Lisa Zerden (PhD’09) Receives $1.4 Million Federal Grant for Integrative Healthcare Project

When we learned that Lisa Zerden (PhD’09) recently received $1.4 million in federal funding for her innovative integrative healthcare project, we were anxious to learn more about her vision for the future of primary care as well as her work as a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Zerden told the SSW Reporter that she first came to focus on health through her interest in food insecurity. As a Masters in Social Work student at UCLA, she focused on the paradox between obesity and food insecurity. Her decision to pursue her PhD in sociology and social work at Boston University “happened by taking a chance.” She only applied to Boston University and hoped to deepen her understanding of policies around nutrition and food insecurity when she first applied to the program.

“I really loved my social work education at the master’s level and knew I wanted more,” Zerden said. “When I got to BU, the PhD program was more rigorous and intense than I expected but I loved it. I was really lucky to have an amazing cohort of people that I did the program along with.” Zerden says she still maintains strong friendships with her cohort (now spread across the country).

After receiving a small grant to travel to South Africa, Zerden completed an HIV-related projected there. “This was a very meaningful project because I was born in South Africa and had not been back since immigrating to the United States as a child. I saw first hand how the country had been ravaged by HIV and AIDS,” she said.

While struggling to find a space to explore her interest around this subject, Professor Luz Lopez invited Zerden to accompany her on a trip so Puerto Rico. “Luz was so generous with that invitation and does such meaningful work there,” Zerden said.

During her travels, Zerden grew interested in the intersection of the AIDS epidemic and substance abuse. When she returned from Puerto Rico, She went to work as a graduate assistant with the Center for Addiction Research & Services (CARS) at BU for three years under the guidance of Professor Professor Lena Lundgren (Associate Dean for Research and CARS Director), Deborah Chassler (CARS Associate Director and Senior Academic Researcher) and Luz Lopez—all whom she continues to collaborate with today.

During that time, Zerden said she learned the ins and outs of developing grants and program evaluation. “I learned so much there,” Zerden said. “There’s no way I could have actually been able to write a successful federal grant and have it hit without the valuable experiences I learned through CARS and the community partnerships they developed.”

The $1.4 million HRSA grant allows for the development of a specialized MSW training program to prepare final year students to deliver integrated behavioral health services in primary care settings.

“There’s a lot more recognition about the importance of treating people holistically and so, this approach is in line with social work values, recognizing that people are part of families, communities and larger systems. And, especially in light of the Affordable Care Act’s implementation and the focus on prevention, it is critical to treat behavioral health problems before they worsen.”

Zerden’s pilot project will begin this January and a total of 93 students will participate over the next 3 years. In addition to field placements, students will participate in seminars and workshops, which she is currently developing.