Danielle Parrish, Ph.D., has been appointed as Texas Social Work’s Steve Hicks Professor in Addictions and Substance Abuse Services, effective this August.
Dr. Parrish is a professor at Texas Social Work and associate director of the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute (HBRT). Her research focuses on bridging the research-practice gap by developing and testing feasible and efficient behavioral health interventions and improving the implementation of empirically supported interventions. Her current work focuses on the prevention of alcohol and marijuana-exposed pregnancy for young women involved with juvenile probation.
“Professor Parrish is an outstanding researcher and teacher as well as a recognized leader in social work education. Her research in substance misuse continues to make a profound, even transformative, difference in people’s lives,” said Allan Cole, dean of Texas Social Work. “Her reach extends far beyond the Forty Acres and exemplifies the impact social work teaching and research can have in the world. I look forward to Professor Parrish’s continuing innovations and meaningful contributions that advance our school’s mission and improve people’s lives.”
Dr. Parrish’s research interests stem from her work as a clinician with youth in public mental health settings, including infant mental health, juvenile justice systems, and outpatient mental health for youth involved with child welfare.
Dr. Parrish has worked as principal investigator or co-investigator on projects funded by the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Health Resources and Services Administration. She also currently serves as the editor-in-chief emerita of the Journal of Social Work Education after serving 5 years as editor-in-chief, and as a research scientist with SEARCH Homeless Services in Houston, Texas.
“It’s an exceptional honor to support my work through the Steve Hicks Professorship,” said Dr. Parrish. “Support such as this fellowship ensures that we continue to lead in discovering scalable evidence-based practices and meaningful research findings that benefit clients, researchers, clinical practitioners, the community. I’m eager to continue my work in improving lives and developing knowledge for future generations of social workers.”