Addiction expert to oversee expansion of Wayne State's alcohol and drug studies certificate

Stella Resko, assistant social work professor and an expert in substance abuse prevention and treatment, has been named coordinator of the Wayne State School of Social Work's Graduate Certificate Program in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Studies (CADAS).

Chief among Resko's responsibilities will be overseeing the revision of the curriculum of CADAS, which is designed to provide graduate students with biological, psychological, social, cultural, and public health perspectives on addiction. The multidisciplinary curriculum is being revised to include additional coursework that will help prepare students for careers in drug and alcohol abuse, prevention, and treatment, Resko said. While courses on the addiction process and interpersonal practice in substance abuse are staples of the certificate, she added, students can work with program staff to develop a plan of work that is consistent with their background, areas of concentration, and career goals.

"The CADAS program attracts professionals from diverse fields, including social work, nursing, public health, education, and criminal justice," Resko said. "As the School of Social Work takes a leading role in advancing interprofessional education at Wayne State, this certificate serves as a model for how universities can train individuals from related disciplines to coordinate care in the best interest of their mutual clients."

Resko said nearly a dozen students have received the certificate in the past 12 months, and 16 more are nearing completion of the program. Although the School of Social Work temporarily halted enrollment in CADAS for curriculum updates, it will begin accepting applications this summer for enrollment in the Winter 2015 term.

"We encourage any students interested in the CADAS program to contact the School of Social Work," Resko said. "Identifying the types of students who are seeking additional training and education in substance abuse, and understanding how they plan to incorporate this training in their professions, can play an important role in curriculum redevelopment."

A member of the Wayne State social work faculty since 2009, Resko has published extensively on the relationship between substance abuse, violence and high-risk behaviors, particularly among women and adolescents. Her post-doctoral training involved work on interdisciplinary research teams for two randomized trials designed to develop and test the effectiveness of brief interventions addressing substance use and violence perpetration among adolescents, and she has worked at a community-based drug and alcohol treatment program on several national multi-site studies supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Additional information on CADAS and all School of Social Work certificates and programs can be found online at socialwork.wayne.edu.