Florida State University’s Institute for Center for the Study and Promotion of Communities, Families, and Children (CFC Center) launches its inaugural research lecture series: “Engage, Inform, & Influence” this September.

The lecture series will start out with its first event entitled “Substance Use During Pregnancy: Time for Policy to Catch Up with Research,” presented by Dr. Samantha Goldfarb, an assistant professor at the FSU College of Medicine and College of Human Sciences, on Friday, September 28^th at the FSU College of Social Work.

“One of the biggest barriers I think we face in the United States is that despite prevention, treatment, and policy efforts, we are still surrounded by stigma on substance abuse in this country,” Goldfarb said. “This is especially true for vulnerable, pregnant women who engage in substance abuse or are already addicted and most times don’t even know they are pregnant.”

Goldfarb has a background in public health, with specialized training in health care policy research relating to maternal and child health issues. Her research focuses on understanding the impact of state health and drug policies on maternal and perinatal outcomes.

“This research lecture series brings together university researchers with key community stakeholders to hopefully foster meaningful interdisciplinary collaborations and connections as well as translational research that informs policy and practice across a broad range of disciplines,” Ellen Piekalkiewicz, director for the CFC Center at the FSU College of Social Work said.

The lecture series features distinguished researchers from among the faculty at Florida State University and other higher learning institutions across the country. The 2018-2019 lecture series will feature four events, including:

• Friday September 28^th, 3-4 p.m.: “Substance Use During Pregnancy: Time for Policy to Catch Up with Research” presented by Samantha Goldfarb, FSU College of Medicine.
• Wednesday, November 28^th, 3-4 p.m.: “Assessing and Addressing the Hidden Crime of Stalking” presented by T.K. Logan, University of Kentucky Center on Drug and Alcohol Research.
• Friday, January 25^th, 3-4 p.m.: “Challenging the Narrative of Chemical Imbalance: A Look at the Evidence” presented by Jonathan Leo, Lincoln Memorial University College of Medicine and Jeffrey Lacasse, FSU College of Social Work.
• Friday, March 29^th, 3-4 p.m.: “Examining the Relationship Between Childhood Victimization, High-risk Behavior, and Health Among Criminal Justice-Involved Women” presented by Tanya Renn, FSU College of Social Work and Michele Staton, University of Kentucky College of Medicine.

Register for the Lecture Series on Friday, September 28th here: http://bit.ly/CFC_Workshop92818

To learn more about these events or the Center for the Study and Promotion of Communities, Families, and Children, contact Ellen Piekalkiewicz at epiekalkiewicz@fsu.edu.