.
UofL News: How does it feel to know your efforts have been recognized by city officials, and you’ll provide leadership and guidance to solve difficult challenges?
Buchino: This is the dream, isn’t it? To see our research become a basis for positive change, and use our super powers for good. It’s truly humbling that I have been asked to serve the community in this way.
UofL News: Much of your research and community-engagement seems to have led you to this juncture. Explain a little about this journey.
Buchino: As an occupational therapist, I worked in community-based practice settings to support individuals with chronic and persistent mental illness who were homeless or at risk of homelessness. When I transitioned to public health, it was because I witnessed how systemic gaps and barriers perpetuated poor health instead of supporting wellness, and my research has always been through that lens.
Two years ago, I led a team of UofL researchers in examining national best practices and our own system of care, providing recommendations for policy and system-level changes. After that report, Louisville Metro leadership, through the Homelessness Task Force, embraced our recommendations, and I have continued to be engaged in the city’s work since then.
UofL News: You have a clear passion to address houselessness. What fuels that passion?
Buchino: I am inspired by the people I have met throughout my career and volunteer positions. Housing is a right. Housing saves lives.
More often than not, a person becomes houseless not because of their own failure, but because systems fail them. Losing housing is traumatic, and yet we require people in crisis to navigate a complex and overwhelming system to find the resources they need, when our community should have provided those resources to prevent everyone from being unhoused. There’s no justice in that.
UofL News: Your time is now split between UofL and the city. How will your continued research and expertise as a faculty member inform changes you’ll be able to implement in the community?
Buchino: The Homeless Services Division (HSD) aims to make data-driven decisions about how we can be strategic in our approach to reduce the number of gaps and barriers that we see both inside Louisville Metro government and within the system of care.
Personally, my research has aimed to advance equity and elevate the voices of those with lived experiences. Often, we don’t ask people how we can help, and make assumptions that what we do as professionals will work for them. The unhoused population is creative, resilient and deserve to be included in the problem-solving process.
UofL News: What initiatives do you hope to lead as Homeless Services Director?
Buchino: I’m excited that the HSD is involved in the ARP projects that will both serve our unhoused neighbors and increase the affordable housing inventory. Beyond housing, the 2019 report provided seven recommendations toward systemic improvement, and Louisville Metro adopted those recommendations as a strategic plan. HSD brings the capacity to address those strategies, as well as to increase coordination and communication between providers, policy makers and the community.
UofL News:Anything else you’d like to share?
Buchino: Addressing homelessness is a community issue, and not something that one department, one organization or even one sector can resolve. We need to create community-wide synergy around solutions. To learn more about root causes of homelessness and solutions, visit knowhomelessness.com.
"Bars" by foreverdigital is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
University of Louisville researchers are helping the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections by analyzing jail data that could help decide future criminal justice reforms.
Their research is part of a nationwide project looking at jail population trends across the nation through the Research Network on Misdemeanor Justice, a project of the Data Collaborative for Justice at John Jay College in New York City. The network consists of seven cities where researchers study lower-level enforcement trends to help communities address issues such as jail overcrowding.
A recent report, “Understanding Trends in Jail Population in Louisville Metro, Kentucky: 2010 to 2019,” was written by Tom “Tad” Hughes, UofL criminal justice chairperson and associate professor; Heather Ouellette, UofL assistant professor in criminal justice; and Brian P. Schaefer, assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice with Indiana University Southeast. It was released July 30 by the DCJ.
Tad Hughes, criminal justice
It found that inmates in the metro Louisville jail from 2010 to 2019 were fewer in number but stayed longer due to many factors. Among them were the inability to post bail; inmates being charged with more serious offenses; and longer wait times to transfer to overcrowded state prisons. Overall, the report found that while annual admissions at LMDC decreased 35% during the period, average length of stay increased by 60%.
Dwayne Clark, director of LMDC, praised the research partnership.
“Before COVID-19, we were already working hard to reduce strain on the system and the pandemic has further illustrated the danger of jail overcrowding,” Clark said. “Research partnerships like this will help ensure that future improvements to our justice system are backed by data, not anecdote.”
Life changed abruptly in March 2020, but the music never stopped at the University of Louisville School of Music, even without audiences.
For the first time in 18 months, live audiences are once more being allowed inside to enjoy performances by the SOM students, faculty and guests.
SOM this week released its live performance schedule for the Fall 2021 semester beginning with two concerts Sept. 19.
The schedule includes the Faculty Gala Oct. 22 and the popular Halloween-themed University Symphony Orchestra concert Oct. 30, as well as an abundance of student and faculty performances closed to audiences since March 2020 due to COVID-19.
Proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required at the door for members of the public, faculty, staff and students who would like to attend. Several of the concerts also will be livestreamed.
School of Music students performing outside the Student Activities Center after indoor performances with audiences were postponed. Audiences are again invited for a full schedule of performances at the School of Music in the Fall 2021 semester. Proof of vaccination is required.
In addition:
• Most concerts are free but all require online signup on Eventbrite.com; • Seating is limited with prearranged spacing to allow for physical distancing; • Everyone who enters the event venue for any reason must wear a mask that completely covers the nose and mouth at all times; • Regardless of vaccination status, we ask if you are feeling unwell to refrain from in-person attendance.
“We are thrilled about the return of audiences to the music building, and we are confident our safety measures will ensure the healthiest and most comfortable experience possible for everyone,” said SOM Dean Teresa Reed.
A comprehensive list of concerts with signup links can be found online here. Please check frequently for updates.
Musicians from UofL and Universidad El Bosque perform “Dark and Lonely: A COVID Anthem.”
The University of Louisville Jazz Studies Program refused to let a little thing like a global pandemic interfere with its international collaboration.
While COVID-19 shut down travel, it could not shut down UofL working with the Universidad El Bosque of Bogota, Colombia.
Under the direction of UofL Associate Professor of Music Chris Fitzgerald and Javier Perez of the Universidad El Bosque, students at both universities collaborated remotely to produce jazz performances.
The result? Four YouTube performances – two from UofL and two from Universidad El Bosque – that show viewers the skill and expertise of the students from both schools.
The following performances are available online now and linked below:
The schools have collaborated in person before – both program directors are alumni of the UofL School of Music – but the pandemic required innovative thinking to enable students to work together this year.
“Each student recorded their part in the performances separately,” Fitzgerald said. “Once I received my group of performances, I was able to use computer software to combine them. Javier did the same.”
And while Fitzgerald and Perez are looking forward to resuming their in-person collaboration, the remote experience has provided new learning opportunities for both faculty and students.
“It’s been great to learn how to put together separate remote performances into one cohesive presentation,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s something we now can impart to our students going forward to further their education.”
In late March of 2021, the University of Louisville’s Employee Success Center announced an exciting new partnership with an industry leader in online training courses: LinkedIn Learning. This partnership grants all current staff, faculty and students unlimited access to a vast online library of professional development content at no cost.
LinkedIn Learning is an award-winning virtual training resource with a digital library of over 16,000 courses covering a wide range of technical, business, software and creative topics. These expert-led courses are designed to refine and develop professional skills, teach new software and explore other areas for those exploring career growth and personal development.
With LinkedIn Learning, users can development several in-demand skills to achieve both personal and professional goals on their own schedule. Courses range from less than five minutes to several hours long and can be accessed on any electronic device, anywhere.
In addition to individual courses, LinkedIn Learning also compiles playlists of resources that are focused on larger topics known as learning paths. After completing a learning path, users can share this accomplishment on their LinkedIn profiles. This allows users to easily share their new skills and qualifications with their entire professional network.
The team at the Employee Success Center also works to compile relevant resources on LinkedIn Learning for university students and employees. These learning paths, such as the return to campus and remote/hybrid support resources announced in UofL Today on June 23, are thoughtfully curated to address the current and specific needs of those within the university community.
As part of the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan [PDF], the University of Louisville is committed to the continued professional and personal development of all faculty and staff. Providing free e-learning opportunities to all faculty and staff, such as the LinkedIn Learning Partnership, is one way that UofL is devoted to making the university a great place to work.
To get started with the free services offered through the LinkedIn Learning partnership, log in through the UofL LinkedIn Learning webpage. The online library is also available through the LinkedIn Learning app for IOS and Android. Video tutorials, FAQs and LinkedIn Learning app login instructions can be found on the Employee Success Center’s webpage.
University of Louisville honors students Forest Clevenger (leading the blue canoe) Vinh Pham (leading the white canoe) paddle the Ohio River as part of a class that investigated how river towns can drive tourism and economic development. Photo courtesy John Nation.
University of Louisville student researchers are helping river towns use recreation to drive tourism and economic development.
As part of an honors class, a group of undergraduate students studied — through interviews, research and first-hand experience — how towns like New Albany, Clarksville and Jeffersonville, Indiana, benefit from and can better promote kayaking, concerts and other riverside activities.
They worked with the U.S. National Park Service – Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program to conduct river town reviews. The program’s team effort approach to looking with “fresh eyes on enhancing tourism and outdoor recreation” helped these communities explore how they can further realize the benefits of the Ohio River and the development of the 270-mile Ohio River Recreation Trail from Portsmouth, Ohio, to West Point, Kentucky.
“I think the main takeaway is that there is so much potential for the Ohio River and the communities that surround it,” said Forest Clevenger, a political science major who worked on the project. “By focusing on recreation, it not only reinvigorates the economies of these communities, but it makes it so that conservation (of rivers) is an economic asset and something that is supported.”
The results of the students’ research, including observations, models, maps and photos from their trips to the Ohio River Greenway, currently are on display at the main branch of the Louisville Free Public Library. The exhibit, “River of Life: Cities and Towns Along the Mighty Ohio,” is expected to run through the summer.
“The students’ work in this exhibit uses photos and explorations to understand past initiatives that encouraged river recreation,” said David Wicks, who taught the class and also is director of River City Paddle Sports. “They put a lot of work into this and it really shows. Their work could help shed new light on the role of rivers – how they shape and grow our towns.”
The exhibit also spawned an offshoot project called “Ripple Effects: Exploring Water in Louisville.” That project began with a photo contest that asked kids in grades K-12 to capture their feelings about water on film. The goal is to learn more about youth attitudes toward water — what it means to them, its role in their everyday lives and how they engage with it.
Mary Brydon-Miller, professor in the UofL College of Education and Human Development, will prepare a summary of the main themes that come out of the entries to present as part of an upcoming National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forum on extreme rainfall and community resilience.
“The important thing is the engagement of youth across the Louisville metro area in thinking about the importance of water in our community,” she said. “And asking kids to tell that story in a creative way will tell us a lot about how they see water’s role in their lives.”
Winners of the photo contest will be announced at Louisville Waterfront Park on June 21 and featured in another exhibit at LFPL this fall as part of the Louisville Photo Biennial.
More information on the exhibit, including sponsor listing, is available on the library website, as well as more information on the photo contest.
The Healthiest Cities & Counties Challenge. The project is overseen by UofL Professor Frances Hardin-Fanning
Paige Newquist, a UofL School of Nursing graduate student, is on a mission to increase access to healthy foods in Perry County, Kentucky.
Paige Newquist, a UofL School of Nursing graduate student, is on a mission to increase access to healthy foods in Perry County, Kentucky.
Newquist and Nikki Enlow, a graphic design student at Hazard Community College, have launched a public health information campaign as part of the Healthiest Cities & Counties Challenge. The project is overseen by UofL Professor Frances Hardin-Fanning and is sponsored by Aetna Foundation, the American Public Health Association and the National Association of Counties.
Newquist, a research scholar, also works at UofL Hospital as a physical therapy technician and has been an active member of the UofL COVID vaccination team. She will graduate in May 2022 with plans to work in orthopedic nursing in Louisville. She uses her skills from her undergraduate research courses to review scientific evidence about the health impact of foods, which is guiding her work with the Perry County program.
As part of the educational campaign, Newquist shares spotlight information on different fruits and vegetables each week on the Perry County Facebook page; for example, “Garlic can be made into an extract and it has been effective in lowering blood pressure in people with uncontrolled hypertension … Garlic can help improve our artery’s flexibility, which results in lowered blood pressure, improved heart health, improved aerobic fitness and a decreased risk for cardiovascular disease.”
The Healthiest Cities & Counties Challenge is a grant-funded project aimed at increasing access to foods that support healthy eating patterns. Perry County, located in Eastern Kentucky, has an adult obesity rate of 47% – 12 percentage points higher than the 35% average for Kentucky. Seventy-four percent of adults who live in Perry County are overweight, and just 10% get their recommended fruit and vegetable intake. The Aetna Foundation issued the grant to Perry County in July 2020.
UofL’s School of Nursing also leads the Food & Faith Coalition, a partnership with either other organizations. In addition to increasing access, the coalition aims to increase food security screenings, grow retailers’ donations to nonprofit food programs and improve the interconnected work of 16 county organizations that provide food to community members.
During a time when local and national attention is focused on calls for changes in policing, collaborators from the University of Louisville, Spalding University, Seven Counties Services and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, have initiated planning for a community-centered alternative response model for Louisville 911 calls best served by mental health and social services professionals rather than traditional police engagement.
Susan Buchino, assistant professor in the School of Public Health and Information Sciences and assistant director of the Commonwealth Institute of Kentucky
Diversion Options: Voice and Empowerment (DOVE) Delegates is a research and development partnership that will design an alternative response model that meets Louisville’s unique needs, based substantially on input from the city’s residents and those directly impacted.
The need for an alternative response model derives from community concerns about instances in which law enforcement officers engage with individuals experiencing behavioral health crises.
“We have the opportunity to create a program that reduces the criminalization of intellectual and behavioral health conditions by using community-care practices and linking people to appropriate health and social services,” Buchino said.
Those involved in the project will assess best practices from other cities, analyze local data and organize community forums. Although similar models have been highlighted nationally, Louisville’s DOVE Delegates planning process is intentional about learning from the work of others while ensuring the model fits the context and climate of Louisville. DOVE Delegates will seek input of invested community members, as well as city leaders, behavioral health and social service providers, and representatives from advocacy organizations.
The Spalding University School of Social Work will concentrate on organizing focus groups of Louisville residents to learn about their experiences and to integrate their input into planning and decision-making. A community survey launched this month with focus groups to be held throughout the city. School of Social Work Chair Shannon Cambron will lead Spalding’s involvement, and Louisville social worker and community organizer Khalilah Collins will serve as a project manager on the forums, which aim to elevate the voices of those whose lives may have been negatively impacted by current systems and practices.
Experts from Seven Counties Services will contribute insight from the perspective of a mental health services provider, focusing on behavioral health crisis response.
The work of UofL, Seven Counties and Spalding will be combined into a progress report that will be presented this summer to Louisville Metro Government, which is providing support to the DOVE Delegates through funds focused on reimagining public safety, including forfeiture monies from the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Recommendations will be made for implementation of a pilot program in the city’s 2022 fiscal year. The goal of implementing such a model is to create a positive health and economic impact on the community.
The Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities is supporting DOVE Delegates through a federal Transformation Transfer Initiative Jail Diversion grant from the National Association of State Mental Health Project Directors.
Key to its community engagement, DOVE Delegates has seated a 20-person accountability/advisory board made up of representatives from around the city and from a range of professional and personal backgrounds. The board was formed to ensure accountability and transparency to the community, and it will provide recommendations and insight into the planning and development process while supporting outreach and engagement efforts of the project.
UofL Athletics finished second among all D1 institutions in the 2021 NCAA Team Works Service Challenge.
The University of Louisville Athletics Department finished second among all Division I institutions in the 2021 NCAA Team Works Service Challenge. This was the seventh annual NCAA Team Works Service Challenge, with all Division I, II, and III schools participating.
“Community engagement is a critical component of the student-athlete experience at the University of Louisville. Giving back to our community through different social initiatives, mentoring youth, supporting underserved groups and so much more, allows student-athletes to connect to the city of Louisville in wonderful ways,” said Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Leadership and Development Alyssa Murphy. “Even through the pandemic, the priority to stay engaged was even more important. Shifting the “how”, student-athletes used social media and virtual meeting platforms to be “face to face” with children enrolled in online school, supported causes of social change and advocacy during a critical time in Louisville, hosted a voter registration drive, cleaned historical parks and cemeteries in the city, wrote letters to youth groups and continued partnerships with pen pals, fostered new school partnerships and so much more.”
The NCAA Team Works Service Challenge was launched by NCAA Team Works and Helper Helper to recognize student-athletes who give back to their communities. NCAA Team Works coordinates community service efforts at NCAA championships, and Helper Helper is a volunteer management and tracking platform used by many institutions. The final standings are based on the number of service hours completed and participation of student-athletes. The Cardinals placed second this year, after winning the challenge in 2019-2020.
“UofL student-athletes were a constant presence throughout the Greater Louisville community as they created meaningful, impactful and socially distanced community service opportunities during a most challenging year with Covid-19 restrictions in place. Alyssa Murphy and her staff members were equally as committed to adjusting to the new normal of virtual and some designated in person activities as well. Kudos to all ” said Senior Associate Athletic Director Student Services & Diversity Marvin Mitchell.
The competition is typically held during the fall semester, but was held during the spring this year. It ran from January 15 through April 1. Cardinal student-athletes totaled 1,405 hours of service throughout the duration of competition, and had 94% of student-athletes participate in a service opportunity during this time period.
“In my time being a part of Louisville athletics, it is clear that giving back to the community is a major priority. The city of Louisville is a special place and we, student athletes, feel the love from the city. Especially during a year of so much struggle and uncertainty, we are glad we could bring some smiles and joy to those less fortunate,” said softball player and SAAC President Celene Funke.
Football player Evan Conley expressed his pride in community service work done by the student-athletes. “I’m so proud to be a part of a group of students that care as much about the community as much as we do here at UofL Louisville has been through a lot over the last year, but the love between the city and our Cards will always be strong,” he said. “I know all our student athletes are excited to be able to get back into the community even more and continue giving back.”
Field Hockey and Women’s Soccer led the department throughout the competition, averaging seven hours per student-athlete from January 15 to April 1. Seventeen teams had 100% participation among their student-athletes.
“I’m so proud to be a part of Louisville Athletics. Our group of student athletes care so much for the city of Louisville and every diverse part of the community,” lacrosse player Sarah Blalock said. “Louisville and the rest of the world has faced many struggles and uncertainty over this past year, but we still made it our priority to give back and be involved in our community. I know the rest of Louisville Athletics is excited to continue to find ways to give back to those less fortunate.”
Student-athletes who have shown excellent commitment to service for the 2020-21 school year.
University of Louisville athletes Kaylee Wheeler, Katlyn Harbsmeier, Makenzie Kelley, Sam Minrath, Meghan Schneider, and Jenna Servi were named as the Cardinals’ recipients of the 2020-2021 ACC Top 6 for Service Award.
Each year the Atlantic Coast Conference honors six University of Louisville student-athletes that have shown a commitment to service throughout the school year with the Top 6 for Service award.
Wheeler, a junior on the women’s swim and dive team, collected the majority of her hours over the past year through her work with CrossRoads Missons, University of Louisville research, and Southeast Christian Church. She worked to manufacture medical masks with CrossRoads Mission, served as an undergraduate research assistant with University of Louisville research, and was a disabilities ministry volunteer for Southeast Christian Church. Wheeler has dedicated a total of 234 hours to the Louisville community.
Servi, a sophomore on the softball team, has been an avid volunteer for the Kentucky Humane Society. She has fostered dogs over the past year and participated in events for the shelter. She has also volunteered with Feed the West, Air Force Reserve, and Blessings in a Backpack. Servi has dedicated a total of 200 hours to the Louisville community.
Schneider, a senior on the field hockey team, has done a great deal of volunteer work with the American Red Cross. She has consistently served as an ambassador for the American Red Cross and was an active volunteer for the San Diego Food Bank over the summer. Schneider has dedicated a total of 106 hours to the Louisville community.
Minrath, a junior on the field hockey team, has a diverse community service portfolio. She has spent many hours donating her blood plasma and platelets for COVID ICU patients to the American Red Cross. She also ran the Cardinal Cupboard on campus, served as a facilitator for One Love programming, and was a note taker for the University of Louisville Disability Resource Center. Minrath has dedicated a total of 78 hours to the Louisville community.
Harbsmeier, a sophomore on the Ladybirds dance team has participated in a wide variety of service opportunities over the past year. She has worked with the American Heart Association, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Kentuckiana Stroke Association, the Louisville Urban League, and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Harbsmeier has dedicated a total of 68 hours to the Louisville community.
Kelley, a sophomore on the Ladybirds dance team, is being recognized with the Top 6 for Service award for the second year in a row. Kelley participates in many different service opportunities that impact the youth of Louisville. Makenzie has served as a Backpack Buddy, a Card Pal, an elementary math helper, and participated in many Read Across America week opportunities. Kelley has dedicated a total of 67 hours to the Louisville community.
UofL Health - Urgent Care Plus will open a new location in West Louisville’s Parkland neighborhood.
UofL Health – Urgent Care Plus will open a new location in West Louisville’s Parkland neighborhood. The location, at 2746 Virginia Ave., will be staffed with both primary care and urgent care providers. Area residents will be able to access a range of services from routine exams and preventive care to urgent care for minor injuries, illnesses, plus more.
“Plus” leverages the unique academic and community-based health services to expanded care, including occupational medicine, Department of Transportation physicals and drug testing.
“The location is new, but the neighbors here are familiar faces,” said Tom Miller, CEO of UofL Health. “Over the last six years, UofL Health has taken care of more residents in west Louisville than any other hospital system, combined. We also have nearly 700 of our own employees, and their families, living in this area. This Urgent Care Plus benefits this Medically Underserved Area and brings the Power of U closer to their homes.”
In January, UofL Health kicked off a major expansion of its Urgent Care Plus, announcing plans to open five locations to increase access to affordable care and convenient hours across the community. The west Louisville site will be the fifth to open, following a $500,000 renovations and equipment investment.
“Accessible health care is an essential element of a healthy community,” said Neeli Bendapudi, UofL President and chair of UofL Health board of directors. “By expanding into west Louisville, UofL Health is living its commitment to better serve our entire community.”
Dr. Tamea Evans, UofL Physicians – Primary Care Associates, will lead the medical team at the new location.
“Taking care of patients is my profession, but breaking down barriers to improve health equity is my passion,” Evans said. “The location, and hours, of this Urgent Care Plus practice is essential to making quality care easy to access.”
Dr. Evans will be joined by Dr. Jamaal Richie, UofL Family Medicine Resident, who grew up two blocks from Virginia Avenue.
“I am excited about this opportunity to serve, and I am even more excited for those we will serve. Better access to care will save lives and change lives for generations to come,” Richie said.
The west Louisville’s Urgent Care Plus will also include a dedicated telemedicine suite where patients can access UofL Health specialty care services such as neurology, psychiatry, and cardiology. A grand opening date is still being determined, but it is expected to open in early July.
UofL Health – Urgent Care Plus locations:
Cedar Grove – 1707 Cedar Grove Road, Suite 10, Shepherdsville, KY 40165
Dupont/St. Matthews – 908 Dupont Road, Louisville, KY 40207
Hurstbourne – 9409 Shelbyville Rd, Louisville, KY 40222 (opening in April)
Medical Center Northeast – 2401 Terra Crossing Blvd, Louisville, KY 40245
The Plan Room, a new business accelerator created by OneWest to assist minority-owned construction companies in developing their businesses, is receiving support for its mission from the University of Louisville College of Business.
The Plan Room, specifically designed as a resource for racial minority contractors and construction business owners to help them grow their businesses, launched with a virtual workshop in February based on curriculum recommendations from UofL College of Business leaders.
“We met with OneWest leadership and developed a focus group to assess the needs of the business community and then developed a curriculum plan,” said Robert Garrett, director of the UofL Forcht Center for Entrepreneurship and chair of Management and Entrepreneurship, who coordinated the effort. “We then identified six areas for workshops to help participants learn specific skills.”
Those skill areas include: landing great projects, developing project management skills, effective networking, management skills and financial management and technology skills specific to the construction industry. Early users of The Plan Room also received access to the College of Business’ Project Management Certificate. UofL faculty will develop the curriculum for project management and management skills.
“We are fortunate to have the partnership and expertise of the UofL College of Business as we develop the curriculum for The Plan Room,” said Evon J. Smith, president and CEO of OneWest, a community development corporation committed to elevating the city through commercial development growth in west Louisville. “Their executive education team jumped right in to get to the essential knowledge and skills related to this industry. This approach is so important, and the UofL team gets it – you have to start from what the clients want, not from an assumption based on any one group’s perspective.”
Garrett said the project is the kind of opportunity the college is eager to engage in to empower the local business community.
“We want to be valuable partners with the community by supporting minority enterprises and helping all constituents of the population be successful. It is our opportunity to be a good neighbor,” Garrett said. “I am genuinely excited to be participating in this project. The Plan Room is very professionally run by committed and passionate people.”
Todd Mooradian, dean of the UofL College of Business, hopes the college will share its strengths in more of these types of projects in the community.
“We hope this is the first of many collaborations between the College of Business and OneWest for the purpose of economic development and wealth creation in our city, with a special commitment to ameliorating legacy disadvantages and improving access for everyone,” Mooradian said. “This effort targets the construction industry, but the college’s core competencies revolve around teaching business skills across sectors, and our mission compels us to invest in using those strengths to improve social and economic justice.”
Emily Vitale, director of business development for OneWest, said the needs assessment and curriculum plan developed by the UofL group were important assets to guide The Plan Room’s activities.
“Thanks to the UofL data collection process, we know the specific areas of competency to focus on with our Minority Business Enterprise construction accelerator programs at The Plan Room – from building and managing the business and projects, to growing and implementing the technology skills that are so prevalent in the construction industry today,” Vitale said.
The first workshop, held Feb. 27, focused on teaching entrepreneurs how to create, discover and take advantage of business opportunities, and the second workshop is in development. Although the workshop was held virtually, The Plan Room soon will inhabit a physical space where it will support business owners through education, training, mentorship and networking opportunities.
Along with the workshop series, The Plan Room provides the business owners with services ranging from procurement and bid opportunities to technical assistance, and aims to help business owners connect with minority-owned firms, mentors and professional service providers who understand the construction industry. Additional support for The Plan Room is provided by Louisville Central Community Center, KPFF Consulting Engineers and the 7PM Group.
Christopher 2X with UofL medical students Jenci Hawthorne, Karen Udoh and Briana Coleman at the presentation of the Kelsie Small Future Healer Award on Feb. 23.
High rates of violence have plagued Louisville in recent years, escalating sharply in 2020. Students in the UofL School of Medicine are working to combat patterns of violence with action.
Students in the UofL Student National Medical Association are working with Christopher 2X Game Changers and UofL faculty in creating the Future Healers Program to help Louisville youth affected by violence in their neighborhoods navigate the trauma of violence and inspire them to build a better future for themselves and their communities.
Karen Udoh, UofL SNMA president and a second-year medical student, spearheaded the White Coats for Black Lives rally on the Health Sciences Center Campus in June 2020. But she and fellow SNMA members wanted to do more than demonstrate to fight violence in the community.
“It’s not enough for us to be here in our white coats saying that we care and then go back to our offices and not do anything about it,” Udoh said. “That’s how we came to work with the UofL Department of Surgery, the Trauma Institute and the Christopher 2X Game Changers to create the Future Healers Program. We want to show these youth that we care about the environment they are in, we want to invest in them and change these issues.”
Udoh, Briana Coleman, Jenci Hawthorne and Satya Alluri worked with Department of Surgery faculty members Keith Miller and Christopher Jones to develop educational sessions to teach preschool and middle school students about general anatomy and surgery. The Future Healers Program is aimed to inspire youth in the neighborhoods most affected by violence to pursue lives of healing as health care professionals.
“We felt like this is our realm – medicine – so let’s inspire people. It’s a simple way we can at least show our youth, this is something you can aspire to be. You have a choice, you have options,” Udoh said.
In mid-February, the SNMA team conducted a pilot session of the Future Healers Program with approximately 50 preschool and middle school children at the Chestnut Street YMCA. The students conducted 45-minute interactive, virtual sessions that included pre-recorded videos with the faculty members, a mindfulness activity and hands-on activities for the kids. A “doctor’s bag” with masks, gloves and modelling clay for creating their own anatomy models was provided to each of the children.
Children participating in the pilot session of the Future Healers Program used modelling clay to learn about anatomy
“Seeing the children shape clay into stomachs and small intestines was such a joy. Together we crafted a space for intellectual curiosity and trust,” Hawthorne said. “Our goal is to create a trusting relationship with the youth that we hope can become our future healers. We want them to know that we see them and that we are here for them. We want them to see us as allies who love them and who care about them.”
With additional support from medical student, staff or trainee volunteers, sponsors, School of Medicine faculty members and Christopher 2X Game Changers, the UofL students plan to conduct future regularly scheduled sessions with the youth and to expand the program to more young people in the community.
“At the School of Medicine, we have a goal to create and train physicians who are culturally aware, culturally responsive and social-justice minded. We not only want to train the best doctors, but doctors who are willing to roll up their sleeves and get out into the community,” said Dwayne Compton, associate dean for community engagement and diversity in the School of Medicine and a faculty adviser for SNMA. “These students have created a program that will have a profound impact in our community.”
Earlier this week, Udoh and the SNMA joined Christopher 2X, UofL Health and the UofL Hospital Trauma Institute to present the first Kelsie Small Future Healer Award. The award honors the life of Kelsie Small, a nursing student at Northern Kentucky University who was shot and killed in Louisville in May 2020. Christopher 2X Game Changers will present the award annually to honor a skilled, compassionate health care worker. The first Future Healer Award was presented to Small’s mother, Delisa Love.
