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The University of Utah is a publicly funded, R1 university located in the United States, with a mission statement that includes recognition of its global role, asserting that "... we engage local and global communities to promote education, health, and quality of life." As part of that engagement, the University of Utah has offered learning abroad opportunities since 1967. Approximately 1 in 10 students participates in a global learning experience, and 80% of programs are short term (defined as 10 weeks or less). The pedagogical theories that guide these short-term programs are experiential learning, authentic learning, and intentional targeted intervention. We describe three short-term learning abroad programs in public health and social work—for students at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate level—connecting the reported benefits to the pedagogical model and theories used to develop the specific curriculum for these short-term programs. Faculty use a variety of reflective tools to help students learn to function in their new setting (experiential learning); explore and meaningfully construct concepts and relationships as they address real-world problems (authentic learning); and facilitate intercultural growth (intentional targeted learning). The University of Utah has adapted a three-stage model for learning abroad that incorporates principles from these theories to drive program activities: Plan (predeparture), Learn (program participation), and Integrate (postprogram). Immediate benefits to students of participating in a global-learning experience include intercultural learning, personal, and career development. Benefits to faculty include scholarly products in the domains of education and service learning, community-engaged participation, and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Paraprofessional substance use disorder counselors (SUDCs) are an important component of expanding access to substance use disorder treatment, but little research on SUDC training currently exists. We evaluated knowledge and self-efficacy gain from brief in-person and virtual workshops for paraprofessional SUDC student-trainees. Methods: Student-trainees (N = 100) enrolled in an undergraduate SUDC training program completed 6 brief workshops from April 2019 to April 2021. Three in-person workshops during 2019 covered clinical assessment, suicide risk and evaluation, and motivational interviewing, and 3 virtual workshops during 2020-2021 covered family engagement and mindfulness-oriented recovery enhancement, as well as screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment for expectant mothers. Pretest and posttest online surveys measured student-trainee knowledge gain related to all 6 SUDC modalities. Results of paired sample t tests evaluated changes in knowledge and self-efficacy from pretest to posttest. Results: All 6 workshops showed a significant gain in knowledge from pretest to posttest. Four workshops showed a significant gain in self-efficacy from pretest to posttest. Hedges g ranged from 0.70 to 1.95 for knowledge gain and from 0.61 to 1.73 for self-efficacy gain across workshops. Common language effect sizes indicating the probability that a participant increased one's score from pretest to posttest ranged from 76% to 93% for knowledge gain and from 73% to 97% for self-efficacy gain across workshops. Conclusions: Results of this study add to the limited research base on training for paraprofessional SUDCs and suggest that in-person learning and virtual learning are both viable brief training tools for students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research suggests that men should be included in reproductive health decision making to help enhance positive health outcomes for their partners. Men affect the use of contraception and what method is used. Men’s decisions may be affected by different factors such as gender, education, and the nature of their sexual relationship. A qualitative study was conducted to explore males’ experiences and perceptions about emergency contraception (EC), and the meanings males assign to EC. Semistructured in-depth focus groups were held with 15 men who engage in heterosexual activity recruited from a university setting in the United States. Participants expressed egalitarian views of the contraception decision-making processes, a sense of responsibility regarding reproductive decision making, and that society has a negative stigma toward those who use EC. However, there was a lack of knowledge regarding the copper intrauterine device, which was not viewed as a method of EC. Exploring the role and needs of men in reproductive health care discussions and research is an important and growing area. Recommendations are provided for health care practitioners, policy, and future research around men and EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]