From the Editor
Edward J. Mullen

This second issue the Center's electronic journal Practice & Research features the Center's current research. Published on the Internet's World Wide Web Practice & Research is now accessible, instantaneously, to thousands of readers worldwide. In this electronic format readers are free to browse topics of interest, download articles for future reference, and print selections. We plan to publish Center study updates and other activities of general interest much more frequently. We anticipate periodic revisions of the current issue so that whenever the journal is accessed on the Internet the reader can expect to find the current version with the date of the last revision. While the journal currently focuses on the Center's research and activities, we plan to expand content in future issues to include articles pertaining to social work practice and research written by author's external to the Center as well as Center affiliates. We will also include links to related Internet sites. Although each issue of the journal is self-contained, in its electronic format the reader can dynamically browse other areas of the Center's web site. Prior issues of Practice & Research are accessible at this site as well.

This issue of Practice & Research includes articles describing current research studies conducted by Center affiliates. These articles provide useful summaries of the Center's research programs and give relevant references for those who wish to pursue the topics in further detail. Three of these studies have been reported in prior issues of Practice & Research and this issue provides updates of those studies. These are: From Research to Practice: Using the Computerized Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children in Clinical Services; Evaluation of a Protocol for Identification of Woman Abuse in Families with Allegations of Child Abuse or Neglect; and A Study of Suicidal Ideation and Behavior in Preadolescents.

Four new studies are described. The Odyssey Project: A Descriptive and Prospective Study of Children and Youth in Residential Treatment, Group Homes and Therapeutic Foster Care was initiated in 1995. This national study is being conducted by the Child Welfare League of America, Inc. (CWLA) with the cooperation and support of its members. The study seeks to describe what types of children and youth are being treated in which types of settings and with which types of services, and to examine a variety of outcomes. Bruce A. Grellong, Ph.D., JBFCS Chief Psychologist , is Research Coordinator; Neil B. Guterman, PhD, CUSSW Assistant Professor and Center Faculty Affiliate, is Principal Investigator; and, Mark Cameron, M.S.W., is Research Assistant. The Multicultural Training Program examines incoming graduate students in five schools of social work seeking to assess the relationships between different multicultural training models and student acquisition of culturally competent practice skills. Darrell P. Wheeler, Ph.D., M.P.H. and Karina L. Walters, Ph.D., both CUSSW Assistant Professors and Center Faculty Affiliates, are Co-Principal Investigators. Defining Grief in Childhood: Test-Retest Reliability of the W.T. Grant Consortium Grief Inventory is a study attempting to develop measures of childhood and adolescent grief associated with death and loss of significant others. The Co-Principal Investigators are Linda N. Freeman, M.D., Prudence Fisher, M.S., C.S.W., New York State Psychiatric Institute, and Robert H. Abramovitz, M.D., JBFCS Chief Psychiatrist, all Center Research Affiliates. The Development of Substance Abuse Treatment for Persons with AIDS is an intervention research study examining substance use among clients receiving services from a JBFCS AIDS Day Program. The Principal Investigator is Andrew Hamid, Ph.D., CUSSW Assistant Professor and Center Faculty Affiliate. The Program Director is Susan Bear, M.S.W., JBFCS, AIDS Day Program.

The period since the last publication of the Journal has been an exciting and satisfying time for the Center. The Center's Faculty and Research Affiliates from both JBFCS and CUSSW have been most productive. I am pleased to welcome Andre Ivanoff, Ph.D. and Nabilla El-Bassel, D.S.W., CUSSW Associate Professors, as new members of the Center's Professional Advisory Committee. I am also delighted to welcome as new members of the Center's Development Council two new members, Alice P. Lin, D.S.W. and Maureen L.Cogan, M.S.

We are all saddened by the loss of one of the founding members of the Center's Development Council, Mitchell I. Ginsberg, CUSSW Dean Emeritus. Mitch's inspiration and leadership will be greatly missed by all of use. His contributions to CUSSW, the profession and to the Center will follow him as a lasting tribute to his greatness as a person and as a social welfare professional. We are also saddened by the recent death of Carol H. Meyer, D.S.W. who was a staunch supporter of the Center from its founding. Carol was an outspoken advocate for the linking of practice with research and, for the linking of research with practice. Together with the late Shirley Jenkins she sought to bridge these two worlds for the betterment of social work's clients.

During the past two years the Center has been fortunate to have an outstanding Director of Operations and Management, Jennifer L. Magnabosco, M.S., M. Phil. During much of this time she has also been the Research Coordinator for the C-DISC Study. She also has assisted with the preparation of this edition of the newsletter as well as serving as Managing Editor for the 1994 edition. Jennifer has been instrumental during the past two years in facilitating the Center's remarkable growth. Her pivotal role in organizing the recent Outcomes Measurement in the Human Services Symposium was greatly appreciate by all of those associated with that effort. She has joined me as editor of the forthcoming book based on that symposium. Jennifer has decided to devote full time to completion of her Ph.D. dissertation. She will be missed by all of us at the Center. Bon voyage and a speedy graduation, Jennifer!

Welcome to Gretchen Borges, M.S. the Center's new Administrative Coordinator. And, welcome to William Bacon, Ph.D. who joins the Center as a Senior Research Associate and Research Coordinator for the C-DISC Study. Also, welcome to six new Doctoral Student Affiliates Leslie Pereira, Rachelle Kammer, James Catalano, Hilda Rivera Rodriquez, Anne Singh Stephan, Steven Lohrer, and James Catalano.

We are eager to hear from our readers and welcome suggestions for areas of study or collaboration. To send a comment simply select the Center's e-mail link.