People impacted by alcohol and other drugs (AOD) are supported across a range of health and social service settings – and Vocational Education and Training (VET) plays a key role in equipping AOD support workers with the knowledge and skills required for practice.

The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), in collaboration with the University of Technology Sydney, Wuhan University, and Huazhong University of Science and Technology, has achieved a major breakthrough at the 43rd International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) 2026. EdUHK's Chair Professor of the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology Professor Xu Guandong and his research team, including Assistant Professor at Centre for Learning, Teaching and Technology (LTTC) Dr Yu Yang and Research Assistant Mr Nitin Bisht, secured three full paper acceptances and publications, with one selected for an oral spotlight presentation—an honour awarded to only 168 papers out of 23,918 submissions, underscoring the exceptional quality of the team’s research.  

Adverse pregnancy outcomes—such as preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, low-birth weight, and preterm birth—are associated with risk of further complications, chronic disease, and cardiovascular disease. They also disproportionately affect Black and Latina women. A new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham finds adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) among Black and Latina women are also associated with substantially greater health-related social needs, spanning domains such as education, transportation, food security, financial strain, employment, and social support. The researchers conclude that integrating social needs assessment into postpartum care could help improve long-term maternal health and reduce disparities. Results are published in JAMA Network Open.

University of Phoenix has published a new white paper, “Aligning Experience and Perception: A Predictive Framework for Improving Workforce Engagement, Wellness, and Career Optimism,” by Jeffery Rhymes, DMgt, MBA, faculty in College of Doctoral Studies and fellow with the University’s Center for Organizational Wellness, Engagement, and Belonging (CO-WEB). In the paper, Rhymes introduces the Employee Experience Perception Alignment Model, a leadership framework proposing that workforce outcomes are influenced not only by the experiences organizations intend to create, but also by how employees interpret those experiences and assess their own capabilities. The framework draws on organizational research and findings from the 2025 and 2026 Career Optimism Index® studies to examine a growing workforce challenge: Employees’ capabilities, confidence and expectations may be evolving faster than the organizational systems designed to support them.