This year鈥檚 honorees, representing nine UofL schools and colleges, include researchers, scholars and artists, along with those who provide critical support as administrators.听Their work over the past year helped to advance health, grow our technology workforce, improve equity and more.

鈥淚 continue to be impressed by the bold and dauntless sense of curiosity and exploration that鈥檚 so foundational to our campus and what it means to be a Cardinal,鈥� said UofL President Kim Schatzel, speaking at the event. 鈥淓ach and every one of you here tonight brings a passion and energy to that work, and it鈥檚 just incredible.鈥澨�

At the event, hosted by the , several major awards were presented to:听

• • , of the College of 成人直播 and Human Development, who won Researcher of the Year for his work to shape mental health practice, especially for adolescent trauma-informed care and treatment;
  • , of the Schools of Dentistry and Medicine, which won Center of the Year in part for its recent $12 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study links between the human microbiome and disease, which could lead to better treatments for a range of conditions;听
  • , of the College of Arts and Sciences, who won the inaugural Creative Works Award for her innovative work to marry technology and art, via an artificially intelligent painting collaborator;
  • Cheri Hildreth, of , who won the Unsung Hero Award for leading the launch and growth of the environmental health and safety programs over her 30-plus years of service to UofL;
  • Natalie Christian, of the College of Arts and Sciences, who won Early-Career Researcher of the Year for her work to harness plant-associated microbiomes to improve crop health;
  • and , of the Kent School of Social Work, who won the Grand Challenger Award in Empowering our Communities for their work to create supports for youth and their families most impacted by community violence and racial trauma;
  • , of the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, who won the Grand Challenger Award in Advancing our Health for work to integrate biological and clinical information, paving the way for personalized medicine;
  • , of the College of Eduacation and Human Development, who won the Grand Challenger Award in Engineering our Future Economy for her commitment to workforce up/re-skilling in the field of technology, including via innovative badging programs; and
  • Joan Scott, of the School of Dentistry, who won Research Administrator of the Year for providing integral research support to her school and department for more than 20 years.听

In the past year, UofL researchers and scholars submitted 1,075 proposals and received nearly $176 million in external grant funding to support groundbreaking discovery and exploration.听

鈥淚 believe what we celebrate is what we value as an institution,鈥�听 said Kevin Gardner, UofL鈥檚 executive vice president for research and innovation. 鈥淲ith awards like these, we show that we value research, scholarship and creative activity. And, that we value you. The work you do is the backbone of UofL鈥檚 knowledge enterprise.鈥�

Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear joined a UofL social work researcher, survivors and other advocates at the Survivors鈥� Corner nonprofit office recently to entreat the public to watch for signs of criminals who exploit victims for sex and to report their activities to protect their traumatized victims, who often are minors.

Jennifer Middleton, Kent School of Social Work associate professor and director of the Human Trafficking Research Initiative, shared research findings from Project Pivot (Prevention and Intervention for Victims of Trafficking), funded through a grant from the Kentucky Children鈥檚 Justice Act Task Force.

Analyzing 2013-2018 data from the Kentucky Department for Community-Based Services, the research team has preliminary results indicating 83% of the 698 alleged child-trafficking victims reported to the department were female, with the most commonly reported age of 16. Victims ranged from 2 weeks old to 17 years.

鈥淎larmingly, the majority (57%) were trafficked by a family member, often a biological parent,鈥� Middleton said.

The Project Pivot research echoes some findings from previous research showing that homelessness, youth and adversity are factors that make children vulnerable to being trafficked and 鈥渟erves as a call to action to our community and our state,鈥� she said.

鈥淗owever, despite the weight of these statistics, there is hope,鈥� Middleton said. 鈥淏y ramping up community education and awareness efforts and educating the community about the warning signs of human trafficking and what to look for, community members, parents, educators and first responders can help prevent child trafficking from occurring.鈥�

Her team in this project includes research assistants Emily Edwards, a counseling psychology graduate student in the College of 成人直播 and Human Development, and Rianna Ayala, a graduate student in the Kent School of Social Work.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be impactful,鈥� Ayala said.

Project Pivot aims to increase awareness of child trafficking in the state and to improve the ability of various systems to respond to victims in a manner that limits additional trauma to the children. The group should wrap up its report with data and focus-group findings by July and work with a local human trafficking task force and others to prioritize policy and practice recommendations.

When addressing issues such as trafficking, it鈥檚 important to understand the root causes, which is why research is important, said Beshear, who has made the fight against human trafficking a core mission of his office.

鈥淭he work out of the Kent School helps us do our job better. Jennifer (Middleton) is a warrior. We view her and the Kent School as partners,鈥� he said.听

Survivor Summer Dickerson, founder of Women of the Well support ministry, told people at the April 22 news conference that four years ago she spent time at the track鈥檚 Millionaires Row after being flown in to be trafficked during Derby season.

鈥淔our years ago I was being sold on Derby and Oaks. Now I鈥檓 part of the solution,鈥� Dickerson said. 鈥淧lease be aware it is happening. It鈥檚 happening everywhere.鈥�

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鈥淭hat is alarming. That is something that we have to fix,鈥� said Beshear, who detailed several efforts in motion to combat trafficking, which he called 鈥渢he world鈥檚 fastest growing criminal enterprise.鈥�

鈥淗uman trafficking represents the worst form of abuse, often to children, and it is increasing in Kentucky,鈥� the attorney general said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why my office is partnering with the public and private sectors to enhance and improve policy measures and training opportunities to increase resources and awareness to help end human trafficking. Research such as UofL鈥檚 study is important and will help our efforts to combat this form of modern-day slavery.鈥�

The Youth Experiences Survey studied 132 homeless youth aged 12-25 during two weeks in October 2016 to determine the scope of sex trafficking in Kentuckiana. More than three-quarters were from the area. The study showed approximately one of every two females and one of every three males reported being sex-trafficked with the average age of their first such experience at 16.

Youths who reported being sex-trafficked were more likely to be drug-addicted, diagnosed with more than one mental health problem and participate in self-harming, including suicide attempts. They also reported a high level of childhood trauma and abuse.

More than 70 percent of the sex-trafficked youth reported that technology was used as part of their victimization with smartphones being the most common. Social media apps such as Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram also played a role in recruiting and selling.

The team hopes the findings will help communities better serve homeless youth through increased awareness of their specific experiences and needs, said Jennifer Middleton, assistant professor of social work and UofL Human Trafficking Research Initiative co-director.

The findings will be shared this month at the 2017 Central Kentucky Human Trafficking Summit at Georgetown College and next month at the Southern Indiana Human Trafficking Awareness Conference at Indiana University Southeast.

鈥淭his study provides us with a snapshot of the complexities homeless youth face, particularly youth who have experienced sex trafficking. The results highlight the need for early identification and screening of sex-trafficked youth as well as enhanced, trauma-informed services to help them,鈥� Middleton said.

Middleton said the team鈥檚 goal is to expand the study to the entire states of Kentucky and Indiana. The next wave of data collection is underway with youth involved with the justice system.

鈥淭his work by the Kent School and the University of Louisville is going to make a difference, and I know it鈥檚 just getting started,鈥� Beshear said.

The UofL Human Trafficking Research Initiative at the Kent School of Social Work conducted the initial survey with the aid of eight agencies that helped collect the information: YMCA Safe Place Services, Transition Age Youth Launching Realized Dreams (TAYLRD), Home of the Innocents, Haven House, Center for Women and Families, Clark County Youth Shelter, Floyd County Youth Services and the Kristy Love Foundation.听

Angela Renfro, a trafficking survivor who is founder and executive director of the Kristy Love Foundation, said the research confirms 鈥渨hat we have known for a very long time.鈥�

鈥淗uman trafficking is a crime and its victims are often hidden, which makes awareness important and difficult to achieve,鈥� she said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very important and I really thank the University of Louisville for helping us.鈥�