Dr. MaKenna Woods, a three-time Florida State University graduate, joined the University of West Florida (UWF) Department of Social Work staff as an assistant professor this spring.

A Floridian since the age of 10, she’s excited to continue making a difference in her home state. “I am looking forward to affecting so much change in my own little corner of the world,” she shared. “I have so many ideas that I couldn’t pursue as a student as dissertation deadlines loomed.”

Her research interests include military and veteran populations suicide, mental health, and psychopharmacology, and Dr. Woods will continue in this vein, teaching courses at UWF this year on research methods, military social work practice, substance abuse, and field seminars. She also plans to focus her current research on mainstreaming the concept of psychopathological network analysis into the realm of social work research. But her sights aren’t just on the teaching and research opportunities.

“One of the most incredible things about UWF is their dedication to actively making a difference in their community,” she stated excitedly. “They fully support and endorse partnerships, grants, projects, and activism. Anything and everything to help those in need, not just the Pensacola areas, but the entirety of the panhandle, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana. It’s heartwarming to see such movement and passion.”

As she settles into her new academic home, Dr. Woods recalled all the perseverance it took to get to this point. Completing her doctoral program was fraught with personal hardship that tested her dedication to her goals in academics and research.

Her family faced not one but two battles with cancer. Both her father and husband have struggled with late-stage cancer diagnoses, but both got to see her graduate this past fall.

Dr. Woods successfully defended her doctoral dissertation in the fall of 2023, titled “Veteran Suicide and the Ideation to Action Framework: A Critical Examination and Analysis of Theory.”

“The look of pride on their faces as I walked across that stage brings tears to my eyes as I sit remembering that moment,” she recalls of her family on the day of commencement.

Looking back and starting a new professional journey in Pensacola has also reawakened her social work roots in practice and why she was drawn to the profession. “I cannot wait to add my mark to the amazing mission of the UWF’s Department of Social Work!”

She credits her supportive family, FSU mentors, and community for helping her achieve her dream of earning her doctorate at Florida State. “I came to FSU for several reasons,” she recalled. “The legacy of FSU alumni gave me hope and something to strive for in my academic journey. I wanted to be a part of the same place as those incredible people. I love the people and relationships I built at FSU and will miss them the most.”

Earning three degrees in social work (BSW 2013, MSW 2014, PhD 2023) has affirmed Dr. Woods’s legacy as an FSU alumna. Her impact at the College of Social Work is ensured, especially as an instructor. During her doctoral program, Dr. Woods taught undergraduate and graduate courses using creative and innovative methods to engage students in social work research, data, and methodology for several years.

She was awarded Instructor of the Year at the FSU College of Social Work in 2022. “I had Makenna for statistics during COVID, and she exemplified social work values during this time,” her student nominator wrote. “She made a point to check in with us every week and provide a safe space for students to share thoughts and feelings from the week…While teaching course materials, she would adapt the material meet us where we were, and spend extra time on a topic...While stats are not the most exciting class, she really made a point to go the extra mile for her students.”

Now, in her new office at UWF, Dr. Woods describes being surrounded by warm and welcoming colleagues and the feeling that “I can’t help but believe in myself and have this overwhelming sense of ability in everything I expected of me here.”

“I hope to inspire the next generation of social workers to leave the world a better place than they found it and to show them that they have a much louder voice capable of making a difference than they could have ever dreamed.”