The University of California, Irvine's Master of Legal and Forensic Psychology and Center for Psychology and Law host a free webinar to introduce new Distinguished Fellows Jennifer Friend and Michael Barsom.
Jennifer Friend ('95, B.A., social ecology) is CEO of Project Hope Alliance, an Orange County nonprofit organization committed to providing homeless children and youth from kindergarten through age 24 with the tools and opportunities they need to learn their way to a better tomorrow. “Project Hope Alliance partners with schools, cities, districts, and our community to embed trauma-informed full time case managers directly into public school campuses to meet the unique needs of K-12 students and transitional age youth experiencing homelessness,” Friend explains. “This work, eliminating the barriers and filling in the gaps that homelessness places in the lives of our children and youth is having a transformational impact: 93% of our students graduate high school (compared to the state average of 70%) and 100% are either enrolled in college, specialized skill training, the military or employed full time. Together, with our youth and our community, we are disrupting the generational cycle of homelessness and poverty.”
Dr. Michael Barsom, MD, is executive director of Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk. A psychiatric specialist by training, Barsom has more than 25 years of experience in healthcare, and 18 years in various roles at MSH. He has served as the hospital's head since 2019, and before that was executive director of San Bernardino, Calif.-based Patton State Hospital for two years. From 2003 to 2017, he served in roles including executive director, medical director, chief of medical staff and staff psychiatrist at MSH. He serves as a board member at Coast Plaza Hospital in Norwalk. “Policy informed by science is very dear to me,” he says. “Much of what I do today in the state hospital is deal with some very difficult situations and we make decisions, informed by science. The system needs improvement and science is the way forward. I’m honored to be involved. Teaching students is how we move forward to improve delivery of care.”
