Mandel School announces grant-funded partnership with Office of Gender-Based Violence at Arizona State University

"Public Health Americorps is here! Let's create a healthier, stronger and more resilient future through service."

The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences is excited to announce a new grant-funded partnership with the Office of Gender-Based Violence at Arizona State University to expand Survivor Link through the Public Health AmeriCorps program.

In the fall, Case Western Reserve University will be one of 14 universities across 11 states working to improve the public health response to intimate partner violence by building capacity among community agencies.

Six students from the Mandel School will join a cohort of 99 Survivor Link + Public Health AmeriCorps service members from across the U.S.

Survivor Link + Public Health AmeriCorps members will work closely with intimate partner violence experts to build capacity in public health agencies to improve knowledge about domestic violence and the use of evidence-based interventions for survivors.

Megan Holmes, associate professor and co-director of the Center on Trauma and Adversity, and Laura Voith, assistant professor, will manage the program as co-PIs, which will include funding for several field placements at local nonprofits, training and networking opportunities nationwide with other social work students dedicated to disrupting gender-based violence.

Survivor Link + Public Health AmeriCorps will build capacity in public health agencies to respond to domestic violence in their local communities so that they can provide sustained and effective intimate partner violence services. The program will also provide future social workers with pathways to public health related careers. Survivor Link will make a contribution to public health across the U.S. by improving services and interventions for survivors and training the next generation of social workers to respond to domestic violence.

Survivor Link was established as an AmeriCorps program in 2015 and has grown from one program locally in Arizona to three programs with a national presence. Survivor Link has trained 445 AmeriCorps members as domestic violence advocates in Arizona, and Survivor Link members have earned over $1.2 million in scholarships. Learn more about Survivor Link

Public Health AmeriCorps is a collaboration between the CDC and the Corporation for National and Community Service, investing $400 million over five years with the aim of meeting public health needs of communities and advancing more equitable health outcomes for socially vulnerable groups. Learn more about the Public Health AmeriCorps.

AmeriCorps and the CDC also awarded more than $60 million to Public Health AmeriCorps programs as part of a historic partnership.


This story appeared in The Daily on May 13, 2022.