Workshops
Workshops
Translation and Dissemination
(Windflower room. In-person access only.
Barbara Wiedemann, Facilitator
Barbara Wiedemann is an assistant dean at UNC School of Social Work. Wiedemann served as a communications strategist with Carolina’s journalism school (2018–2022) and directed the University’s in-house design team (2006–2008). Her service to the state includes various roles at the N.C. Museum of Art including managing curator and publications director; and adjunct faculty roles at UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and Meredith College. A Phi Beta Kappa international politics graduate of Penn State University, Wiedemann received her master’s degree from N.C. State College of Design. A first-generation college graduate born in Quebec (Canada) and raised in New Jersey (United States), she is a long-time advocate for public higher education. She was the first winner of the global Pentagram Prize for design writing. A few years out of graduate school, Wiedemann founded a design practice working with corporate and non-profit clients throughout Research Triangle Park. Her work has been recognized with a national Telly Award and by the American Association of Museums and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
Developing a Global Workforce to Support Evidence Use and Implementation
(Redbud room. In-person and virtual access)
Implementation support practitioners (ISP) are professionals who support organizations, leaders and staff in their implementation of evidence-informed practices and policies. They identify, contextualize and improve the use of evidenced implementation strategies in a range of settings.They also build implementation capacity among teams, organizations, and systems. Research shows the high level of skill required by ISPs, leading to questions about how to select, recruit, and build the capacity of these professionals. This workshop described 15 research-based competencies for ISPs categorized by three overarching domains: co-creation and engagement; ongoing improvement; and sustaining change.
Dr. Allison Metz, Facilitator
Allison Metz, Ph.D., is a developmental psychologist with expertise in child development and family systems and a commitment to improving child and family outcomes and advancing equity. Allison specializes in the implementation of evidence to achieve social impact for children and families in a range of human service and education areas, with an emphasis on child welfare and early childhood service contexts. Allison is Professor of the Practice and Director of Implementation Practice at the School of Social Work, Faculty Fellow at the FPG Child Development Institute, and Adjunct Professor at the School of Global Public Health at The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the School of Medicine at Trinity College Dublin. Allison previously served as Director of the National Implementation Research Network and Lead of the Implementation Science Division at the FPG Child Development Institute where she also served as a Senior Research Scientist for 13 years. Allison’s research interests include the role of trust, power and relationships in evidence use, competencies for supporting implementation, and co-creation strategies to support sustainable change. She is particularly interested in the development of a workforce for supporting implementation in public systems. Allison is co-chair of the Institute on Implementation Practice and founding director of the Collaborative for Implementation Practice at UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work. She is the co-editor of the widely read volume Applying Implementation Science in Early Childhood Programs and Systems.
Using Artificial Intelligence
(Windflower room. In-person access only)
Dr. Hsun-ta Hsu, Facilitator
Hsun-Ta Hsu is an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, serving on the faculty of both the School of Social Work and the School of Data Science and Society. His research focuses on promoting health and housing outcomes among individuals experiencing homelessness through a multi-level approach, examining individual, social network, and neighborhood influences. His recent work adopts a community-engaged data science approach to address homelessness at the system level. Dr. Hsu is the principal investigator on several projects, including a CDC-funded study investigating social network and environmental correlates of firearm violence exposure among young adults experiencing homelessness in St. Louis, Missouri, and Los Angeles, California. Additionally, he is working with community stakeholders in rural Missouri to refine an existing housing prioritization tool, ensuring more equitable access to housing resources for vulnerable populations. Dr. Hsu has published his research in various journals, including the Journal of Adolescent Health, the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Network Science, and AIDS and Behavior. His work highlights the importance of addressing homelessness through a holistic, multi-dimensional approach that considers both the individual and broader societal influences. Dr. Hsu currently teaches courses on “Social Work Practice with Organizations and Communities” in the School of Social Work and “Ethics of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence” in the School of Data Science and Society.