DETROIT - Dr. Faith Hopp, assistant professor at Wayne State University's School of Social Work, is a recent recipient of a prestigious $100,000 Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholar award - one of ten awards given. The project, "Barriers and Facilitators to Heart Failure Care in Urban Settings," aims to obtain "in-depth information about the perceptions of barriers and experience that caregivers' of people with advanced heart failure have, especially regarding heart failure care in urban areas," said Hopp.

The proposed study will garner detailed information about how people with advanced heart failure experience their illness, their perceptions, and their use of formal and informal services. It will also assess willingness of people with heart failure to participate in trials and other tests, caregiver perceptions of heart failure care and the role and potential for social work in addressing the health and psychosocial needs of this population.

"This award will allow me to develop my own teaching expertise on research, policy and services in gerontology, and will aid my development as a gerontological leader who can mentor others," said Hopp.

For the study to succeed, Dr. Hopp is collaborating with WSU's School of Medicine professors, Dr. Robert Zalenski, director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care Excellence, and Dr. Peter Vaitkevicius, Chief of Cardiology at the John D. Dingell Veterans Administration Medical Center.

"Collaborative efforts, such as this one with Dr. Hopp, the School of Social Work and the School of Medicine, continue to exemplify Wayne State's dedication to stressing cross-disciplinary studies in order to obtain the best possible research results," said Dr. Joseph Dunbar, Associate Vice President for Research at WSU. "Since chronic, advanced heart failure has a significant impact on caregivers as well as services, Dr. Hopp's award with a cross-discipline approach is an excellent example of Wayne State's commitment to multidisciplinary research."

The Hartford Foundation recognized Dr. Hopp's work in the field of gerontology, particularly in her work with people with advance heart failure and their need for appropriate health care, end-of-life care, and supportive services. The Hartford Foundation was founded to increase faculty commitment to training social workers to meet the growing and specialized needs of an aging population. This goal is aided and administered by the Gerontological Society of America.
 
Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world.