Congratulations to Drs. Hoa Nguyen and Kate Warner, FY 2022 Faculty Research Seed Grant Award Winners! They have been awarded a research seed grant for their proposal, “Mental Health Access: A Community-Based Needs Assessment.” The completed community assessment report will provide significant, localized, and current data on the mental health disparities and assets within the service area of VSU’s FamilyWorks Clinic. The results and planned new partnerships and referral networks will also help eliminate the Clinic’s waitlist—first established during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Building on VSU’s commitment to strategically serve the region, the project will include enhancing the family therapy teamwork approach for graduate students and expanding tele-mental health services options to include video, text, and software applications.

Dr. Hoa Nguyen is an Assistant Professor in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program. She received her doctorate degree in family therapy from Virginia Tech. Her research interests include the intersection of cultural and sexual identity, cultural attunement and humility in family therapy training, and stories of home and diaspora in immigrant families.

Dr. Kate Warner is the Associate Dean of the College of Education and Human Services and Marriage and Family Therapist. She researches a variety of topics related to relational approaches to brief therapy. Her current research interests include sexuality, domestic violence, burnout prevention, and adoption.