Epstein earns university-wide award

31 Mar 2015     By Melissa Lee | NU Central Administration

Michael Epstein, William E. Barkley professor in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, has earned the University of Nebraska’s most prestigious university-wide award—the Innovation, Development and Engagement Award. The IDEA recognizes faculty who have extended academic expertise beyond the boundaries of the university in ways that have enriched the broader community.

Epstein has dedicated his 15 years at UNL to improving the lives of children with behavioral and mental health disorders. His research led to a major shift in the field of child mental health. Treatment is now administered by focusing on a child’s strengths, while narrowing the focus on their deficits.

Epstein’s strength-based approach combatted issues of negative clinician bias. The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences then asked Epstein to guide the development of a “what works” guide that focused on reducing problem behavior in the classroom. It is now the most downloaded practice guide produced by the department.

Epstein also initiated the Center for Child and Family Well-Being, a partnership between UNL and the Boys Town National Research Institute in Omaha.

Please watch this video for more about Epstein's impact on children.

For a listing of other UNL faculty recipients of university-wide awards, please see the story in UNL Today.