Josephine D. Kochmaros

Josephine Korchmaros, PhD, Director, Southwest Institute for Research on Women, UA

Monday, October 31, 2022,

2:30-3:30 pm,

ASA Koffler Great Room

Josephine Korchmaros will describe the work of the Southwest Institute for Research on Women (SIROW), in which striving for a society where the well-being of women and families is paramount.  Their goal is women’s equity, empowerment, and prosperity. Dr. Korchmaros will describe SIROW’s multiple strategies for improving community well-being, providing specific examples of its collaborative, community-focused, and translational research projects focused on leveraging health and social equity through evidence. One example is the New Dawn-Warrior Women project, developed by Dr. Korchmaros and her colleagues, that focusses on under-resourced Indigenous and Hispanic women in Arizona who suffer from substance use disorder (SUD) and co-occurring disorders. The project aims to enhance and expand access to harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support services that are affirming and culturally tailored to these women.

Dr. Korchmaros will also present preliminary findings of her group’s U-MATTER project, a collaboration with the Tucson Police Department and local SUD treatment providers to afford a law enforcement-led brief intervention that would identify individuals with substance misuse issues and provide a connection to treatment in lieu of arrest. Finally, Dr Korchmaros will describe a recent SIROW-led project aimed at increasing racial equity in housing.

Since earning her doctoral degree in Social Psychology from the University of Connecticut with a focus on quantitative research methods in 2003, Josephine Korchmaros has developed, implemented, evaluated, and provided training and technical assistance for numerous grant-funded research projects of importance to underserved populations. Her research has focused on treatment models, reduction of risk behaviors, addressing group-based health disparities, and system and policy improvement in such areas as sexual health, substance use, and justice-involvement.

Compiled and edited by Pamela Hennessey, Academy Village Volunteer

Oct 31: “Working with the Community to Address Grand Challenges Impacting Women & Families”