Published Research

Researchers investigate the role of limited access to specialty hospitals with certain health plans

National Committee finds Out-of-School Programs Provide Essential Benefits for Children and Youth

New research from UVA Batten assistant professor Kyle S. H. Dobson has identified a simple and cost-effective method for improving police interactions with community members that requires only ten small words. In a paper published last month in Nature Communications, Dobson and his co-researchers found that an officer stating a benevolent intention up front — something as simple as, “I’m walking around trying to get to know the community,” — made a substantial difference in how community members responded.

Phil Potter, UVA Batten professor of politics and public policy, will lead the new National Security Data and Policy Institute, a partnership between the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the University of Virginia to help address the country’s most pressing national security issues.

International Institute for Management Development (IMD) features an article by Bala Mulloth, Jill Kickul, and Tatiana Iakovleva in Sustainability, Sept. 2024. Mulloth and collagues explore the advantages of applying the responsible innovation (RI) framework beyond its origins in the social enterprise sphere.

Despite considerable prior research, it remains unclear whether and by how much state COVID-19−related restrictions affected the number of pandemic deaths in the US. In a paper in the JAMA Health Forum, Professor Chris Ruhm finds that on the whole, stricter restrictions saved a substantial number of lives.

In this case, we study the growth, evolution, and impact of Wildrock, a nonprofit organization that is helping improve the mental health and happiness of people in and around Charlottesville, Virginia, through access to nature and nature play. Wildrock was created by Carolyn Schuyler, a licensed clinical social worker, in response to increasing mental illness among young adults and a decrease in outdoor play among children.

Climate despair is emerging as a psychosocial threat. Ben Converse, associate professor of public policy and psychology at the Batten School, along with Batten post-doc Maura Austin and other UVA researchers, have found a potential source of hope that is underutilized.

Are effective state lawmakers more likely than ineffective state lawmakers to be elected to Congress? Our findings offer important insights into how American federalism contributes to representation by effective lawmakers.

This case study analyzes the growth, evolution, and innovation of Rebecca’s Natural Food, a socially minded grocer that provides locally sourced, sustainable, and healthy products for the public. Founded in 1987 by Norman Dill, the organization’s mission was to orchestrate a movement championing the need for healthy, sustainable, anti-hormone, fresh local food.