UWG News Archive

Traumatology Center announces new advisory board member

February 11, 2004

CARROLLTON, GA - The Center for Traumatology at the University of West Georgia announces the addition of Aparna Bhattacharya to the advisory board. Bhattacharya is the executive director of Raksha, Inc., a non-profit social service support organization for immigrants from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

According to Pamela Howard, director of the Center, Bhattacharya’s experience and skills come from volunteering and working as a victim advocate for five years for the city of Atlanta's Victim Witness Assistance Program (VWAP). She also worked as a project coordinator/employment specialist for the Newcomers' Network's Refugee Family Violence Prevention Project where she developed and implemented the License to Freedom Project.

Prior to becoming an employee of Raksha, Inc., she volunteered and served as a steering committee member with the organization since its inception in 1995. As a representative of Raksha, she has served as a task force member for International Women's House and a founding member of Tapestri, the immigrant and refugee coalition against gender based violence.

Over the last eight years, Bhattacharya has trained law enforcement, victim advocates, social workers, community members, refugee/immigrant women, and healthcare providers on the dynamics of family violence and the needs of refugee and immigrant families. She was awarded the Indian Professionals Network (IPN) award in 1997 and 1998 for her service to the community.

She serves as a member of the Georgia Advisory Committee for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, a board member of International Women's House, board secretary for Tapestri, Inc, and a board member for the Dekalb County Domestic Violence Task Force.

Aparna, a graduate of Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice, joins the existing eight-member advisory board for the Center for Traumatology. The Center was created in 2002 to address the extensive needs of people, communities and organizations during violent, disaster, terroristic, and other traumatic events.

For more information, contact Howard at 770-836-3515 or email trauma@westga.edu.

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