While the Center was in place when he arrived at UNF, it had a different title and focus before being shaped into doing prevention research, said Werch. As director, Werch has been very successful in receiving several grants from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism within the National Institute of Health. The program uses annual sports physicals for adolescents as a way to incorporate alcohol abuse prevention. The new funding will allow the pilot project to expand into seven middle schools throughout Duval and Clay counties. It's a change from some of the studies he has worked on dealing with college-age students.
Prevention is often after the fact.
He and his team are in the process of applying for a grant in conjunction with the University of Central Florida that will help raise awareness of organ donation, especially among college students. His research expertise has been honored both nationally and internationally. Students praise his teaching abilities and know that any graduate research projects that he approves are high quality work. While UNF and other comprehensive universities are not specifically labeled of research institutions, Werch feels that schools set in metropolitan environments, such as UNF, have a great deal to offer in solving today's problems such as health care, crime and economic development. Land grant universities located in rural areas and small towns don't have the long term relationships and partnerships available to schools already in the area, he said.