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Lawrence Palinkas - USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Los Angeles, CA, UNITED STATES

Lawrence Palinkas

Albert G. and Frances Lomas Feldman Endowed Professorship in Social Policy and Health | USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

Los Angeles, CA, UNITED STATES

Dr. Palinkas is an expert in the areas of preventive medicine, cross-cultural medicine and health services research

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Biography

Lawrence Palinkas is the Albert G. and Frances Lomas Feldman Professor of Social Policy and Health. He also holds secondary appointments as professor in the departments of anthropology and preventive medicine at USC.

A medical anthropologist, he is an expert in the areas of preventive medicine, cross-cultural medicine and mental health services research. He is particularly interested in behavioral health, global health and health disparities, implementation science, community-based participatory research, and the sociocultural and environmental determinants of health and health-related behavior. His research has included studies of psychosocial adaptation to extreme environments and man-made disasters; cultural explanatory models of mental illness and service utilization; HIV and substance-abuse prevention in Mexico; and the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practices for delivery of mental health services to children, adolescents and underserved populations. His work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, NASA, National Institutes of Health, the MacArthur Foundation, and the William T. Grant Foundation. His current research encompasses implementation of child and adolescent mental health services and effects of climate change on vulnerable populations.

Among Palinkas’ scholarly achievements are the Antarctic Service Medal from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Navy in 1989; deputy chief officer of the Life Sciences Standing Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research in 2002; chair of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute’s External Advisory Council in 2003; co-lead of the Grand Challenge for Social Work; and membership on committees of the National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine. He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, American Anthropological Association and Society for Applied Anthropology. He is the author of more than 450 publications.

To reference the work of Lawrence Palinkas online, we ask that you directly quote their work where possible and attribute it to "Lawrence Palinkas, a faculty at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work” (LINK: https://dworakpeck.usc.edu)

Education (3)

University of California, San Diego: Ph. D. 1981

University of California, San Diego: M. A. 1975

University of Chicago: B. A. 1974

Areas of Expertise (8)

Implementation Science

Mental Health Services Research

Preventive Medicine

Medical Anthropology

Global Health

Disaster Mental Health Systems

Child Mental Health

Child Welfare

Industry Expertise (5)

Health and Wellness

Research

Education/Learning

Social Services

Mental Health Care

Accomplishments (9)

Elsevier Atlas Award for research that could significantly impact people’s lives around the world (professional)

2020-12-15

2020

Elected Fellow, Society for Social Work and Research (professional)

2017

Elected Fellow, American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (professional)

2020-12-15

2015

USC School of Social Work Excellence in Leadership and Creativity Award (professional)

2015

Founding Chair, Department of Children Youth and Families (professional)

2014-2019

Visiting Professor, Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley (professional)

2011-2012

Sterling C. Franklin Award, Distinguished USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work Faculty (professional)

2010

Albert G. and Frances Lomas Feldman Professor of Social Policy and Health, USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work (professional)

2008

Mellon Award for Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Graduate Students, USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work (professional)

2008

Affiliations (8)

  • Member, Board of Directors of the Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare
  • American Public Health Association
  • American Anthropological Association
  • Society for Applied Anthropology
  • Society for Medical Anthropology
  • Society for Prevention Research
  • American Association for Arts and Sciences
  • Society for Social Work and Research

Social

Grand Challenges (1)

Create Social Responses to a Changing Environment

Grand Challenge Co-Lead

Media Appearances (6)

Social isolation and stay-at-home orders drive some to learn new skills

PBS News Hour  tv

2020-05-05

Lawrence Palinkas, a medical anthropologist and professor at the University of Southern California, studies the impact of extreme isolation. We may not be at those extremes, he says, but the way people fill their time now, taking on something new, can be similar. "I remember one year, at the South Pole, for example, the crew decided to produce their own science fiction movie, their own variation of the classic sci-fi "The Thing," where they were chasing aliens. Many of these projects and activities, which are designed to make use of time that they feel somewhat obligated to make use of because it's now available, can produce a great deal of positive results." But Lawrence Palinkas also reminds us not to be too hard on ourselves in these anxious times. He points again to researchers in long-term isolation in Antarctica. "People would come down to stations like the South Pole with the expectation that they were going to master a new language or study the principles of biomechanics or some other complex subject. And after a couple of weeks, they lost interest and energy. And we would frequently counsel them not to feel guilty about it, because it was a natural process. Given the stress that is placed on us by isolation and confinement, we are going to feel fatigued over time. We are going to feel less motivated."

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As temps soar, USC experts have hot ideas on what it means for us

USC News  

2017-07-07

“Body dehydration that occurs with heat stress can produce significant deterioration in cognitive functioning. Heat waves have been associated with increases in hospital admissions for mental health disorders, including dementia; mood [affective] disorders; neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders; disorders of psychological development; and senility,” according to Lawrence Palinkas, a professor of social work, anthropology and preventive medicine at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. “Some patients with mental illness are especially susceptible to heat. Dementia is a risk factor for hospitalization and death during heat waves. Medications may interfere with temperature regulation or even directly cause hyperthermia,” he explained...

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Children suffer under threat of deportation, advocates say

Voice of America  

2017-03-20

Witnessing a loved one being arrested and deported may have significant effects on the mental health of children, says Lawrence Palinkas, a professor of social policy and health at the University of Southern California. "The most common impact is anxiety and depression. Anxiety over the lack of stability and security in the family unit," Palinkas said. "Certainly, children tend to observe very closely the behavior of parents."...

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Understanding climate change as a social issue: How research can help

USC News  

2017-02-09

“We see it perhaps most importantly as a social justice issue,” said Lawrence Palinkas, the Albert G. and Frances Lomas Feldman Professor of Social Policy and Health at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. “Generally the people most affected by climate change tend to be the poor, older adults, children and families, and people with a history of mental health problems — populations that are typically the focus of social work practice.”...

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Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner signs letter advocating for Obama immigration programs before Trump takes over

The Daily Orange  

2017-01-01

“Certainly, there is a great deal of uncertainty as to whether the new administration will look upon DACA in the same way as the current one does,”  said Lawrence Palinkas, a professor of social policy and health at the University of Southern California. “In general, perhaps the most immediate impact if the order is renewed would be a reduction in anxiety because of the uncertainty of the future and the stress of the situation.”...

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Artificial intelligence: Are we facing a future of robots running wild?

USC News  

2016-08-31

The USC Viterbi team includes Tambe; Phebe Vayanos, assistant professor in the Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering; Professor Gaurav Sukhatme, chair of the Department of Computer Science; and Kristina Lerman, project leader at the USC Information Sciences Institute and research associate professor in the Department of Computer Science. Representing USC Social Work are Rice; Associate Professor Shinyi Wu and Lawrence Palinkas, the Frances L. and Albert G. Feldman Professor of Social Policy and Health and chair of the Department of Children, Youth and Families...

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Research, Publications & Presentations (3)

Cultural Exchange and the Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices

The dynamics of interactions between evidence-based intervention (EBI) developers and trainers and organizations and providers that deliver the EBI was examined in two case studies, a statewide randomized effectiveness trial of an EBI to reduce child neglect and a randomized trial of EBIs for depression, anxiety, and conduct problems in children and adolescents. Methods: Data were collected using ethnographic methods of participant observation and semistructured interviews and analyzed using grounded theory analytic methods. Results: Formal and informal interactions between EBI propagators and end users provide access to resources and exchange of global and local knowledge of service delivery. Productive interactions require accessibility, mutual respect, a shared language, and a willingness to engage in negotiation and compromise to resolve differences in demands imposed by organizational culture, the need for EBI fidelity, and client characteristics. Conclusion: A cultural exchange characterized by information sharing and behavioral change through a process of negotiation and compromise is central to evidence-based practice in youth serving systems of care.

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Commentary: Cultural Adaptation, Collaboration, and Exchange

This commentary reviews three articles linked together by two themes (a) the use of cultural adaptation of evidence-based practices to reduce disparities in health and services delivery and (b) the importance of collaboration involving intervention developers, practitioners, and consumers when delivering services. Both themes illustrate a process of cultural exchange, enabling researchers to develop interventions that are more meaningful and acceptable to consumers; providers to develop a stronger therapeutic alliance with consumers; and consumers to develop greater understanding and acceptance of treatment process. Such exchanges lead to improved consumer outcomes and greater satisfaction with services. By serving as a culture broker or change agents, social workers can play a leadership role in the translation of research to practice.

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Causality and Causal Inference in Social Work Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives

Achieving the goals of social work requires matching a specific solution to a specific problem. Understanding why the problem exists and why the solution should work requires a consideration of cause and effect. However, it is unclear whether it is desirable for social workers to identify cause and effect, whether it is possible for social workers to identify cause and effect, and, if so, what is the best means for doing so. These questions are central to determining the possibility of developing a science of social work and how we go about doing it. This article has four aims: (1) provide an overview of the nature of causality; (2) examine how causality is treated in social work research and practice; (3) highlight the role of quantitative and qualitative methods in the search for causality; and (4) demonstrate how both methods can be employed to support a “science” of social work.

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Research Grants (2)

Measuring Sustainment in Prevention Programs and Initiatives

National Institute on Drug Abuse 

This project will develop and test a measurement system to assess and support the sustainability of prevention programs funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the major provider of these prevention services to states and communities. It is intended to improve sustainment of prevention infrastructure, activities, and outcomes in communities.

Center for Prevention Implementation Methodology for Drug Use and HIV (Ce-PIM)

Northwestern University 

Ce-PIM is a national resource in the emerging field of implementation science, specifically in developing and applying implementation methodology to prevent HIV transmission and drug abuse. The methods developed by Ce-PIM improve the implementation of evidence-based interventions into service systems by measuring, modeling, and testing implementation strategies. While we apply these implementation methods to the prevention of HIV transmission and drug abuse, they are of general applicability to the challenges that researchers, policy makers, and practitioners face in scaling up evidence-based interventions in all areas of health and medicine.

Research Articles & Publications (5)

Purposeful Sampling for Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis in Mixed Method Implementation Research


Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research

Lawrence A Palinkas, Sarah M Horwitz, Carla A Green, Jennifer P Wisdom, Naihua Duan, Kimberly Hoagwood

2013 Purposeful sampling is widely used in qualitative research for the identification and selection of information-rich cases related to the phenomenon of interest. Although there are several different purposeful sampling strategies, criterion sampling appears to be used most commonly in implementation research. However, combining sampling strategies may be more appropriate to the aims of implementation research and more consistent with recent developments in quantitative methods...

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Testing Standard and Modular Designs for Psychotherapy Treating Depression, Anxiety, and Conduct Problems in Youth


Archives of General Psychiatry

John R Weisz, Bruce F Chorpita, Lawrence A Palinkas, Sonja K Schoenwald, Jeanne Miranda, Sarah Kate Bearman, Eric L Daleiden, Ana M Ugueto, Anya Ho, Jacqueline Martin, Jane Gray, Alisha Alleyne, David A Langer, Michael A Southam-Gerow, Robert D Gibbons, Research Network on Youth Mental Health

2012 Decades of randomized controlled trials have produced separate evidence-based treatments for depression, anxiety, and conduct problems in youth, but these treatments are not often used in clinical practice, and they produce mixed results in trials with the comorbid, complex youths seen in practice. An integrative, modular redesign may help.

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Mixed Method Designs in Implementation Research


Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research

Lawrence A Palinkas, Gregory A Aarons, Sarah Horwitz, Patricia Chamberlain, Michael Hurlburt, John Landsverk

2011 This paper describes the application of mixed method designs in implementation research in 22 mental health services research studies published in peer-reviewed journals over the last 5 years. Our analyses revealed 7 different structural arrangements of qualitative and quantitative methods, 5 different functions of mixed methods, and 3 different ways of linking quantitative and qualitative data together. Complexity of design was associated with number of aims or objectives, study context, and phase of implementation examined. The findings provide suggestions for the use of mixed method designs in implementation research.

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Influence of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture on Childhood Obesity: Implications for Prevention and Treatment


Obesity

Sonia Caprio, Stephen R Daniels, Adam Drewnowski, Francine R Kaufman, Lawrence A Palinkas, Arlan L Rosenbloom, Jeffrey B Schwimmer, M Sue Kirkman

2008 Childhood obesity with its associated metabolic complications is emerging as a major global health challenge of the 21st century. Despite efforts by government and public health officials, researchers, health care providers, and the media to bring attention to this growing health problem, the number of overweight and obese youth continues to increase. Approximately 110 million children worldwide are now classified as overweight or obese.

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Implementation of Evidence-based Practice in Child Welfare: Service Provider Perspectives


Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research

Gregory A Aarons, Lawrence A Palinkas

2007 Implementation of evidence-based practices (EBP) in child welfare is a complex process that is often fraught with unanticipated events, conflicts, and resolutions. To some extent, the nature of the process, problems, and solutions may be dependent on the perspectives and experiences of a given stakeholder group. In order to better understand the implementation process in the child-welfare system, we interviewed comprehensive home-based services (CHBS) case managers who were actively engaged in implementing an EBP to reduce child neglect in a state youth services system. Six primary factors were identified as critical determinants of EBP implementation: (1) Acceptability of the EBP to the caseworker and to the family, (2) Suitability of the EBP to the needs of the family, (3) Caseworker motivations for using the EBP, (4) Experiences with being trained in the EBP, (5) Extent of organizational support for EBP implementation, and (6) Impact of EBP on process and outcome of services. These factors reflect two broader themes of attitudes toward or assessments of the EBP itself and experiences with learning and delivering the EBP. Eventual implementation is viewed as the consequence of perseverance, experience, and flexibility.

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