Behind the Blue

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 26, 2019) – This week in the United States we celebrate the national holiday of Thanksgiving, so we thought it would be a good time to take stock of the things we may have in our lives to be thankful for.

To that end, we spent an afternoon in the Gatton Student Center on campus talking with students and staff about that, and also learning about some of their favorite Thanksgiving foods and traditions.

Enjoy this short episode, and we hope that you might also have an opportunity to reflect on things you’re thankful for, as well as traditions that are unique and special for you and yours.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 19, 2019) – The University of Kentucky is tackling many of Kentucky’s toughest health issues through research aimed at making documented, measured progress.

Among the many ongoing examples of UK’s faculty researchers focusing their skills to combat a major health challenge is Jennifer Havens.

In this edition of the Behind the Blue Podcast, Carl Nathe of UK Public Relations and Strategic Communications talks with Havens about a project she is leading which is combatting Hepatitis C head on.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 12, 2019) – The new dean of the University of Kentucky College of Communication & Information came to UK a few months ago from another Southeastern Conference school, the University of Alabama. Her name is Jennifer Greer and she is feeling right at home as a member of the Wildcat family.

Greer is impressed by the strong and committed faculty, and by the talented students she is meeting across the campus.

On this week’s edition of “Behind the Blue,” UKPR’s Carl Nathe talks with Greer about  what brought her to Kentucky, her impressions of Lexington and the Bluegrass State,  and what she sees ahead for her college.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 5, 2019) – The University of Kentucky is recognizing multiple anniversaries this academic year, including 70 years of integration on campus, 50 years of black studies at UK and 10 years of the UK Office for Institutional Diversity. UK's diversity efforts have also been recognized nationally in recent years by publications like Forbes and INSIGHT Into Diversity, who has named UK a Diversity Champion three years running.

But the work is far from over, and UK Vice President for Institutional Diversity Sonja Feist-Price says UK continues to strive for inclusive excellence.

"Every individual on our campus adds value. Everyone’s voice on our campus must matter," Feist-Price said in a recent blog post. "I am grateful to work on a campus that deeply values and recognizes the significance of diversifying our student body, celebrating our unique backgrounds, and accepting and supporting all individuals as they embrace their authentic selves."

On this week’s episode of "Behind the Blue," UK Public Relations and Strategic Communications sits down with both Feist-Price and Lance Poston, executive director of UK Inclusive Health and Campus Partnerships, to discuss ongoing efforts to make the university a place where everyone feels a sense of belonging.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 29, 2019) – The University of Kentucky recently welcomed Julian Vasquez (pronounced Vas-Kez) Heilig (pronounced High-ligg) to its family as the new dean of the College of Education. 

Heilig brings a strong research background to the post together with a zest for improving educational opportunities for all students, regardless of their background or socioeconomic status.

On this week’s edition of “Behind the Blue,” UKPR’s Carl Nathe talks with Heilig about what brought him to UK and the important role he sees his college playing not only on campus, but across the entire commonwealth.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 22, 2019) –University of Kentucky researcher April Young and her team have spent the last two years in Eastern Kentucky communities, working to assess and gather information on substance use in those areas for a project known as Kentucky Communities and Researchers Engaging to Halt the Opioid Epidemic, or CARE2HOPE.

Now with an additional $4.2 million from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to continue their work, Young and her collaborators will take what they’ve learned in the field and focus the next three years on developing comprehensive approaches to prevent and treat consequences of opioid injection. The new grant brings CARE2HOPE’s total funding to over $5.5 million.

Young, an associate professor of epidemiology in the UK College of Public Health and faculty member of UK’s Center on Drug and Alcohol Research and Center for Health Equity Transformation, grew up in rural Georgia and understands the struggles smaller communities can face in addressing health crises.

On this episode of Behind the Blue, Young talks with UKPR’s Allison Perry about working with a community-based staff, the creative tactics used to build connections and trust, and the complicated layers of challenges these communities face, from unstable housing, food insecurity and more, that require what she terms “wraparound care.”

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university. 

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 15, 2019) – The University of Kentucky College of Social Work prepares its students for careers of service across a spectrum of important areas touching virtually every segment of our society. Earlier this year, faculty member Jay Miller was named as the college’s new dean. 

On this week’s edition of “Behind the Blue,” UKPR’s Carl Nathe talks with Miller about his vision and hopes for the college as it serves the citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 8, 2019) – The University of Kentucky Alumni Association is fortunate to have consistently strong leadership from volunteers year in and year out. This 2019-20 academic year is no different as Danville native and proud UK graduate Taunya Phillips brings her passion and dedication to the role of president of the association.

This is Homecoming Week on campus with fun activities abounding for alums and students.

On this week’s edition of “Behind the Blue,” UKPR’s Carl Nathe interviews Phillips about her love for the Big Blue and Homecoming 2019.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 1, 2019) – The University of Kentucky recently received an $8.8 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, to establish a Clinical Research Center as part of the Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN) to support research on quality addiction treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) in criminal justice settings nationwide. The awards, totaling an estimated $155 million, will support the multi-year innovation network, including 10 research institutions and two centers that will provide supportive infrastructure.

At UK, the grant will be used to create the Kentucky Women’s Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (WJCOIN) to enhance access to opioid use disorder treatment for women as they transition from jail back to the community. In Kentucky, women represent the fastest-growing demographic in the criminal justice system and are also susceptible to unique vulnerabilities that can lead to opioid overdose.

Michele Staton, associate professor in the UK College of Medicine Department of Behavioral Science, will serve as principal investigator on the project. Staton will lead a team of experts from across UK’s campus including the colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health and Arts & Sciences; the Center on Drug and Alcohol Research; and UK HealthCare’s Kentucky Telecare.

On this week’s edition of “Behind the Blue,” UKPR’s Allison Perry sits down with Staton, along with Katherine Marks, a UK College of Medicine research assistant professor and project director for the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, and Sarah Johnson, director of addiction services with the Kentucky Department of Corrections, to discuss the partnerships, increases in patient care, and community support this grant will enable in their work.

[Editor’s note: In one response, Johnson mentions that there are 9 correctional facilities across the state participating in the research. She later noted, after the interview, there are actually only 6 participating correctional facilities.]

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 24, 2019) – For the first time since it was founded more than 40 years ago as a graduate program offering master’s and doctoral degrees, the University of Kentucky’s Martin School of Public Policy and Administration is launching an exciting undergraduate program in the next academic year, 2020-21.

Several of the Martin School’s programs are nationally ranked and the addition of this new initiative has energized its faculty and is already garnering plenty of interest from prospective students.

On this week’s edition of “Behind the Blue,” UKPR’s Carl Nathe interviews Wendell Ford Professor of Public Policy Genia (pronounced Gene – ah) Toma about this undergraduate offering, as well as details on the 2019 Wendell Ford Lecture coming up on Oct. 8th.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email [email protected] or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.