Exterior of Nancy Nicholas Hall in the evening, with lamps and windows glowing.
News & Events

SoHE News & Events: Dec 20–Jan 9

Image: Dr. Kasey Keeler, who will be speaking today at The Newberry in Chicago.

News and Events took a break over the new year but is starting up again today! Thanks for reading. Have something we should know about? Email Public Relations Manager Serena Larkin, or submit your SoHE event via this form.

Upcoming speaking events

TODAY, Chicago | Kasey Keeler: “The Housing Bubble, Suburban Indians, and the Section 184 Home Loan Program, 1990s-2010s”

Civil Society and Community Research’s Dr. Kasey Keeler (Tuolumne MeWuk/Citizen Potawatomi) will join The Newberry’s Scholarly Seminars Series and McNickle Seminar Series Thursday, January 9, to workshop a paper on how American Indians engage in off-reservation home ownership opportunities and discuss the role of Native-organized lending institutions both nationally and within the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, including the Shakopee Mdewakanton Community in suburban Minneapolis. More info is available on The Newberry’s website, including how to access the pre-circulated paper that will be discussed, and you can RSVP to and share the event on Facebook.

Jan 15, Pyle Center | “A Practical Approach to Project Management for Graduate Students”: Day-long Workshop & Panel, including Dr. Janean Dilworth-Bart

The UW Graduate School will host a free, day-long workshop for graduate students on project management skills, including a panel discussion featuring SoHE’s own Dr. Janean Dilworth-Bart, chair of the Human Development and Family Studies department. Interested students should register online.

Jan 23, Madison | Christine Whelan: “Authentic Happiness: People, Place, and Purpose”

Dr. Christine Whelan, clinical professor in Consumer Science and Director of the Money, Relationships, and Equality (MORE) Initiative, will speak at American Family Insurance’s DreamBank in Madison January 23, 2020, on a new approach to happiness—and how to achieve it in one’s everyday life. The event is co-hosted by the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce.

New research

Raison on inflammation and anti-depressant medication in children

Children and teens with bipolar depression responded better to an antipsychotic medicine if they had increased markers of inflammation in their blood, according to a new UW–Madison study led by Dr. Charles Raison, the Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families and professor of human development and family studies within SoHE. The findings were presented in December at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity. The study was covered in Technology.org, Neuroscience News, and Medical Xpress.

Kirkorian on children’s spatial skills

New research by a team including Dr. Heather Kirkorian, SoHE’s Laura M. Secord Chair in Early Childhood Development, used eye tracking methods to understand relations between visual attention and language in children’s spatial skills. Human Development and Family Studies graduate student Seung Heon Yoo assisted with data collection and coding. The paper is published in the March 2020 volume of Cognitive Psychology.

Raison meta-analysis finds successful psilocybin treatment of anxiety and depression

Psychiatry Research has just published a meta-analysis, co-authored by Dr. Charles Raison, the Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families, of four studies (one uncontrolled; three randomized, placebo-controlled; N=117) examining the effects of psilocybin in combination with behavioral interventions on anxiety and depression in samples with elevated symptoms.

SoHE in the news

Mary Beth Collins on Wisconsin holiday giving

Mary Beth Collins, director of the Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies (CommNS), talked with Madison’s NBC 15 on holiday and year-round giving trends in Wisconsin.

Robb on American household debt

Dr. Cliff Robb, associate professor of Consumer Science and affiliate with the Center for Financial Security, talked with PolitiFact about the components of today’s American household debt: “Student loan debt growth has outpaced other consumer loan types and is now second only to mortgage debt in terms of magnitude of total debt.”

Kirkorian on TV for tots

Dr. Heather Kirkorian, the Laura M. Secord Chair in Early Childhood Development and Faculty Director of the Child Development Lab, spoke with The Independent (UK) in a story about the often bizarre but seemingly addictive TV shows produced for kids.

Gaddis book featured in a CEOs’ top picks list

Curt Ellis, the cofounder and CEO of nonprofit FoodCorps, which helps give students access to healthy food, chose as his recommended reading for 2020 The Labor of Lunch, by Dr. Jennifer Gaddis, of SoHE’s Civil Society and Community Research department. The list was published in Fast Company. She was also the featured guest on shows with Radio Biligüe and KALW San Francisco.

Flanagan on climate activist Thunberg

Dr. Connie Flanagan, Associate Dean of SoHE and the Vaughan Bascom Professor in Women, Family, and Community, talked with Newsweek on the occasion of the birthday of teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, calling the young woman “a symbol of future generations whose lives will be impacted by the failure of older generations to act today.”

Olive advises on credit report clean-up

How long can negative information stay on a person’s credit report? What about positive info? And how often can a person check her credit report for free? Peggy Olive, financial capability specialist with UW Extension and SoHE’s Consumer Science department, answers these questions and others in Kenosha News, and she shares a free reminder service for people to check their credit reports regularly.

Papp and Blumenstock on sexual satisfaction in relationships

Psychology Today covered a recent report from Dr. Lauren Papp, SoHE’s Associate Dean for Research and the Vaughan Bascom Professor in Women, Family and Community, and Dr. Shari Blumenstock, a postdoctoral fellow in Human Development and Family Studies, on the connection between momentary sexual enjoyment and relationship satisfaction in couples.

TV coverage of just-closed Angus exhibit

Design StudiesJennifus Angus‘s exhibit may have just closed Sunday, but fans can still catch a glimpse of her stunning work in this short news piece from ABC Tampa Bay.

Lepe offers tips on getting money-smart in 2020

Personal finance instructor and Director of Consumer Finance and Financial Planning at SoHE Linda Lepe contributed to the Cap Times‘ Bright Ideas 2020 series to advise readers on smart money management in the new year.

J. Michael Collins talks healthcare costs and retirement policy on Yahoo! Finance

Dr. J. Michael Collins, SoHE’s Fetzer Family Chair in Consumer and Personal Finance, joined Yahoo! Finance live yesterday morning to discuss rising healthcare costs and retirement planning trends and policies, topics top of mind for many Americans heading into the 2020 presidential election year.