Youth Violence Center Leader Joins CWRU Faculty

CLEVELAND, July 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- One of the country's leading experts on violence has joined the faculty of Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.

Daniel Flannery, a professor of public health and founding director of Kent State University's Institute for the Study and Prevention of Violence, will become the Begun Professor and director of the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education. Following Flannery in July 2012 will be David Hussey, also a professor from the Kent State research group and an alumnus of Case Western Reserve's social work school.

"The energy, enthusiasm and commitment to make this work on the part of MSASS and Case Western Reserve has been impressive," said Flannery, who anticipates potential collaborations with the university's medical and law schools. He cites the efforts of the school's dean, Grover "Cleve" Gilmore, and Mark Singer, a faculty member at the school and expert in violence research.

Flannery receives about $6 million from various grant sources for his research and averages about $2.5 million annually to support his work.

Combined with current faculty members' work, the arrival of Flannery and Hussey will infuse a new synergy at the school, Gilmore said.

"We were looking for someone who could bridge our school mission of clinical practice and theory," he said. "Dan Flannery, who has research ties to almost every area at the Mandel School, bridges those areas."

With Cleveland ranked No. 2 in poverty for large cities and with two of the city's neighborhoods listed among the most violent in the country, Gilmore said Flannery's research will have direct and local impact.

"The people who are attracted to work and study at this school are not afraid of problems, because they want to make the city stronger for its citizens," Gilmore said.

Flannery is no stranger to the university. He was a child psychologist at University Hospital's Case Medical Center for a number of years before his appointment at Kent State and participated in a Youth Violence Task Force on campus that brought together researchers who studied violence and its impact on society.

"Flannery and his research team bring us national expertise in the area of youth development and children's exposure to violence," said Singer.  "The current research portfolio is substantial and in combination with existing faculty at MSASS will continue to expand."

The Board of Trustees approved Flannery's appointment in February. The school expects to expand its program in violence research with additional faculty members and researchers within the next several years.

"Our school will be a prime source of teaching and information for 'frontline' social workers, educators, chemical dependency specialists, probation and parole officers, and law enforcement and corrections personnel," Gilmore said.

He added, "This will be a transformation for the school. When the history for the school is written, I believe what we have done with this hire and era will be seen as a significant step forward in the development of a major national school of social work."

SOURCE Case Western Reserve University

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