Speaker Gary Cuddeback, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.P.H., the School of Social Work's dean, has been involved in dozens of projects focused on individuals with severe mental illnesses, especially those individuals who are involved with the criminal justice system, and has published papers about the physical health needs of justice-involved individuals with severe mental illnesses; the prevalence of individuals with mental illnesses in prison; the role of Medicaid on mental health service use and recidivism after jail release; the characteristics of individuals with mental illnesses who are incarcerated in jails versus prisons; and adaptations of evidence-based practices for justice-involved individuals with severe mental illnesses.
He will provide an introduction to severe mental illness and how social workers are an integral part of working with this aspect of mental health.