The Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin (SHS) announces the appointment of Danielle Parrish, Ph.D., MSW, as a professor, effective August 16, 2024.
Parrish, a 2008 doctoral graduate of SHS, was previously the director of the Baylor IMPACT Lab – Houston and a professor with the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University. She is a faculty affiliate with the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute (HBRT) at The University of Texas at Austin, serves as the editor-in-chief for the Journal of Social Work Education, and is a co-author of a book titled Practical Implementation in Social Work Practice, published by Oxford University Press.
“The Steve Hicks School does exemplary work in research and practice that relates to behavioral health as well as substance misuse. As a consummate researcher, educator, and leader in social work education, Dr. Parrish will add experience, scope, and deep expertise to our outstanding team of faculty and researchers currently doing this work. I could not be more excited about what this bodes for the future—for our school, our university, and especially for those we serve,” said Allan Cole, dean of SHS.
Parrish currently is the principal investigator in a National Institutes of Health-funded study entitled “Efficacy of a Bundled Risk Reduction Intervention for Juvenile Justice Females” where she is testing the efficacy of the CHOICES-TEEN intervention in collaboration with the Harris County Juvenile Justice Probation department. The $3.2 million funded study is one of six on-going behavioral health studies she is actively researching, coming at a total of more than $5.5 million in funds.
After completing her BA and MSW at California State University in Fresno, Parrish began her social work career as a mental health clinician, working in the areas of child welfare and well-being, behavioral health, and substance use disorders. This clinical work set the foundation for her passion in researching the adoption and implementation of evidence-based practice processes in social work and related fields. She enjoys being connected to the local community and partnering with an agency interested in implementing and evaluating empirically supported programming.
“I’m excited to return to the Forty Acres to join a world class group of behavioral health experts and social work leaders,” said Parrish. “I am elated to be working with my colleagues from the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute and the second-to-none faculty and staff at the Steve Hicks School to improve lives in Austin and the world.”