Next Step Clinic Wins Award

Dr. Amy Van Hecke and Team Receive the President’s Challenge Award

Photo by Jesse Lee

Dr. Amy Van Hecke and a team consisting of Marquette University faculty and community partners have been selected as the first winner of the President’s Challenge Award. The team will open a new clinic, the Next Step Clinic, located at the Next Door Foundation, to address the mental health and developmental needs of Milwaukee’s underserved children and families.

Marquette faculty and staff involved include Van Hecke, Steve Saunders, Wendy Krueger, Mary Carlson, Norah Johnson, Abir Bekhet, Alex Martins, Iqbal Ahamed, Lynne Knobloch-Fedders, Linda Menck, and Troney Small. Community partners include Leah Jepson of the Milwaukee Coalition for Children’s Mental Health/Mental Health America of WI, Dessie Levy of True Love Outreach Ministries, Ida Winters of Mental Health America of WI, Walter Lanier of MATC/the MIRACLE Network, Tracey Sparrow of Next Door Foundation, and Tim Coughlin of United Way/Milwaukee Succeeds. The clinic will also train graduate students in evidence-based, community-informed, healing-centered practices.

For more information, read the story in the Journal Sentinel.