DURHAM, N.H. – The Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire congratulates Dr. JoAnne M. Malloy on her selection as the recipient of the Dr. Gary M. Blau Professional of the Year award from youth advocacy group Youth M.O.V.E. National. The award recognizes Dr. Malloy’s commitment to youth engagement, outstanding research, and performance as a social services educator. The awards ceremony was held on July 17 at the 2014 Georgetown University Training Institutes in Washington, D.C.
“I am incredibly honored to have been nominated for this award by the young people in Youth M.O.V.E. who work so hard to end the isolation and stigma associated with having an emotional or behavioral disorder,” said Dr. Malloy. “I will forever be grateful and humbled to have won this national award. There are so many dedicated and accomplished professionals across the country who work every day to improve the quality of life for young people, so to be recognized among those folks is especially humbling. Thank you, Youth M.O.V.E. and keep spreading the word!”
Dr. Malloy is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work and the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. She joined the staff of the Institute on Disability (NH’s University Center for Excellence on Disability) in 1991 where she has directed several state and federally-funded employment and dropout prevention projects. In 1996, she directed a demonstration project to create employment opportunities for youth with emotional and behavioral disabilities. The model developed as a result of the project, known as RENEW (Rehabilitation, Empowerment, Natural supports, Education, and Work), has resulted in positive outcomes for youth with emotional and behavioral disorders, and at risk youth in educational, mental health, and juvenile detention settings.
Additionally, Dr. Malloy directed two projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education that were the first in the country to link Positive Behavioral Supports and Interventions (PBIS) with dropout prevention. These projects, entitled APEX (Achievement in Prevention and Excellence) were implemented in 17 high schools in New Hampshire, and have been replicated and expanded with state discretionary special education dollars. Dr. Malloy also directs a project funded by the NH Bureau of Behavioral Health and the Endowment for Health to train community mental health center staffs to provide RENEW services to youth with emotional and behavioral disorders. She has published numerous articles and book chapters on employment and transition for youth with emotional disorders and adults with mental illness.
Youth M.O.V.E National is a youth-led national organization devoted to improving services and systems that support positive growth and development by uniting the voices of young people who have lived experience in various systems including mental health, juvenile justice, education, and child welfare.
The Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire was established in 1987 to provide a university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. Its mission is to promote full access, equal opportunities, and participation for all persons by strengthening communities and advancing policy and systems change, promising practices, education, and research.
The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.
