Welcome new faculty! Jeffrey Lacasse and Lisa Schelbe
We are most fortunate to have two new assistant professors joining us this fall!
Lisa Schelbe, MSW, Ph.D. joins the College of Social Work faculty as an Assistant Professor, having most recently completed her Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Schelbe earned her MSW at Washington University, George Warren Brown School of Social Work. Lisa brings a wealth of experience relating to domestic violence and child welfare (particularly youth aging out of the child welfare system).
Jeffrey Lacasse, MSW, Ph.D., a well-respected alum (MSW and Ph.D.) and Lecturer at the FSU College of Social Work returns to us as an Assistant professor after serving as a faculty member at Arizona State University School of Social Work. Dr. Lacasse brings an impressive teaching and scholarly record with continued research interests in mental health, particularly psychotropic medications.
The quality of our faculty is central to the mission of our College committed to being student-centered, engaged in top-notch research “that matters,” and being community-centered. The addition of Jeff and Lisa will bolster our ability to continue to advance as one of the finest academic social work programs in the United States! I am very pleased to welcome Dr. Schelbe and Dr. Lacasse to the College of Social Work family and have no doubt that they will be great assets to our College, University, and all those whom we serve!
Nicholas Mazza, Ph.D
Dean and Patricia V. Vance Professor of Social Work
Get to Know the Newest CSW Faculty Members
Get to Know Dr. Lisa Schelbe
What are your previous experiences in social work, research and education?
Dr. Schelbe: My social work practice experience is varied, although it loosely all connects to the promotion of child well-being and the reduction of family violence. I have worked at various levels ranging from local agencies where I provided direct services to the National Association of Social Workers where I was a field organizer for the state. The various studies I have worked on have all addressed different vulnerable populations of youth and have used different methods. I have taught history of social work and social welfare, and I frequently train and provide guest lectures on qualitative methods.
What drew you to your interests in the field of social work research?
Dr. Schelbe: I became interested in research with youth aging out of the child welfare system after working as a research assistant on a project where we interviewed youth aging out about the process and their decision to leave care. Numerically, the group of youth aging out in the country is small; however, the hardships they face are substantial and costly both to the youth and the communities where they live. As we learn more about youth aging out, we are able to better define policies and refine practices to ensure a smoother transition out of care.
What are your primary research interests in social work?
Dr. Schelbe: My primary research interest is with youth aging out of the child welfare system. These youth are in the process of leaving the system and transitioning to life on their own. Previous research has found these youth to be incredibly vulnerable and the youth often face poor outcomes. The transition period is an opportunity to provide interventions, and I am interested to look at the post-secondary education of youth aging out and how interventions can increase enrollment and retention of youth aging out in post-secondary education programs.
What do you think is the most important contribution of this research to the general public?
Dr. Schelbe: I conducted an ethnography of youth aging out of the child welfare system, which provided an in-depth perspective about how youth negotiate the transition. Intentionally, I work to make the finding accessible so the general public can understand the daily life experiences of youth aging out and policy makers and practioners can use the information to design programs and policies to betters serve youth aging out.
In what ways can you engage students in research?
Dr. Schelbe: As a first year student in an undergraduate program, I was assigned a work study position as a research assistant. I fell in love with research immediately. I am committed to providing opportunities for students to learn about research by working with me on projects where they can learn hands on about all aspects of a research project. Currently, I am working on several projects where students can assist with data analysis and writing.
How do you relate research to education and service?
Dr. Schelbe: I am committed to my research being disseminated to social workers. My goal is for my research to be both accessible and meaningful for practioners. I incorporate my research findings into the classroom when I teach, and regularly have presented to local agencies and policy makers. I volunteer my time to train agency staff who work with vulnerable youth populations and regularly consult on the development of programs for youth aging out.
Get to Know Dr. Jeffrey Lacasse
What are your previous experiences in social work, research and education?
Dr. Lacasse: I received my MSW and Ph.D. from the Florida State University College of Social Work. Prior to beginning my Ph.D. I worked as a psychoeducational facilitator in a prevention program and in a state psychiatric hospital. While pursuing my Ph.D., I taught extensively in the BSW program, and was on faculty as a Visiting Lecturer from 2006-2008, teaching groups and research methods. In 2008, I accepted a tenure-track appointment at Arizona State University (ASU) in Phoenix, Arizona. At ASU I taught Psychopathology to MSW students and a PhD-level Philosophy of Science course. My research agenda has focused on mental health, specifically psychiatric medications, as well as the issue of recovery among those diagnosed with mental disorders. In Spring of 2013, I was thrilled to accept a tenure-track position at the FSU COSW.
What drew you to your interests in the field of social work research?
Dr. Lacasse: While working at the psychiatric hospital, I became fascinated with the use of psychiatric medications. Antipsychotics were the primary treatment modality and a great deal of our interdisciplinary work revolved around their use. A new generation of antipsychotics had just been released and were being promoted as huge improvements over the older drugs – but this narrative was inconsistent with our clinical observations, which raised a lot of questions for me. I started reading scholarly works on biological psychiatry and psychiatric medications. I noticed a clear disconnect between the data contained in such scientific work and what clients and their families were sometimes told in treatment settings. I decided to pursue my Ph.D. to delve further into these issues.
What are your primary research interests in social work?
Dr. Lacasse: I am a mental health researcher, as social workers are the largest group of mental health providers in the United States. My research agenda examines psychiatric diagnosis and treatment within the biomedical industrial complex, focusing primarily on psychiatric medications. Put more simply, I examine the impact that the pharmaceutical industry and related institutions have on how we conceptualize and treat mental health problems. Much of this work has focused on barriers to accurate knowledge dissemination in mental health- for instance, direct-to-consumer advertising of psychiatric medications, which, I have argued, often contain misleading information. I am working on the development and testing of interventions that provide the most accurate data possible, which may aid in good clinical decision-making. Also, Dr. Cynthia Lietz and I just completed a mixed-methods study of individuals formerly diagnosed as severely mentally ill (SMI) who have attained functional recovery.
What do you think is the most important contribution of this research to the general public?
Dr. Lacasse: Neuroanatomist Jonathan Leo and I have published a series of articles, available free to the public, which identify some of the major problems regarding knowledge dissemination. For example, the issue of medical ghostwriting (peer-reviewed research articles covertly authored by pharmaceutical companies) is an important obstacle to good clinical decision making. Having scholarly analysis of these issues in the public domain has the potential for positive impact. Dr. Lietz and I’s recent study of mental health recovery raises the voices of mental health clients, giving insight to what they found helpful in their process of recovery. In the long-term, it is possible that the integration of well-tested data and client perspectives into mental health treatment could result in better outcomes.
In what ways can you engage students in research?
Dr. Lacasse: I routinely involve students in my research, and have worked with students at the BSW, MSW, and Ph.D. level. I engage students in research by finding research roles that they are interested in and will therefore enhance their educational experience. I believe finding the best fit for a student within a research project benefits all concerned. Student research assistants have been essential to much of my research. They have completed literature reviews, entered and coded data, assisted with qualitative interviews, and in a few cases, co-authored manuscripts.
How do you relate research to education and service?
Dr. Lacasse: My research informs my teaching, and vice versa. In the classroom, my research projects and familiarity with the latest data allows me to give students an evidence-based perspective on mental health issues. On the other hand, classroom discussions often generate very interesting ideas for further research. My extramural service is closely linked with my research- I peer-review research articles in my area and serve on the boards of several nonprofits dedicated to improving mental health care.