Center for Social Concerns presents Ganey Awards, grants

Author: Shannon Roddel

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The University of Notre Dames Center for Social Concerns will honor a long-time member of the psychology faculty and present research mini-grants to three campus-community partnerships at an awards dinner Wednesday (April 26).

John G. Borkowski, Andrew J. McKenna Family Professor of Psychology and co-director of Notre Dames Center for Children and Families, will receive the Rodney F. Ganey, Ph.D., Faculty Community-Based Research Award.

A member of the Notre Dame faculty since 1967, Borkowski teaches and studies life-span developmental psychology, adolescent parenting and developmental delay, and prevention of child neglect.

Borkowskis projectMy Baby and Meworks with local organizations, including the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program, School Age Mothers Program (SAMP) and Hannahs House to reduce child neglect among high-risk mothers by helping them create new parenting styles.In addition, Borkowski, in collaboration with Notre Dames Institute for Latino Studies, is seeking funding forEnhancing Parenting Practices and Preschool Readiness for Latino Children,a project that will collaborate with Northern Indiana Latino churches to help prepare Latino children for preschool.

In addition to the award, three Ganey mini-grants will be given to support research of benefit to the communities of Michiana.One, led by Borkowski, in collaboration with the South Bend Lead Alliance, will assist a study of strategies to prevent lead poisoning in the areas children; another, conducted by Notre Dame economist Martin Wolfson, in partnership with the St. Joseph Valley Project, will help support an investigation aimed at enhancing South Bend economic development policies and practices; and a third mini-grant will support the efforts of Notre Dame engineer Greg Madey, along with St. Joseph Hospital, Logan Center and Logan Industries, in identifying effective ways for engineering students to use their skills to assist local organizations.

The award and mini-grants are named in honor of Rodney F. Ganey, president of Press Ganey Associates.Ganey was a member of Notre Dame’s sociology faculty from 1979 to 1996.In 1985, he and Notre Dame anthropology professor Irwin Press founded Press Ganey Associates, Inc., now the nation’s leading research firm specializing in patient satisfaction measurement.

_ Contact: Mary Beckman, Center for Social Concerns, at 574-631-4172 or_ mbeckman@nd.edu

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